The DO’s and DON’Ts List

DO:

Make the property presentable; this means tidy up. Take out the trash and put the garbage in the bins, Put away all laundry, Store excess footwear, Clean up after your pets, Remove dirty dishes from the sink, Clean up toys, vacuum, dust, etc.
Replace all burned out light bulbs, clean out the clutter from cabinets under sinks so that the Prestigious Home Inspector has access to the plumbing in these locations, in winter, sweep all of the walkways, patio, and deck before the Prestigious Home Inspector arrives.
Make everything accessible. This means that you must allow access to all areas of the property including: furnace, water heater, water shut off valves, electrical panel, attic access, crawlspace, basement, and garage.
If you have started packing, stack the boxes in the centre of the room where they are stored, so that the Prestigious Home Inspector has access to the walls, receptacles, switches, windows, registers, etc.
If you are the Seller or Tenant of the property you should leave while the Prestigious Home Inspector and the people (Buyers) who have ordered the Inspection, go through the Inspection process. Staying only makes you and the Buyers uncomfortable, and the Prestigious Home Inspector is not going to tell you anything that goes into the Inspection Report anyway. If you are the Seller of the property, and have ordered the Inspection (Pre-listing Inspection), you should stay so that the Inspector can go over the findings in the Inspection Report with you.

DON’T:

Do not try to hide any deficiencies or problems with the property. Remember, that the Prestigious Home Inspector is trained to look for things like this, and will usually find the issues anyway. If an area or item is not accessible, the Prestigious Home Inspector will advise the people who ordered the Inspection of this fact. This may cause the people who ordered the Inspection to not waive the condition of Home Inspection, and possibly terminate the transaction. Or, they may insist that the inaccessible area or item be made accessible for re-inspection. This means that The Prestigious Home Inspector may have to come back just to inspect that area or that item. There is usually a fee charged for this, and this fee typically ends up coming from the pocket of the seller, or party that blocked access. This also prolongs the transaction which can have added costs too.
Do not let the "utilities" for the property become disconnected (Electricity, Natural Gas, Water). If the "utilities" are not hooked up, the Prestigious Home Inspector cannot inspect the systems connected to them. This will result in an incomplete inspection, and the Prestigious Home Inspector may have to come back. As previously stated, there is usually a fee charged for this, and this fee typically ends up coming from the pocket of the seller. Again, prolonging the transaction can have added costs. Also ensure that any pilot lights are on, as typically, the Inspector WILL NOT relight pilot lights.
Do not leave pets roaming throughout the property. Take them with you, have them stay somewhere for the few hours of the inspection, or, if you must, keep them in their cages.
Do not pile personal items up against the side of the house or garage, as the Prestigious Home Inspector needs to see these areas too.
All of these things make it quicker and easier for the Prestigious Home Inspector to perform the Inspection and subsequently speeds up the inspection process. This in turn gets the Prestigious Home Inspector in-and-out of your house sooner, with a more favourable view of the property.