Buying and selling a house is serious business.  While buyers want to be sure that the home they will be calling theirs is as good beneath the surface as it appears, sellers should be upfront and honest about their property – sending a signal that their home is an open book.

According to industry experts, there are at least thirty-three physical problems that will come under scrutiny during a home inspection. Here is a list of the seven most common if you are putting your home up for sale.

Structural/Foundation Problems
An inspector will investigate the underlying footing and foundation of your home as structural integrity is fundamental to your home.

Defective Plumbing
Defective plumbing can manifest itself in two different ways: leaking, and clogging. A visual inspection can detect leaking, and an inspector will gauge water pressure by turning on all faucets in the highest bathroom and then flushing the toilet.

Poor Heating & Cooling Systems
Insufficient insulation and an inadequate or a poorly functioning heating/cooling system are the most common causes of poor heating/cooling. While an adequately clean furnace, without rust on the heat exchanger, usually has life left in it, an inspector will be asking and checking to see if your furnace is over its typical life span of 15-25 yrs.

Damp or Wet Basement
An inspector will check your walls for a powdery white mineral deposit a few inches off the floor and will look to see if you feel secure enough to store things right on your basement floor. A mildew odor is almost impossible to eliminate and an inspector will certainly be conscious of it. It

Inadequate Wiring & Electrical
Your home should have a minimum of 100 amps service, and this should be clearly marked. Wire should be copper or aluminum.

Rotting Wood
This can occur in many places such as door or window frames, trim, siding, decks and fences. The building inspector will sometimes probe the wood to see if this is present – especially when wood has been freshly painted.

Masonry Work
Re-bricking can be costly, but left unattended, these repairs can cause problems with water and moisture penetration into the home which in turn could lead to a chimney being clogged by fallen bricks or even a chimney which falls onto the roof. It can be costly to rebuild a chimney or to have it repointed.

Bottom Line:  Get a pre-inspection. Once you know what’s wrong, you can have those issues fixed before you list. The cleaner and more problem-free you can make your home, the faster it’s likely to sell!