Things I see OVER and OVER again on every home inspection!  Tips for Sellers preparing your home for an inspection, and tips if you are a Buyer on what to expect.......

Anti tip bracket on the oven.  If I had a dime!  This is an easy fix, and it actually IS code in certain areas of the country, but you'll notice when you get a new oven installed they hand you the paperwork asking you to initial that you decline installing it (just one more tedious step for the installer!) - however, get it installed.  This is a preventive measure pretty much for children in the house.  If you have boiling water on the stove, and they open the oven door and step on it the oven could (?) fall over on top of them.  Better safe than sorry I say!  👌

Seismic Strap and Thermal Expansion Tank on Water Heater.  It is not a "hot" water heater, FYI - huge pet peeve of every Realtor I know when we hear this....you need to check our local county home inspection office, or plumbing company to find out if this is required code in your area.  The Seismic Straps hold the water heater in place in the event of a hurricane or huge disaster - in my opinion if the disaster is scary enough to knock a 400 lb water heater off its ledge or topple over, I would be out the house anyway!  💨💦😱  However in most places it is required and when you install a new water heater make sure to ask about these items.

Loose Toilet.  It my firm believe that the home inspector goes in and juggles the toilet and then off course it is loose!  (I'm being facetious 😄😁😇) - but never fails, this pops up so if you are selling, please just go and tighten your toilet. 

Light Bulbs Out.  And you will see when you get the report back, the Realtor will ask you have it checked by a "licensed and insured electrician"....so in preparation for your home sale, double check every single light bulb to avoid this nuisance. 😆😅

Crawlspace Issues.......where do I even begin....first, if there is standing water in the crawlspace that should be a concern.  The first thing to ask is if it is encapsulated or has a vapor barrier, and if it has a thermostat and fans for humidity control.  These are great to have - although I suggest you research.  It is not uncommon to have mildew on the beams or joists, and even as a homeowner you should have your crawlspace checked out and sprayed for this every few years or so.  Everything is fixable - so no reasons to panic, but I often see missing or cracked beams or joists, and proper support is important (like extremely).  If you are buying, I suggest shopping crawl space contractors and asking around who is the most reputable because you don't know what is going on, and you would be relying totally on the contractors pricing and opinions (unless you want to crawl underneath the house yourself).  I would suggest hiring a structural engineer who has no skin in the game and can evaluate the condition and offer their opinion on repairs (if any) that are necessary. 

GFCI Protected Outlets:  Always, never fails, to come up somewhere.  If you are selling, a pre-inspection for these things may be wise, or have the buyer pay for one but rest assured, you will probably be requested to have an outlet GFCI protected unless you have purchase newer construction.  "Code" changes all the time.  

Negotiating Repairs and Repair Addendum

"Code" a home does not have to be brought "up to code" if it was at the proper code at the time of the build.   It can certainly be a buyer request to do so, but it does not have to be (necessarily) unless it is a real safety issue.  Inspectors are not allowed or qualified to quote "code", but you can check with your local county inspectors office if you have questions. 

After agreeing to the repairs, it will probably be noted that all work must be completed by a licensed and insured contractor, this is important to prevent any fallback if the repair work was done faulty and a problem arises in the future.  A Realtors job is to protect you, so it may sound "petty" but it is REAL and we live in a litigious world, unfortunately.   Most probably the Buyer will have their original inspector come back to re-inspect the job completed.  The inspector will not comment on the quality of the work completed, just if it was indeed, completed and this is very important, not because the Buyer doesn't believe you had the work done, but this actually protects you as well:

Let me tell you a story about this:  I once represented a seller who had a loose Toilet on an inspection with high moisture readings underneath it.  After a contractor checked it out, it was determined that the entire subfloor in the bathroom was rotting and needed to be repaired to the tune of $5,000.   I smelled something fishy about the contractor so double checked his license because he insisted he was licensed and insured, but for some reason could not produce either.  His license expired and he had no insurance, however by this time the job was completed.  When the home inspector came back to re-inspect, it turned out that he did NOT complete the subfloor at all, just put a new wax ring on and put the toilet back!  

This Buyers re-inspection was a favorable turn of events for my Seller because thankfully he had not yet paid him in full. 

Each item on the fully executed repair request should be addressed verbatim on the contractors receipt.  The receipt needs to indicate "Paid In Full" .   Repair negotiations can get messy - so clearly corresponding the repair to the number on the inspection report and clearly writing what was completed can alleviate confusion.  

Inspection Repair Negotiations are stressful.  Many Realtors and Buyers often think that "asking for everything" on the report and "seeing where it goes" is a wise choice.  I disagree.  Cosmetic items (painting, wallpaper removal, new flooring, etc etc) should not be requested.  Keep your requested and agreed to repairs to be items that affect the habitability and functionality of the home such as plumbing, electrical, roofing, leaks, wood rot, mildew, mold, etc etc. 

I'll be addressing this in my next blog post,  and how you can build wealth by buying the house you can afford, fix it up, build equity and put that towards your dream house.  STAY TUNED AND CHECK BACK FOR MORE.  Fill out this link and I'll sign you up to receive my blog posts as soon as they are published.

This post is just my opinion based on 30 years experience, it is important to listen to your own Realtors advice and consult legal if you have questions.