When you’re selling a house, chances are that your buyer will want to have a home inspection done before they buy your house. Below are the ten problems that are most commonly found during a home inspection and how they can be fixed.
1. Faulty Wiring
These can be problems with amperage being mismatched, junction boxes that are open, or wires not having wire nuts. This can be fixed by fixing your junction boxes and upgrading to a minimum of 100 amps.
2. Poor Drainage and Grading
If you walk around your foundation and the soil is spongy, you likely have poor drainage. Another sign is that your basement has leaks in it. The way to fix this is to regrade so your ground slopes away from your house for ten feet and remove the porous material from around your foundation.
3. Faulty Gutters
Bent or clogged gutters are going to be a common problem that is found when a home inspection is done. This often means that water isn’t being channeled away from your house. This can be fixed by doing preventative maintenance and using adequately sized gutters. You can also use splash pans so that run off is diverted.
4. Dampness in Basement
If you see powdery residue upon your walls, mildew mold or water stains, you have dampness in your basement. This goes along with your gutters. You want to repair your gutters so that water is channeled from your house and then apply a waterproof coating to your basement.
5. Problem With Your Roof
A roof is something that a buyer will look at. So if you have curled or brittle shingles or flashings that are missing or broken, you want to make sure that you have them fixed. This can be done by applying new shingles or tearing off the roof if it’s necessary. You can also replace your flashings, particularly around protrusions like chimneys.
6. Flaws in Foundation
If your floors slope, if you have cracks in your foundation or if your windows or doors that are sticking, you likely have a problem with your foundation. The sloping floors can’t be helped, but you can fill in the cracks using epoxy or silicon caulking and put a waterproof coating to your exterior.
7. Poor Upkeep
This is one of the easiest ones to fix. These are things like your home needs a new coat of paint, you have a cracked driveway or your carpeting is worn. Your home simply needs a little facelift.
8. Faulty Plumbing
This is something a lot of buyers are going to complain about. Signs of this are things like low water pressure, water spots on ceilings that indicate leaks, and slow drains. This can be fixed by cleaning your drains and routing them, reseating your toilet using a new ring and repairing any leaks.
9. Poor Ventilation
If your home is poorly ventilated, your attic is going to be very hot especially during the summer and there will be vapor condensation. This can be fixed by ensuring that your roof soffits aren’t blocked and installing more roof vents. You can also vent your kitchen and bathroom fans to the outside.
10. Defective Heating
This one can be dangerous. If you have a crack in your water tank or heat exchanger and you have a carbon monoxide leak, it can kill your buyer. This can be fixed by resealing your chimney flues and replace your water heater’s sacrificial anode.
Before you decide to sell your house, remember these common problems and fix as many as them as you can. It will make the selling process a lot easier for everyone and make it go faster.
About Crown Home Inspection
Our mission at Crown Home Inspection is to provide our clients with confidence and the knowledge knowing they are making a solid investment. We will provide excellent, quick, and competitively priced service while keeping the highest levels of professionalism and customer courtesy. Crown Home Inspection, will allow inspections to be scheduled at a time that is convenient for our customers, and ensure 24 Hr delivery of our inspection reports.
