How Does a Seller Pass a Home Inspection?

I hear this question every so often so I thought I'd address it. Of course here in Southern California, about 90% of the home inspections we perform are vacant houses, usually foreclosures or short sales. However I know there are still sellers out there.

So how does a seller have the house "pass" the home inspection? First of all, a home inspection in California is not a pass/fail process. There is no requirement to have a home inspection and the reports are advisory for the client... nothing has to be repaired from the home inspection, with the exception of earthquake bracing. I have heard of some local cities sending code enforcement officials to do their own inspections, and they have the authority to require items to be repaired, but that's different from the home inspection. Having said that, the home inspection sometimes still can be used to negotiate the price or at least to be prepared for repairs that are needed.

So what can the seller do? There are certain things a seller can do to prepare the home for the buyer's home inspection. One option is to have the home inspected before it goes up for sale, therefore any repairs can be made and the seller will not have deadlines. When there is a time crunch, many times you are forced to settle with the only person who is available to perform the repair and end up spending more money. Or, the seller can at least be aware of repairs that are needed and can adjust the price accordingly if needed. Either way, the seller is aware of the items to be repaired.

The seller can also go through routine maintenance items themselves and take care of those. Painting, caulking in kitchens and bathrooms, cleaning rain gutters, replacing light bulbs, cover plates for light switches and receptacles as needed, running water and checking for leaks under sinks or back ups, changing the air filter and checking GFCI receptacle test buttons are all relatively easy items a seller might be able to do themselves. The better the condition a home is in, the easier the process of selling a home becomes. Take care of what items you can ahead of time.

I hope this gives you a little more information about a professional home inspection and its value. Be safe out there.

By Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection