Nearly all home buyers hire a professional home inspector to take a close look at their new house before closing. You can speed things along by analyzing the condition of your home and making necessary repairs now before the house is under contract. Whole-home inspections cover numerous systems within the house, but there are a handful of hot-spots that concern buyers the most.
Mold and Mildew at the Home Inspection
Mildew stains and odors scare buyers, especially because toxic black mold is such a hot topic. You likely won’t even get an acceptable offer if mold and mildew are present. Even if the mold in your house is the normal variety, treat it and address the source of the problem.
If it comes up in the home inspection, the buyer might demand professional mold remediation, and that can cost thousands.
Damp Basements and Crawlspaces
Mildew odors signal that a basement is too moist. Buyers and home inspectors will look closely at the walls and floors for patches of mildew and signs of dampness. The inspector might use a meter to determine how much moisture is present in these spaces because moisture deteriorates building materials and attracts insects. Cover exposed earth in basements and crawl spaces with plastic to help keep moisture levels down. Most foundation “leaks” are a result of poor drainage that funnels water towards the foundation.
To address this issue, consider the following steps:
- Make sure gutters are clean so that rainwater flows toward downspouts instead of spilling over gutter sides along the foundation.
- Point drainage downspouts away from the house.
- Check water flow through buried drainage lines by flooding them with water from a hose. If water comes back towards you, the line is plugged and should be cleared.
By Janet Wickell, The Balance
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