United Real Estate Properties
Lauri Howes & Jamie Kenworthy
Ace that Home Inspection
20 quick tips to acing that home inspection. I'm Laurie Howes and I'm a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty, Eugene/Springfield and Team House. And today we're going to talk about my 20 quick tips to ace your home inspection.


#1 WINDOWS & SCREENS
Take a quick walk around your property, around your house. Make sure you don't have any holes or rips or tears in those window screens and they all fit snug.

#2 PEELING PAINT
If you have any peeling paint on the outside or interior of your home make corrections? That'll go a long way with your FHA, USDA and V.A. Buyers.

#3 CRACKED CAULKING be sure all caulking is in place and clean.

#4 SIDING & TRIM Pressure wash the exterior, walkways and driveway of the house. Re-caulk siding and window trim as needed.

#5 DECKS & FENCING Replace warped and rotten boards. Make sure there are no nail heads sticking up. Re-stain decks and railings. Replace rotten fence boards.

#6 DRAINAGE Fix any drainage issues in the yard like puddling/ponding.

#7 GUTTERS Be sure gutters are clean and downspouts are in good working order. Direct all water away from the foundation.

#8 ROOF Clean moss off the roof and be sure there are no missing shingles. Your roof needs at least 3 to 5 years of life to pass for FHA, VA, & USDA loans.

#9 AIR CONDITIONING
Have an HVAC specialist do a tune up and change out the filters.

#10 GARAGE DOOR See that the garage door is working properly and the remote has good batteries. Fix any broken windows in the garage door.

#11 WATER HEATER Make sure the pressure relief valve extends to outside of house & the pipe is heat rated. Have seismic strapping in place.

#12 SHOWERS & TUBS
Fix any drippy faucets and be sure grout/caulking is clean and in place.

#13 CEILING FANS  Make sure they're clean, quiet and level.

#14 LIGHT BULBS Have all the lights on and replace any burnt out or flickering bulbs.

#15 ELECTRICAL Be sure all switch plates are covered and 3 prong receptacles are grounded. All wet areas need ground fault (GFCI) receptacles.

#16 PLUMBING Again check for leaks under sinks, fix drippy faucets. Check for leaky hose bibs outside.

#17 TOILETS Have a clean sturdy toilet seat. Be sure the toilet is not running or lose at the base.

#18 SMOKE & CO DETECTORS Make sure detectors are up to date and have 10 year lithium batteries and if hardwired replace with hardwired!

#19 STAIRS
Make sure stairs are free of debris and railings are secure and the right height.

#20 APPLIANCES Make sure they are clean. All burners on the stove need to work as well as the oven, dishwasher & exhaust fan.

TIPS FOR Country dwellers on Wells, make sure and have your water tested for purity. It's a law in Oregon and the seller is responsible for some water. So get that tested and you'll be ahead of the game.

Have a great week,
Team Howes
 

Contact Me

 

Calculator

 
 

What my clients are saying  

Absolutely recommend! We were the owners of the property posted on 9/16/2019. Lauri knew all the ins and outs of getting our property ready to sell, and we were very happy with how quickly it sold. Then she helped us navigate our way through the complexities of getting the property ready for its first time title insurance. Lauri was super supportive and a pleasure to work with, and we also enjoyed spending time with this lovely lively lady!

 

~ Meridith Elizabeth

We had the wonderful opportunity to have Terry Howes as our real estate agent for both the purchase of our new home & the sale of our previous one. There were numerous times when we were ready to make concessions & Terry was there to remind us that if we kept looking we'd eventually find the perfect one. He could have easily encouraged us forward on several of the homes we saw & taken the commission but his goal was more focused on getting us into the right place. Eventually we found the perfect property & are now extremely happy in our new home, thanks to Terry! Even after a few disappointing offers Terry was steadfast. After we closed on both houses Terry has remained in our lives & I feel we have gained a true friend. We have had many opportunities to work with other real estate agents & Terry was BY FAR the most trustworthy & honest out of all of them. He won't push you into something you don't want & he'll always have your back. I highly recommend him to everyone. 2020

 

~ Matthew & Tamara Marksbury

Lauri helped us sell our home in Springfield, OR in 2016. She was so helpful every step of the way, from helping us get the house ready to sell to listing to helping us understand each of the offers we received. She knows the Springfield market so well and gave us excellent advice about pricing it to sell. We had multiple offers and were under contract to sell the house within a week of listing it (for more than our list price) and closed in just over a month

 

~ Kira Homo

Lauri was my first time experience with a real estate agent....I was beyond dumb....and she took the time to answere every one of my questions, spent time with me when she probably had better things to do....she gave me her time, her patience, and shared every bit of her knowledge with me to help me make it through an extremely emotional time in my life. One of the wonderful things about Lauri, is she is a 'seller' and a 'buyer'....which made my entire experience so much easier!!! When you are searching for your dream home, or your forever home, having a gal like Lauri on your team is a MUST!! She shoots straight from the hip....and in a world full of crookedness, straight as an arrow is what I would choose every time!!

 

~ ryrst2

Our daughter chose Lauri to help her and her family find a home in the Springfield area. They had specific ideas about where they wanted to live and Lauri helped them find their "forever" home. We then used Lauri to help us search for our "forever" home. We were not in a hurry and Lauri was there every time a new listing came up in the area we were interested in. She was available immediately to show us the properties and help us make evaluations. We strongly recommend Lauri for all your real estate needs. She is energetic, personable, honest, and quickly zeros in on your wants and needs. Lauri has a broad base of knowledge about the Eugene/Springfield area and beyond. She listens to you, and gives honest feedback. Lauri is professional, personable, and energetic. She will work hard to find your forever home and sell your present real estate.

 

~ Kathy Pasky

Lauri helped me sell my home in Oakridge, Oregon. Oakridge is a small town 45 miles from Eugene with a population of 3500. She was willing to meet with me in Oakridge on a weekend. I was unable to get responses from 2 other realtors & was pleased that she was so responsive. The home sold for a cash price and was only on the market a couple of months. I only had to decrease the sale price a little. Most homes in that area are on the market for at least a year & most often sell for a lot less than the asking price. She was very helpful through the entire process.

 

~ Karen Norton

More Reviews

Want to Know How Much Your Home is Worth?

Get Your FREE Home Market Analysis Report Right Now!

YES, SHOW ME NOW