When you sell the traditional way, the buyer’s home inspection is one of the biggest hurdles. Most purchase contracts include an inspection contingency, which means if the inspector finds problems, the buyer can ask for repairs, ask for a lower price or walk away. If you own an older home in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene or the Tri-Cities, it’s natural to worry about what they’ll find.
Technically, a house doesn’t “pass” or “fail” a home inspection. The inspector writes a report, and the buyer decides what to do with it. But a long report can sink a sale just as surely as a failing grade.
What inspectors commonly find in older Inland Northwest homes
Spokane in particular has a lot of homes built in the early and middle 1900s. These are some of the items that come up again and again.
Knob-and-tube or other older wiring
Knob-and-tube wiring, found in many homes built before the 1940s, has no ground wire and wasn’t designed for modern electrical loads. Some insurers won’t cover it, and some lenders want it replaced. Inspectors also flag older electrical panels, ungrounded two-prong outlets, overloaded circuits and do-it-yourself wiring.
Galvanized or older plumbing
Galvanized steel pipes corrode from the inside over time, leading to low water pressure, rusty water and leaks. Inspectors also look for old cast-iron drain lines, leaking fixtures, and problems with the sewer line from the house to the street. A sewer scope is common for older homes.
Aging roofs
Snow, ice dams, wind and summer sun are hard on roofs here. Inspectors note worn or missing shingles, failed flashing, multiple layers of roofing and signs of past leaks in the attic. See our post on selling a house with a leaky roof.
Foundation and basement issues
Cracks, water seepage, efflorescence (white mineral deposits) on basement walls, and settling are common in older basements. Our guide to selling with a cracked foundation explains what’s minor and what’s not.
Heating systems
An old furnace or boiler near the end of its life, and in some homes an old oil tank, often lead to repair requests. A working heat source matters a lot to buyers and lenders here.
Other common items
- Moisture, mold or poor ventilation in attics, crawl spaces and bathrooms
- Dry rot around windows, decks and siding
- Pest activity, such as mice, carpenter ants or wasps
- Single-pane or failed windows, and doors that stick
- Possible asbestos or lead paint in homes built before the late 1970s
- Missing smoke or carbon monoxide detectors
- Grading and gutters that send water toward the house
How to prepare if you’re listing
- Consider a pre-listing inspection. It costs a few hundred dollars, but you find out what a buyer will find, before they find it. You can fix items, get bids or price accordingly.
- Fix safety items first. Exposed wiring, missing detectors, gas leaks, missing handrails and active leaks.
- Service the big systems. Have the furnace serviced and keep the receipt. Clean the gutters.
- Handle the small stuff. Leaky faucets, running toilets, sticky doors, burned-out bulbs and missing outlet covers make a report look longer than it should.
- Clean and declutter, including access to the attic, crawl space, electrical panel and furnace. Inspectors note what they can’t reach.
- Disclose what you know. Washington and Idaho both use seller disclosure forms. Being upfront usually goes better than a surprise.
What happens after the inspection
If the buyer’s inspection turns up problems, they’ll usually ask you to:
- make certain repairs before closing,
- give a credit or lower the price, or
- cancel the contract if you can’t agree.
If you can’t afford the repairs, or you’ve already had one buyer walk away after an inspection, see our post on what to do when a sale falls through.
Or skip the inspection worry entirely
When you sell to Backyard Home Buyers, there’s no inspection report for you to negotiate and no repair list to tackle. We buy as-is:
- Old wiring, old plumbing, old roof: we account for it in the offer.
- You’ll usually have a fair cash offer within 24 hours.
- No fees or commissions, and we pay the closing costs.
- We pay cash, so no lender will require repairs.
- Close in as little as 7 days, or on your date.
Our offer will reflect the repairs, so it will usually be below what a fully updated home might list for. But you skip the repair bills, the back-and-forth after the inspection, and the risk of the deal falling apart. Our guide to what’s worth fixing before you sell can help you compare.
We’re local and family-owned. Both owners were born and raised in the Inland Northwest, and we’ve done over 500 deals since 2019 in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and the Tri-Cities. See how it works, or call (509) 461-9079.