Listing Agents, please have your homes de-cluttered for the Inspection

I guess that this is my rant for the day.

     First off, I do admit that this may not always be possible. But, if the home is currently occupied, or recently vacated, cleaning or straightening up the home should be and can easily be done. I recently entered into an occupied home that was almost impossible to have a complete inspection performed on. Large piles of debris (boxes, bags, dirty clothes, etc.) were around the mechanicals in the garage, as well as in the attic next to the furnace. Oh, and in the laundry room, kitchen, master bathroom, and in the…..the list goes on and on. The home was not a candidate for the show “Hoarders” by any means, but it did need some general rearranging and de-cluttering.  The listing agent, who was on site, told me to just, “push the items away from the furnace and water heater”. This sounds great, but I try to limit my own liability by not touching or “pushing” something that does not belong to me or my client. Especially, if I do not have explicit direction by the current homeowner. Fortunately, the Buyer’s agent was present. She and the Listing agent spoke and then contacted the seller. The seller allowed movement of the items for access. The Realtors together, graciously moved the items for the benefit of the Buyer. We then performed a complete, unobstructed inspection of the home.

I do not like entering into a home where I cannot perform the task that I was hired to do. Listing Agents, please help out the Seller, Buyer and their Inspector. Clean up the home before it is placed on the market.

Richard Morse

Morlin Property Inspections

InspectorRick@Bellsouth.net

(770)564-1505

Atlanta Home and Commercial Property Inspections

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