If you’re getting ready to sell your home, there’s one thing you can count on: a home inspection is coming. There’s no getting around it, and honestly, you shouldn’t want to. A clean inspection keeps your deal moving, keeps your buyer confident, and keeps you from renegotiating price a week before closing.

Here’s what’s changed, though. Home inspectors today aren’t the guys who show up, kick the baseboards, and call it a day. They’re running moisture meters, thermal cameras, and drones. They document everything with photos and video. The reports are longer, more detailed, and more expensive than they used to be. That means the margin for “we’ll just wing it” is a lot smaller than it was even a few years ago.

The good news: almost everything a home inspector flags is something you can catch and fix yourself first, for a fraction of the cost and stress. I’ve walked enough Montgomery County sellers through this process — in Rockville, Potomac, Silver Spring, and everywhere in between — to know exactly where inspections go sideways. Here are the 10 things I tell every one of my clients to check before the inspector ever sets foot on the property.

The 10 Things To Check Before Your Inspector Shows Up

• Accessibility. The inspector needs to physically get into every space — closets, storage areas, utility rooms, garages, outbuildings, attics. If there’s an attic hatch above your garage, move the car. If storage boxes are blocking the water heater or electrical panel, clear a path. An inspector who can’t access something either flags it as a defect or reschedules, and neither one helps you.

• Gutters and downspouts. A huge percentage of basement water problems trace straight back to clogged gutters and downspouts. Clean them out, and make sure downspouts (or splash blocks) are actually carrying water three to four feet away from your foundation, not just dumping it at the base of the house.

• Grading around the foundation. Walk the entire perimeter of your house and look for low spots where the ground slopes toward the foundation instead of away from it. Water that pools against your house eventually finds its way in. If you spot a negative grade, pack it with compacted clay soil and slope it away from the home.

• Exterior wood rot. Look closely around door frames, window frames, soffits, and fascia boards for soft, spongy wood. Rot is more than cosmetic — it’s an open door for water intrusion and termites, and it’s one of the fastest things to get flagged on an inspection report.

• Roof condition. This one’s worth bringing in a professional. A roofer will check for missing or cracked shingles, damaged or brittle flashing, and improperly sealed pipe collars, plus signs of water intrusion inside the attic that you’d never notice from the ground.

• Electrical basics. You don’t need an electrician for this step — a cheap outlet tester from Home Depot or Lowe’s will do. Check every outlet for reverse polarity and make sure every light bulb in the house works. An inspector can’t tell the difference between a burned-out bulb and a wiring problem, so a dead bulb becomes a flagged item whether it deserves to be or not.

• HVAC system. This is the one I tell sellers not to skip, no matter what. Get a licensed HVAC company out to service the system and give you a written invoice, plus a service sticker on the unit. It shows both the inspector and the buyer that the system has been maintained. While you’re at it, swap in a fresh furnace filter and get in the habit of replacing it monthly leading up to your sale.

• Chimney inspection. If you have a working fireplace, get the chimney professionally inspected for creosote buildup and structural issues. It’s a lot easier — and cheaper — to find and fix a chimney problem on your own timeline than to have it surface during someone else’s inspection.

• Windows and screens. Go through the house and open every window. Make sure each one opens smoothly, stays open, and locks properly. Check that screens are in place and free of tears. Small stuff, but it adds up fast on an inspection report.

• Plumbing. Check that toilets are properly bolted to the floor and not rocking. To test sinks for leaks, fill the basin about three-quarters full, shut off the water at the stop valve, and check underneath for drips. The weight of a full basin will expose a slow leak that running water alone often misses.

Why Tip #7 Deserves Extra Attention

Out of all ten, the HVAC system is the one I push hardest on. It’s expensive to repair or replace, it’s something every buyer’s inspector checks in detail, and it’s one of the easiest things to get ahead of. A documented, recently serviced system does two things at once: it removes a major objection point for the inspector, and it builds trust with the buyer that the rest of the house has been cared for the same way. Sellers who skip this step are far more likely to end up back at the negotiating table after the inspection.

What This Actually Saves You

Every item on this list has the same goal: remove questions before they become negotiating leverage. A buyer who gets a clean inspection report feels good about their decision and is far less likely to come back asking for a credit or repairs. A buyer who gets a report full of red flags — even minor ones — starts wondering what else might be wrong, and that’s when deals slow down or fall apart.

The inspection lists I’m seeing get longer and more detailed every year, and the reports keep getting more expensive too. The sellers who come out ahead are the ones who treat their own home like an inspector would, weeks before anyone else walks through with a checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I budget to prepare my home for inspection?

It varies by house, but most of these fixes — gutter cleaning, grading touch-ups, bulb replacements, a furnace filter — cost very little. The bigger-ticket items, like HVAC servicing or roof repairs, typically run a few hundred dollars and are far cheaper than renegotiating price after a buyer’s inspector flags the same issue.

Should I get a pre-listing inspection before I put my house on the market?

Many of my Montgomery County sellers do, and I usually recommend it for older homes or ones with known issues. A pre-listing inspection lets you find and fix problems on your own timeline instead of scrambling once you’re under contract with a buyer waiting on you.

What happens if the buyer’s inspector finds something I missed?

It becomes part of negotiations. The buyer can ask for a repair, a credit toward closing costs, or in some cases a price reduction. This is exactly why getting ahead of the obvious items — HVAC, roof, electrical, plumbing — matters so much.

Do I need to fix everything an inspector might flag?

No, and you shouldn’t try to guess every possible issue. Focus on the items in this list, since they’re the ones inspectors check first and buyers react to most. For anything else, your agent can help you decide what’s worth fixing versus disclosing.

How far in advance of listing should I start this prep work?

Two to four weeks is a good target for most of these items, longer if you’re bringing in contractors for the roof, HVAC, or chimney. Starting early gives you room to get quotes and get work scheduled without holding up your listing date.

If you’re getting your Montgomery County home ready to sell, my full walkthrough of the process is in my guide to selling a home, and if you want to see where local inspection issues tend to show up most, check out current market trends on my stats page. Every house and every neighborhood is a little different, so if you want to talk through your specific situation, reach out any time.

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