A recent report states that sales of previously owned homes in the U.S. rose to an annual rate of 5.34 million by May 2019. So, if you’re looking to sell or buy a home, the market is available.
Whether you’re buying a new or previously owned house, it’s essential to conduct a home inspection. This is a thorough check done on every aspect of a home to ensure it’s ready for occupation.
As a seller, it’s necessary to inspect your home so that you fix any errors and close that deal faster. As a buyer, you’ve to inspect the house to avoid future expenses that’ll dry your pockets.
After a home inspection, the inspector will provide you with an inspection report. This report outlines the strengths and weaknesses of your home. From the report, you’ll know what needs fixing before starting the sales process.
So what are you supposed to do if your home inspection fails? Don’t panic. There’s action you can take. We walk you through the next steps here.
Reasons Why You Failed Your Home Inspection
A home inspection report doesn’t necessarily give your home a pass or fail result. As no home is 100% perfect, we can say a failed inspection means having many errors in your home. So, what errors could this be that determine your home not fit for sale?
Here’s a list of things that’ll cause a home inspector fail:
- Plumbing issues
- Electricity and wiring problems
- Structure and foundation problems
- Roof and chimney defects
- Poor flooring quality
- HVAC system errors
- Poor waste systems
- Mold and mildew
- Presence of pests
- Drainage issues
- Cracks, breaks, and leaks
While the mentioned list isn’t exhaustive, they’re the main areas to fix first. With such issues, a house becomes unfit for occupation. This is why you can’t afford to skip home inspection when selling your home.
What Should You Do After Home Inspection Fails?
Just because an inspector declares your home unfit for residing doesn’t mean you can’t sell the house. Steps to take will depend on the report given. Use it as a guide to rank the issues reported with urgency and ease.
For example, say the inspector finds issues with the foundation issues and quality of flooring. In this case, you may want to rank the foundation as an urgent project. After that, you can sort the flooring.
It’s good to be present during the home inspection so that you can have follow-up questions. Inspectors are very professional and thorough. They’ll be able to point out issues you may not know you have.
When an issue seems unfamiliar to you, ask them how you can fix it. You can also ask about a way around a particular fault. Inspectors don’t have anything against you, so they’ll be glad to give you helping points.
As earlier mentioned, you may not be able to fix your home 100%. You can negotiate with your buyer on the issues found versus the buying price. Buyers decline houses with significant errors like foundations cracking.
But, for other issues like electric wiring, you may be lucky and find a buyer who’s willing to sort it themselves. Be ready to fight for your buying price with the issues attached.
Otherwise, you can negotiate with the buyer and promise to fix all the found errors. Most buyers will give you a timeline to complete the repairs before they hunt for a different house.
In this case, you’re maintaining your home buyer with an ultimatum. This is the best case scenario for you.
Once you fix all errors in the report, it’s advisable to perform a pre-inspection. After that, you’ll be ready to contact your buyer and try to convince them to purchase. If a repeat inspection shows ignored errors, the buyer may not be so understanding.
How to Avoid Failing Home Inspection
Once you decide to sell your home, the next thing to do is to plan for a home inspection. Before buyers bring their inspectors, you should have a home inspection checklist.
Unless you’ve bought or sold a house before, or even been present during a home inspection activity, you may not know what it entails. Feel free to consult your realtor and friends for some insights.
The first tip is not to assume that you know your home. Yes, you may have lived there for years, but there are many wrong or right things with the house that you may not know.
So, get up and do a walk-through. Start with the indoor and head to the outdoor. Look at the ceiling, walls, floor, doors, windows, sockets, bulbs, and other fixtures. Go through places like inside cabinets that you may want to assume are fine, as well.
Are there any leaks or stains, and what is causing them? Fix that too. If you built the house (and not purchased), then take all the receipts of work done. Use those receipts to work on repairs and replacements.
Run a pre-inspection with your realtor present to foresee issues. Fix those issues before putting the house in the market. Different inspectors use different analysis formats.
This means that the buyer’s inspector might note things that your inspector didn’t. It’s okay; you can still negotiate a sale. The key is to be honest before closing and let the buyer know what they should look forward to after purchasing the home.
Your Go-To Ohio Home Inspectors
To avoid home inspection fails, all you need to do is get reputable inspectors to advise you on how to achieve a pass. For only $350, Class Home Inspectors will conduct a thorough inspection of your home. This will include the interior, exterior, roof, basement, and foundation inspection.
After the interior and exterior inspection, you’ll receive a detailed report with images. The report will also contain notes on each issue and defect to guide you when fixing them.
Are you ready to sell or buy a home and are looking for professionals to run the home inspection? Schedule an inspection today with Class Home Inspectors.