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10 Easy repairs the homeowner can make before the home inspection

1. Prune vegetation away from the house.

2. Clean the gutters.

3. Replace or clean dirty furnace filters.

4. Repair leaking faucets.

5. Install missing covers on electrical switches, outlets and junction boxes.

6. Replace all smoke alarms installed before January 1, 2002 to comply with current standards.

7. Replace burned out light bulbs.

8. Pull soil 6" away from the siding, basement windows, foundation vents and decks.

9. Install 6mil. black plastic vapor barrier in the crawlspace over exposed soil.

10. Install earthquake straps on the water heater.

Please feel free to contact me with any Home & Pest Inspection questions you may have.

Shawn Martin

Martin Home Inspection Services

http://www.martininspect.com/

360.909.0689

Posted by Shawn Martin on 06/15/2007 03:08 PM

Comments (18)

home inspections, easy repairs

Post is included in group: Tips And Advise From a FRIENDLY HOME INSPECTOR

18 Comments on 10 Easy repairs the homeowner can make before the home inspection

JUN

2007

Shawn, as a State Certified Licensed Inspector in termite & mold inspections with 13 years experience, i would agree with the 10 things that you recommended. I would like to add another step that should be done to help the seller keep from being hit with a termite treatment. Remove all the wood landscapeing from around the foundation. I say this from first hand experience of not finding a active infestation within the home & then find live termite all in the landscape. Now the seller has a new expense to add to there stress. I think that your top 10 is really helpful to sellers. Good job!

Thanks Jamie,

So how is Indiana? I grew up in Mishawaka and my grandparents still live in South bend

Shawn Martin

Indiana is a great place to live & work. We have a lot of things that bigger city's have but with a small town fill. South bend is a couple of hours from here. Thanks for your response.

I would add, Shawn, that some of the things aren't as easy as others. While replacing, or placing, the vapor barrier isn't rocket science, it is not a fun job and many people would rather not go in their crawlspace. That's why they always love our work!

It's nice to have a crawl that you can sit up in.

JUN

2007

Shawn

Be careful in my state if a house is up for sale certain thing can only be done by licensed contractors.

JUN

2007

If you do the repairs before putting it on the market you can avoid that problem.

David

No, not really if you have intentions to sell you can't. If you want to fix it up and then decide to sell that's ok.

You are so right Mitch.How many sellers does it take to change a light bulb?

JUN

2007

How can you prove intention to sell?

David

If you want to be dishonest you(not you) can go ahead. You maybe caught and you may not. I try to the best of my abilities to be honest and it ain't easy.

I did a paper in college about honesty can't remember the course but I do remeber if everybody was honest it would wreck havoc with our economic system.

JUN

2007

That's a good list and some very good points made in the comments.

It looks like we got of the topic a little, lol

JUN

2007

Why do the smoke alarms need to be replaced?

sarah

www.handypeople.com.au

I don't know what standards changed with smoke alarms back in 2002 as home inspectors for the most only need to acknowledge that smoke alarms are present or not present. But, I have always recommended for smoke alarms to be replaced when a home is sold or every 5-7 years. Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time and with exposure to common household dirt and grime. Kitchen smoke, steam, etc, kills smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are just too inexpensive to take a chance that they might not work.

That's exactly the response I was going to give Scott. I also suggest changing batteries if the house isn't too old, at the time of move in.

JUL

2007

Shawn, Thank you for a simple maintenance list that would greatly help a seller. Everthing you have listed can create, be the cause of or lead to other more serious problems that would better be discovered and corrected prior to finding and interested buyer.

JUL

2007

It's a great list, but how many people that have the list actually do the work?

RE SMOKE DETECTORS:
+++++++++
On older homes where the age of the detectors cannot be determined, I recommend replacing all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. The National Fire Protection Association (http://www.nfpa.org/) recommends replacing smoke detectors every 10 years and carbon monoxide detectors every 5 years.

I don't test smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors. Pushing the built-in test button does not ensure that the smoke sensor is functional. It only establishes that the electrical circuit and audible alarm are functional.

Replacement smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should be installed, in the quantity necessary, to comply with the manufacturer's instructions.

I also recommend that you review the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document "Protect Your Family and Yourself from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning" on the EPA website at: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/coftsht.html

Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are NOT tested as part of the Home Inspection. The batteries in all smoke detectors should be changed upon moving into the home. All smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should be tested by the home owner upon moving in and on a regular basis thereafter (see manufacturer's instructions for testing intervals). These are important safety devices. If they fail to operate, have them fixed or replaced. Hard wired smoke detectors should be repaired by an alarm qualified licensed electrician.

More than one working smoke alarm is essential in every household. It is necessary to practice home fire drills and escape plans to be certain everyone is familiar with the smoke alarm signal, and to determine if there are any obstacles to a quick and safe evacuation (including the inability for some to awaken to the smoke alarm signal).
+++++++++++++++

Also see Kentucky Home Inspector on Fire Safety

Erby Crofutt
B4U Close Home Inspections & Radon Testing
Georgetown, KY
www.b4uclose.com
www.kentuckyradon.com
502-570-4054

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