After you have signed the contract of sale on you Hilton Head property you need to prepare for the inspection.  Unless you sold your property with no repairs or CL-100 requirements and crossed out and initialed paragraph’s 4 and 5 in your contract, you are bound to convey your property and its systems in “good working” order.  Inspectors are hired by purchasers to review the systems and the house and report what they see.  They are not allowed to put a new light bulb in, they simply report that the light was not working.  Therefore we would suggest to any seller to follow the checklist below before the inspection.   Listed below are our suggestions for simple maintenance and repairs before the inspector arrives.

Pre-Inspection Checklist for Hilton Head Sellers

• HVAC System – Have it serviced and replace the filters.  If anything needs to be fixed, get it done and keep the invoice.
• Screens – If you have them, put them on.  Inspectors will report when screens are missing
• Plumbing – Make sure their are no leaky faucets and replace any missing stoppers in sinks and baths
• Lighting – Replace any and all burned out light bulbs even in the closets, attic and garage
• Toilets – If toilets wobble, replace the wax ring and bolt down.
• Roof and Gutters – Arrange to have the roof cleaned of pine straw and leaves.  Have them clean out the gutters while they are up there and check downspouts.
• Doorways – Especially in the service yards, it is common to have rot around the bottom of the door casing(brick molding).  Check around all your outside doorways and have the rotted wood replaced.  Contractors will cut off the bad portion and repair quite easily.  Rotted doors should also be replaced.
• Service Yards – Check to see if you have outside weatherproof outlet covers on anything plugged in your service yard.
• Windows – Make sure all windows open and close.  Replace missing cranks and repair any locks
• Refrigerator/icemaker – Turn the water on and check to be sure it is making ice.  If it needs to be fixed, get it done and keep the invoice.
• Irrigation – Check or have your landscaper check all outside heads and correct those that are not working.  Check the irrigation clock and fix if necessary.
• Insulation – Pin up loose and or replace any missing insulation in the attic or in the crawl space.
• Systems – Turn on ceiling fans, bathroom fans, attic fans, Jacuzzi tub and all appliances.  Fix any that do not work properly.
• Kitchen and Baths – Caulk around sinks and tubs as necessary.
• Sliding doors – Check all sliding doors and sliding screens.  Fix if necessary.
• Receipts – Find any and old receipts for repairs you have made on the home.  These can save you money if a question arises.
• Dryer Vent – Replace plastic vent behind dryer with metal flex vent.
• Extra Credit – A good first impression is even important for the inspection.  If an inspector has to go through a sink full of dirty dishes to test the drain and garbage disposal, it just makes his job tougher.  So go ahead and make a good first impression with your inspector.

No Worries – Hilton Head Island

No home is perfect and every property has something that needs repair.  No worries though because we have great professional service people and with our years of experience know just what to do.  Once we get the report we will review these items together with you and determine which ones we are required to do per paragraph 4 and the inspection addendum.  The above items represent some of the common issues that now and than pop up on the properties we sell in the Hilton Head area.  By the way, if this is a second home or rental property, let us know and we will have our handyman review your property for you.  If you have questions or would like to discuss this, just email or call me at (843)785-71111 ext 1.  Thank you.