4 Things To Check When Conducting Your Own Home Exterior Inspection
If you plan on selling your home in the near future, you are likely aware that potential buyers are going to want a professional home inspection done. When this is done, you definitely want to be sure that the inspection is pretty close to perfect, this way you get the best offer from potential buyers on your home. To prepare yourself for the inspection, you should consider doing your own home exterior inspection so that you can make repairs before you even put your home up for sale. This way, home buyers will be attracted to your home instantly and not hesitant about the purchase. Here are four things that you should be checking:
- The Flashings: The roof flashings are the material that sits around the chimney, sun window, and other roof structures. The flashings are what protects these areas from dealing with water build up. If the flashings are flipping upwards or they are damaged in any way, it's a major sign of potential water damage in the future. You should definitely have the flashings replaced if you notice this.
- The Vents: Any vents that sit on the exterior of your home need to be free and clear of all obstructions. If there are any plants blocking it or you have blocked the vents with your own clutter or outdoor furniture, you must remove it. This is because when vents are blocked, it prevents air from flowing properly inside of the home. You should also clean the vents and repaint around them if there is any chipped paint since you won't want it to appear that the inside of the vents are dirty. Dirty vents lead to complications with the air flow of the home, as well.
- The Gutters: The gutters need to be cleaned and leaks need to be checked for. If there are any leaks in the gutters, any future homeowner is going to have to replace them, which can lead to them offering significantly less for your home than you originally wanted. You can replace only the areas where there are leaks instead of the entire gutter system to save some money.
- The Driveway: The driveway should not have any large cracks or holes, which can cause damage to the tires of any vehicle that drives over it. On top of this, it can gather water, which is a problem in the winter when that water turns to ice. This is because ice expands can cause cracks to become larger. Be sure to have these filled or to have your driveway repaved.
When you check these four things on your own and make the necessary repairs or changes, you can be sure that the professional inspection is more likely to pass. On top of this, potential buyers will be more impressed with your home and more likely to buy for what you are asking for. Contact a business, such as the Home Inspection Associate, for more information.