Cleaning Before a Home Inspection or Appraisal

An inspector is not grading how clean your house is. But a dirty exterior changes what gets written in the report, and the report is what the buyer negotiates with.

What dirt does to a report

Inspectors write what they can see, and they hedge what they cannot.

• Heavy growth on the roof frequently becomes a line recommending evaluation by a roofing contractor. We do not do roof work, so that is one to put in front of a roofer early rather than at the negotiating table.
• Black streaking on siding gets photographed. A buyer reading the report at home does not know whether it is algae or a moisture problem.
• Green walkways and driveways show up as a slip hazard note.
• Blocked gutters become a drainage comment, which buyers hear as foundation.

None of those are failures. All of them are items a buyer can price.

What it hides from you

The other half, and the reason to wash before rather than after. Growth covers things you would want to know first. Cracked stucco, a soft fascia board, a failed sealant joint, a slipped shingle. Finding those yourself, a few weeks before the inspection, means you choose whether to fix them. Finding them in the report means the buyer chooses.

Appraisals are about comparison

An appraiser is comparing your house to recent sales nearby. Condition adjustments are a judgment call, and a house that reads as neglected from the curb sits on the wrong side of that call. It is not a line item you can point at, which is exactly why it is worth removing the question.

Timing

Two to three weeks before the inspection. That gives you room to deal with anything the wash reveals, and the exterior still looks right on the day.

Do it before listing photographs too, if you can. Same visit, two uses.

What is worth doing

House wash first, since streaked siding is what gets photographed. Driveway, walkway and entry. Gutters cleared and the exterior of them washed, because streaked gutters read as neglect from the street.

If you have an inspection booked in St. Johns County or the Jacksonville area, call us and we will get it done with time to spare.