You're selling your home, and you have had professional cleaning services come to the property to make sure it's free of mold and the carpets have been cleaned, walls scrubbed, and the bathroom areas sanitized and made spotless. The thing you have left to do is have the home inspection done, which is what tells the buyer the things potentially wrong or needing to be upgraded in the property and is often something buyers want for peace of mind before they commit to sales.

The home inspection doesn't come out of your pocket unless you want to get your own inspection done, which you can do on your own if you want more control over what your home may need before you sell it. Here are some things to expect when the home inspection is done so you're prepared for this near-final part of the home sale.

The things that need to be fixed

No home is perfect, and even just-built homes have minor flaws. The buyer just wants to know what the fixing needs are in the home you're selling so they can compare these needs to the price of the home. If the fixes are minor, like needing to replace outlet covers or repairing a window screen, you can have these changes made to the home, opt to not have them done and have the buyer do the work themselves, or you can increase the chances of the home selling by removing the costs to do the repairs from the sale price of the house.

The things that need to be replaced

A home inspection requires checking the light fixtures, appliances, electrical wiring, foundation, fencing, roof, and other parts of the home. Things that need to be replaced might be more serious to the buyer, and they might back out of the home sale if there are many expenses or replacement needs to be done. You have likely already done many of these home replacement needs as you prepared the home to sell, so don't be surprised if only a few pop up, and be prepared to either pay for that new water heater or closet carpet or take off home costs so the buyer feels comfortable moving forward.

The unexpected costs

While not common, it's always a possibility that the home inspection will uncover a hidden flaw that can be quite costly. A rotting attic, termites in the home's foundation, and a leaking crawlspace are all some of the things your home inspection can reveal, so it's wise to be present when the home inspection is done so you can catch and hopefully fix these things so you can sell your house more easily and quickly.

For more information on a home inspection, contact a professional near you.

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