Step 17 to Selling Your Home: The Home Inspection

The home inspection contingency date is noted in the contract. It is usually between 10-14 calendar days from either date the contract was fully executed (in PA) or after the attorney review period has concluded (in NJ).

The buyer will schedule the inspection and his/her REALTOR® will confirm that the day and time work for our schedules. There are few home inspectors that work in the evenings and weekends. Most inspections are scheduled either at 9/10am or 1/2pm during a weekday. It is best for the buyer to schedule the inspection as soon as possible as it does take the inspector a day or two to write the report after the inspection. It is not recommended that you, as the Seller, should be present for the home inspection. Instead, it’s a time for the buyer and the buyer’s REALTOR® to be alone in the property with the inspector.  For condos, plan to be gone for 2 hours.  For single family homes, the inspection can take 3 – 4 hours depending on the size of the home.  The home should look just like it did for the showings with beds made, dishes put away, pets out of the home, etc. Also, please make sure the utilities (i.e. hot water heater, heating system, electrical panel) are reachable by the inspector. The windows should also be accessible as many inspectors will open and close the windows to make sure they are operable. Attic and crawl spaces should also be accessible.

Once the inspection is completed, the inspector will write the inspection report and provide a copy to the buyer within 1 – 2 days. The buyer will then review the report and either the buyer’s REALTOR® or attorney will send over a repair request list asking us for any credits or repairs the buyer wants. We’ll then negotiate these items back and forth and, hopefully, come to an agreement. Keep in mind, the buyer does have the right to walk away from the deal and in this case, the earnest money will be returned to the buyer. Otherwise, once buyer and seller come to an agreement on the repairs, the agents or the attorneys will write it up on an addendum and have all parties sign it.  Any agreed upon repairs need to be completed prior to the final walk through, which usually occurs the day before closing, or by the date stated in the repair request (which can be a week prior to closing). Receipts will need to be provided to the buyer once the repairs are completed. This shows the required work was completed and paid for in full prior to the walk through.