Avoid the biggest stress that comes with selling a home

WASHINGTON — If you’re selling your home, you can expect buyers to have a home inspection conducted before they close on your house. And it’s stressful for the seller — especially if you have no idea what the inspector might find.

There are some common problems that usually come up such as problematic plumbing leaks particularly around toilets and problems with the home’s electrical system — an issue because of the greater demand and increased use of electronics, says Editor Matt Heimer of the Encore blog on Marketwatch.com.

But if your home was built during the housing boom, watch out. Heimer says if your home is seven to 20 years old, it’s worth having someone take a look at the original construction to see if everything is still sound.

He says that’s because from 1995 to 2008, there was a situation where “homebuilders would try to put homes up just about as fast as they could” and that “a lot of mistakes were made” including some of the basic details such as laying a solid foundation or making sure that the framing of the house was well-aligned.

WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report>Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on the WTOP Facebook page.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up