Realtor Tips: Easy Things to Spot During a Showing

Realtor Tips: Easy Things to Spot During a Showing

Sometimes during the walkthrough portion of a home inspection, our client’s realtor will ask about what are some small things that they can be on the lookout for during an initial showing that could not only knock the socks off their clients, but be helpful as they look to put an offer together. Here are a few things that might be helpful to look for that don’t always require special tools.

*This is not a substitute for a full home inspection, but rather a few items to pay attention to.*

Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

One of the most common defects we see in a home are missing smoke detectors. MN requires that every bedroom have a smoke alarm installed within the room, in every hallway outside of bedrooms and on every level of the home. Depending on the age of your home and city requirements, that smoke alarm may need to be hardwired into the home’s power and may need to be interconnected. Carbon Monoxide Detectors should also be installed within 10’ of bedrooms in the hallway. Depending on the type of loan your clients are using, this can be a huge issue, but easily remedied. Also, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should not be yellow or cream colored. This is the first sign that they are aging and are most likely expired or close to expiration. Check out our other blog post Fire Safety Tips for some more helpful information as well contact the local municipality for their specific regulations. 

GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters) 

GFCI protected outlets, those with the little buttons that are pressed or connected to a GFCI breaker, should be in place when the outlet is within six (6) feet of water. Some common areas to look at are kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, garages, and exteriors. Adding a GFCI outlet to a home is generally pretty straight forward, but if the home is older (think prior to 1975) it would be advisable to have a licensed electrician evaluate the system and install GFCI protection where needed. Keep in mind, some loan types may check for these during their appraisal process.

Handrails

A quick test that can be done is to see if handrails are tight to the wall when you go either up or down the staircase. To test this, gently pull on the railing and if it moves or slides, it’s not secured properly and could fail if pulled too hard. We also note if a handrail does not have a “turned in end”. This is where the ends of the handrail are not open, but closed in to reduce the likelihood of catching anything that is worn or carried. Some loan types may require these to be turned in as well. 

Grading

While looking at the exterior of a home, look at how the ground around the home is sloping. Is it sloping away from the home? Towards the home? Is it generally pretty flat? These are all things to look for that might lead to potential moisture issues within the home’s basement. 

Odors/Stains

While walking through the home, try and smell around. I know this can be hard, especially in homes that are actively being lived in. But, our noses are actually pretty good at finding potential issues. Is there a musty smell in the basement near the water main or in the laundry room? Does it smell like rotten eggs near the furnace? Does it smell like dirt in the utility room? Does it smell like sewer gas in the bathroom or near the attic access? Do you see any stains on the walls or ceiling or floorings? These are all indicators of potential issues within the home and could be helpful for us as inspectors to know about when we inspect. 

Furnace, AC, Water Heater Ages

Ages of the big three can be tricky to find sometimes, but most of the time, the manufacturer uses their serial number to indicate when the appliance was built. Most of the time it is within the first 4-6 digits of the serial number, but sometimes they will use a code letter and make it super tricky. One great resource is the Building Resource Center website. There you will find the majority of manufacturers for furnace, AC, and water heater units.

Electrical Panel

A quick thing to take a look at is what type of electrical service panel does the home have. The main panel types are either circuit breakers or fuses. Fuse panels are becoming less common, but are still around. There are a couple of panel brands to also be on the look out for as they have known issues and may require replacement. 

• Federal Pacific: these are known to have multiple issues ranging from failing to trip overloaded, to breakers splitting when in use. 
• Pushmatic/Bulldog: these types of panels and breakers generally work fine, but replacement parts are getting harder to find as they are not made anymore.
• Zinsco: these have been known to fail to trip when overloaded.

If you find any of these types, it would be recommended to contact a licensed electrician for evaluation and a quote for a potential replacement panel.

Final Thoughts

With anything in life, the more time you spend doing something, the better you get at it. The more you keep your eyes, ears, and noses open and active while walking through a home, the better you will be able to help your clients with the home buying process. Any information you can pass off to an inspector is always helpful information and it will surely knock the socks of your clients when you are able to point out issues like these.