How Do You Pass a Home Inspection?

“What do you think of this house? Should I buy it? Did it pass?”

Inspectors at Ensure Home Inspections don’t answer any of these questions. I want you to read the report.

There is no “pass” or “fail” when it comes to a Home Inspection Report

Speaking of “pass” or “fail”, these terms don’t apply to a home inspection. Unlike a building inspection, where a municipal inspector is checking make sure everything that is detailed on the construction drawings is in place and that everything is up to building code, a house can’t “fail” a home inspection.

Likewise, a home can’t “pass” an inspection, but there are some good things on a home that when I see, I report on. This gives a the report a little less of a negative slant, as everybody worries about the bad things on a home without appreciating some of the good things.

1) Newer air-conditioning systems will always be appreciated, primarily because we see so many old, out of date systems that are ready to keel-over.

2) Newer water-heaters for the same reason as above. Bonus points if the home has a water-pressure regulator installed near the main water supply and the water-heater also has the REQUIRED expansion tank installed.

3) Trimmed up bushes and exterior vegetation. Everybody loves landscaping, but if landscaping gets overgrown and starts to come into contact with the exterior of the structure, it’s going to get marked as a deficiency because we don’t want to create an easy passage for insects to enter the home. Whenever we see exterior vegetation that HAS been well pruned, we know that the seller cares about the property, at least a little bit.

4) Clean air filter. As sad as it is, I see so many homes for sale where the seller couldn’t even be bothered to change out the air-conditioning system return air filter. These things cost $5, take 5 minutes to install, and let the home inspector know that you at least put that much effort into the maintenance of the system.