5 more things to help you pass your home inspection

When you go to sell you home, you do want it to fetch top dollar right? Since we don't actually "grade" inspections, and since no house is perfect,  your best option is to reduce the amount of items the buyers inspector can find. Eliminating these common, and relatively easy repairs will help your home shine for the inspector.

Missing Caulk
Problem: One of the largest dangers a home faces in its lifetime is the constant attack by moisture. Water can, and will infiltrate into the smallest crack and can cause significant damage. Whats worse is that the damage is often unnoticed until it has already caused the damage. One of a homes biggest defenders against water damage is good caulk!

Pictured below is a home we recently came across where the caulking had failed and gone unnoticed for over a year. as you can see the rot was extensive, and well hidden. the damage was only found when repairs to the front porch were made.

Solution: There are 3 major areas to look at in your home when checking the caulk, Kitchen, bathrooms, and exterior windows and doors. Check the caulk around tubs, sinks, showers and other fixtures. The caulk should appear clean with no sigh of mildew or mold, and should be properly sealed to all surfaces. If you see any signs of mold, or separation from the mating surfaces, it should be scraped off and replaced. Below are some pictures of caulk we found that should be replaced.

Caulk has completely separated from shower and wall

Exterior caulk missing

Caulk has dried and cracked

Mold forming under caulk

Caulk is missing

In each of these above pictures, the caulk has failed, or is beginning to fail. In all cases the existing caulk should be removed, and replaced. Once replaced they should be neat and well sealed as in the pictures below.

I have included a set of pictures below on what your caulk SHOULD look like!

Exterior window caulk

Exterior window caulk

Properly caulked sink

Properly caulked window

On a final note about caulk, be sure to use the proper caulk for the application. If you are using the caulk outside, make certain you buy caulk rated for exterior exposure! This post is not sponsored in anyway, but for exterior applications I personally use sealing products made by OSI Quad. The windows in my own home were sealed with this caulk over 20 years ago, and the caulk is still well adhered and pliable. whichever you choose, be sure it is designed for the proper application, and carefully follow the manufactures instructions.

Door seals
Problem:As with the caulking around doors and windows, the seals on your doors are also very important to keeping the conditioned air inside, and the weather and pests outside. There can be a great deal of energy loss and water intrusion through failing seals on an exterior door.

Solution: These door seals are an easy DIY project that can be tacked in about an hour per door. The new door seals can be purchased at most home improvement stores and can be installed fairly quickly with no specialized tools. For complete instructions on how to replace these, check out our dedicated blog post: Repairing Door Seals


Missing Smoke/CO Detectors
Problem: Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are extremely important to the safety of a home and family. It is extremely common to not only find detectors with bad batteries, but for there to not be enough detectors in the proper places.

Solution: As for smoke detectors, there should be one detector in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement. And, in an ideal situation, they detectors would be hardwired so when one sounds, they all do. For more information follow this link to the National Fire Protection Association, Smoke Detector Placement.  For full details on CO detectors, check out our other blog post, Carbon Monoxide Detectors.

Dirty Furnace Filter
Problem: A clean furnace filter is a sign that you properly maintain your furnace. by letting the filter get clogged and not replaced, you are allowing more dust to circulate in your home, and you are placing an undue strain on your furnace and AC equipment. a Forced air furnace relies on the filter to move air across the heat exchanger to heat or cool the air. When the furnace filter is clogged with dust, the blower moter in the furnace will have to strain to move the air through the filter. This causes premature wear on the equipment, and results in less efficiency and higher utility bills.

Solution: Change your filter! most filters are available at the large home improvement stores. simply locate your old filter, write down the size and get an equivalent filter. NOTE: Furnace filters are directional, there is a right and wrong way to install them. be sure the arrow on the filter is going in the same direction as the air is moving.


Insufficient Insulation in Attic
Problem: As we have advanced our building practices over the years, often many older homes on the market may not have adequate insulation in their attic.  This can be a significant deterrent for prospective buyers as it will mean less efficiency and higher utility bills. And while not the cheapest DIY project, this IS a project that most DIYers can tackle themselves.

Solution: First you need to inspect your attic, if you can see the ceiling beams between the insulation, you already know you do not have enough. as you will see in the chart below, in northern climates, like ours in Michigan, they recommend a depth of  16" - 18" of insulation. If yours does not meet standards, you can easily add more. There are generally 2 options, and we recommend using insulation similar to what is existing. If you currently have Batt insulation (the pink stuff in rolls) you can add another layer, putting it down perpendicular to what is existing. This will help eliminate air leaks and provide good coverage over the beams. If your home has blown in, you can simply add more. Most home centers rent the equipment, often free if you buy enough insulation! and they can provide you with the technical details on how to install it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: when adding insulation it is important to NOT block any gable or soffit vents! doing so can create trapped moisture and ultimately mold in your attic!

As always, thank you for reading our blog, we hope you found the information useful! Please check out our other blog and our website at www.expert-home-inspections.com