When getting ready to sell your home, your realtor will likely suggest key tasks to help market it effectively. Common recommendations include decluttering, enhancing curb appeal, deep cleaning, improving lighting, neutralizing colors, and maximizing storage space. While these steps can make your home more appealing to buyers, they can also create unintended challenges for the home inspection process if not done thoughtfully.
Decluttering Without Causing Inspection Issues
I’m a big fan of annual decluttering. My wife Amy and I started this practice about 10 years ago after a couple of moves, and it’s brought us a lot of peace of mind. If you’re ever curious about how this process helped us, feel free to ask—I’m happy to share.
However, when decluttering for a home sale, many homeowners end up packing items into boxes that block key access points like the attic entrance, furnace area, or electrical panel. Home inspectors need clear access to these areas, and while we wear many hats, moving your belongings isn’t one of them. We don’t want to risk damaging your family heirlooms or personal items.
Prioritizing Key Maintenance Tasks
- HVAC Servicing: Hire a professional HVAC technician to service your system and update the service tag. Replace the filter and address any necessary repairs. Buyers appreciate knowing the system has been maintained and won’t need immediate attention.
- Check Under Sinks: Declutter and inspect for minor leaks. A loose drain trap can cause a small leak that’s easy to fix but often overlooked. Correcting this ahead of time can prevent unnecessary inspection report notes.
- Enhance Curb Appeal: While I enjoy maintaining my home’s exterior, you might consider hiring professionals to clean gutters, pressure wash the house, and trim overgrown vegetation. Buyers want to picture themselves enjoying the outdoor space—not tackling a maintenance to-do list. And frankly, I’d prefer not to write up debris-filled gutters.
- Replace Outlet Covers: Missing or mismatched switch and outlet covers are common in basements, laundry rooms, and garages. These inexpensive fixes can improve the home’s appearance and demonstrate overall care. Skipping small details can reflect poorly when combined with larger maintenance issues.
My Home Maintenance Confessions
I’ll admit, even as a home inspector, I’ve been guilty of procrastinating on home maintenance. It took me seven years to install outlet covers on three basement outlets after adding circuits for my workshop. I also finally replaced a broken GFCI outlet on my home’s exterior this past fall.
When we had our roof replaced in 2023, I cleaned out the furnace closet on our third floor, where Amy’s office and the attic are located. However, when I checked back this fall, the space was filled again—despite my many rants about keeping it clear. I still love her with all my heart, but I’m considering adding a lock to that door!
Got Questions? Let’s Talk
If you’d like to hear more about home maintenance or preparing your home for an inspection, send your questions to info@workflowhome.com with the subject line “Blog Post.” I’m always happy to share insights and experiences from the inspection world.
Thanks,
Brian Long
Workflow Home LLC