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If you are selling your house, here are some ways to make your home inspection go smoother, with fewer concerns to delay closing.

• Make sure the inspector has access, not only to the house, but also to the furnace, water heater and air-conditioning units (especially in closets, attics and crawlspaces).
• Remove items blocking access to HVAC equipment, electric service, panels, water heaters, etc.
• Check to see that the garage is open and that any water heater, utility panel and shutoffs and resets for ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) within are accessible.
• Unlock areas the inspector must access, such as attic doors or hatches, electric service panels, closets, fence gates and crawlspaces.
• Ensure that all utility services are on, with gas pilot lights burning.
• Make sure that pets won’t hinder the inspection. Ideally, they should be removed from the premises or secured outside. Tell your agent about any pets at home.
• Replace burned-out bulbs to avoid a “light did not operate” report that may suggest an electrical problem.
• Remove stored items, debris and wood from the foundation. These may be cited as conditions conducive to wood-destroying insects.
• Trim tree limbs to 10 feet from the roof and shrubs to 1 foot from the house to allow access.
• Attend to broken or missing items such as doorknobs, locks and latches, windowpanes, screens and locks, and gutters, downspouts and chimney caps.

Checking these areas before your home inspection is an investment in selling your property, and will expedite your closing.

ASHI is the American Society of Home Inspectors

A home inspection is a vital part of a home purchase. ASHI believes that home inspections can continue during the COVID-19 outbreak when prudent safety precautions are practiced, and when performing the inspection does not conflict with government orders and recommendations.

Everyone involved with the home inspection is responsible for helping with safety. The following advice is based on current recommendations from the CDC, NIH, & WHO. People should be aware that the situation is changing constantly and should monitor the CDC for official updates and recommended behavior.

For Home Inspectors:

• Reschedule the inspection if you feel sick, or if you exhibit symptoms of a respiratory illness.
• Bring your own anti-bacterial soap, towel, hand sanitizer, and shoe covers.
• Use hand sanitizer before entering the home, and wash your hands as recommended before and throughout beginning the inspection.
• Wear disposable shoe covers when entering the home.
• Do not shake hands, bump fists, or touch elbows.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Wash your hands after inspecting each bathroom and the kitchen.
• Wipe bathroom and kitchen fixtures and toilet handles with a sanitizing wipe after inspecting these areas. Be sure the wipe instructions allow use on the fixture or handle.
• Wipe door handle/knob inside and outside the home as you enter and leave the home.

For Buyers and Real Estate Agents:

• Do not attend the inspection. If you wish to attend, do so only at the end of the inspection.
• Do not bring children, relatives, contractors, and others to the inspection. Reschedule the inspection if you wish to attend, and if you feel sick, or if you exhibit symptoms of a respiratory illness.
• Use hand sanitizer before entering and before leaving the home.
• Touch as few things in the home as possible.

For Sellers:

• Reschedule the inspection if anyone in the home feels sick, or exhibits symptoms of a respiratory illness.
• Do not attend the inspection. Make arrangements for children, relatives, and others to be out of the home during the inspection.
• Wipe bathroom and kitchen fixtures, toilet handles, and doorknobs with a sanitizing wipe before the inspection. Be sure the wipe instructions allow use on the surface.

Draft hoods that are pushed down or mispositioned, just like you see in this picture, is an issue I come across all the time. This water heaters draft hood is blocking the indoor air that is normally pulled out through the chimney as well as the poisonous exhaust gases from the water heater. This is an issue called backdrafting.

This issue is dangerous because exhaust gasses may build up in your home and kill you. This is a serious issue and need to be addressed by a licensed HVAC technician.

What should the draft hood look like?

In the photo above you see there is plenty of room for air to enter the vent and allow good drafting up the chimney. That means when the water heater is turned on, the exhaust gases can easily be pulled out the chimney.

Most of the appliances for sale in the U.S. are ENERGY STAR certified, which means that they use less energy than their conventional, non-energy efficient counterparts.

Lower your carbon footprint by using your older appliances smarter.

Run your appliances only when they are full and use them at night when energy is cheaper. Utilities run newer more efficient plants at night while demand is lower saving energy.