AcuSystem Inspections serves Tampa Bay and surrounding communities throughout Florida. AcuSystem Home Inspectors frequently work in conjunction with real estate agents to help buyers and sellers alike to get a full understanding of a house on the market. All AcuSystem home inspectors meet or exceed the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, ASHI Standards of Practice, and have been conducting home inspections for decades.

Sellers sometimes elect to have a pre-listing home inspection in order to get an overall picture of repairs and upgrades they should complete before putting their home up for sale. Buyers are strongly encouraged to have a pre-purchase home inspection done, so they know what they are getting into with the purchase of a particular home.

The prospective home buyer and their real estate agent should attend the home inspection. The seller’s agent should arrange with the buyer’s agent access to the home (either meeting at the home to grant access or providing a key lockbox code).

The seller is not recommended to attend the home inspection (unless they are having a pre-listing inspection done), so their presence does not make the buyer feel pressured to ignore anything found in the home inspection or to be distracted from the home inspection.

In general, whoever ordered the home inspection should be present.

When it comes to preparing for your home inspection, realtors, buyers, and sellers, here are a few things you should know.

• Be present and on time. Realtors and their buyers (or sellers for a pre-listing home inspection) should be present for the inspection.
• Ensure utilities are on. Since the home will be reviewed for functioning, damage, and other issues, make sure the utilities are on—otherwise, our inspectors may mark these aspects as non-functioning.
• Make sure the inspector has access. Locate the keys to the garage and shed, and make sure the pathways into all areas of the home are not blocked (like an obstruction near the attic entrance or in front of the breaker). If these areas are locked, be sure to unlock them in advance as well.
• Conduct minor repairs. If a bulb is out or a light cover needs to be replaced, do it before the home inspector does their thing. Even little things like this will be noted and most prospective buyers prefer a cleaner inspection.

By taking care of these few steps, you can help to ensure a thorough home inspection and prevent a rescheduling or an excessively long list of simple repairs you’ll have to prove to a buyer that they were done.

The average home inspection is about 3 hours, so be sure to accommodate this time in your schedule. While homeowners or their realtor are not required to stick around after providing access, it is best that the individual who ordered the inspection stay for the full inspection. Our home inspectors encourage Tampa residents and prospective buyers to follow us from room to room, see what we are doing and what we are looking for, and ask questions. Home inspections not only tell you about what could be wrong with a home, but they also help to figure out how to manage certain parts of the home (like the breaker, where the main water valve is, and how to run the AC).