In getting ready for your Total Home Inspection, we recommend that you:

1. Set aside 2-3 hours on your calendar so that you can be present for your inspection.

2. Attend the inspection and accompany the home inspector in order to get the most from your Total Home Inspection and to become well versed in the systems and operation of your prospective or new home.

3. Contact your realtor with the time and location of your Total Home Inspection so he/she can open the house and be present at the inspection. The realtor should advise the seller and/or listing broker of the date and time of the inspection so that the house is in a condition to be inspected (obstructions removed for access to the furnace/boiler, water heater, attic, crawl spaces, access panels, etc.).

4. Confirm that all utilities (electric, gas, water, etc.) are turned on.

5. Remind your realtor that the entire house should be kept closed for 12 hours prior to any radon-in-the-air testing ("closed house environment"). Normal ingress and egress are allowable, though the doors should not be left open for any extended period of time, but all windows should be closed throughout the house.

6. Remind the realtor that if the water is to be tested for lead levels, the best test would prohibit any water from being run in the entire house for 6 hours prior to the test.

Home Evaluation Guide for Sellers

In a competitive market like this one, you want your home to "stand out in the crowd." Eliminating major defects makes a property more desirable and leads to a favorable home inspection report for the buyer - thereby helping expedite a sale. Our Inspection Checklist** can help you evaluate your real estate property prior to placing it on the market.

We hope that sellers will find this checklist helpful in evaluating their property and correcting problems that could adversely affect pre-purchase negotiations.

Questions for the Seller

Connecticut has a disclosure law requiring sellers to state any problems of which they are aware. We have compiled some Questions for the Seller** that the seller may need to answer in addition to the Disclosure Statement. As a buyer, these questions should be asked and answered to your satisfaction.

** This document is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you already have the Acrobat Reader, simply click on the link to view the document. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, get it for FREE from Adobe: