A seller's home inspection before the listing goes live: roof, exterior, structure, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, fireplace, attic and interior in walk order, then the seller's disclosure notes and an action plan that sorts every finding into repair now, get a quote, disclose or leave.
Property and Seller
Whose home, when it goes on the market, and the conditions on the day.
Report title
Seller or sellers
Property address
Listing agent and brokerage
Planned listing date
Kind of home — Detached house, Townhouse, Condominium unit, Duplex, Manufactured home, Other
Year built, as far as known
Approximate living area
Occupancy — Lived in and furnished, Vacant, Vacant with some belongings, Staged for sale
Weather during the visit — Clear and dry, Overcast, Light rain, Heavy rain, Snow or ice on the ground, Rain in the last two days, Very hot, Below freezing
Outdoor temperature
Utilities on at the time — Electricity, Water, Gas, Propane or oil, Some were off
Who was there — Seller, Listing agent, Tenant, Nobody
Inspection company
Inspector
Licence or certification number
Date of inspection
Start time
Roof
The covering, what drains it and what passes through it — and any sign that water is getting in.
How you looked at the roof — Walked the roof, From a ladder at the eaves, From the ground with binoculars, Drone images, Through an upstairs window, Could not be seen
Main roof covering — Asphalt shingle, Architectural shingle, Metal panel, Clay or concrete tile, Slate, Wood shake, Low-slope membrane, Rolled roofing, Other
Covering — shingles, panels or membrane
Gutters and downspouts
Flashing, vents, skylights and other penetrations
Chimney above the roof line
Any sign that the roof leaks now — stains, drips, damp decking?
What you saw on the roof
Roof photographs
Exterior and Grounds
Walls, trim, doors, steps and decks, and the ground around the house — the first thing a buyer sees.
Is any gap between balusters or rails wide enough for a 4-inch ball to pass?
Which way the ground falls at the foundation — Away from the house all round, Flat in places, Toward the house in places
Retaining walls
Are shrubs, trees or vines touching the walls or roof?
Quick wins for curb appeal
What you saw outside
Exterior photographs
Foundation, Basement and Crawlspace
What holds the house up, and whether water or soil is getting at it.
Foundation type — Slab on grade, Basement, Crawlspace, Pier and beam, Other
Where the crawlspace hatch is
Visible foundation walls and floor
Visible floor framing, beams and posts
Cracks you saw — None, Hairline shrinkage, Wider than about 1/4 in., Stair-step in block or brick, Horizontal, One side displaced from the other
Signs the house has moved — sloping floors, racked door frames, cracked drywall at corners?
Signs that water gets in — stains, white mineral crust, damp or standing water?
Is any wood touching soil, or within a few inches of it?
Any joist, beam or stud cut, notched or drilled in a way that worries you?
Sump pump — None, Present and pumped when the float was lifted, Present, did not run, Present, float out of reach
What you saw below the floors
Foundation and crawlspace photographs
Heating and Cooling
Run each system from its own thermostat and say what it is, what it burns and whether it worked.
Main heating method — Forced-air furnace, Heat pump, Boiler — radiators or baseboard, Electric baseboard, Radiant floor, Ductless mini-split, Wall or space heater, Other
Heating fuel — Natural gas, Propane, Electricity, Oil, Wood or pellets, Other
Where the thermostat is
Heating, run from the thermostat — Responded and ran, Did not respond, Not run — too cold, too hot or shut down
Cooling method — Central split system, Heat pump, Ductless mini-split, Evaporative cooler, Window or wall units only, None
Cooling, run from the thermostat — Responded and ran, Did not respond, Not run — too cold, too hot or shut down, No cooling system
Condition of the heating and cooling equipment you could see
Age from the data plates, if legible
Air filter — Clean, Dirty, Missing, Could not find it
What you saw at the heating and cooling
Heating and cooling photographs
Plumbing and Water Heater
Where the shutoffs are, how the water is heated, and whether it all runs and drains without leaking.
Water comes from — Public water, Private well, Could not tell
Main water shutoff — where it is
Main gas or fuel shutoff — where it is
Supply piping you could see — Copper, PEX, CPVC, Galvanized steel, Polybutylene, Other
Drain piping you could see — PVC, ABS, Cast iron, Galvanized, Other
Water heater — Tank — gas, Tank — electric, Tankless — gas, Tankless — electric, Heat pump tank, Boiler-fed, Other
Tank size from the label
Water heater condition, including venting and connections
Temperature and pressure relief valve — Valve fitted, discharge pipe runs down to near the floor or outside, Discharge pipe missing, capped, threaded at the end or running uphill, No relief valve fitted, Could not see it
With two fixtures running at once, did the flow stay usable?
Did hot water reach the fixtures?
Sinks, tubs, showers and toilets
Any leak seen while the water was running?
What you saw at the plumbing
Plumbing photographs
Electrical
The service, the panel and a sample of what it feeds, with the hazards buyers' inspectors always call out.
Service size — 60 A, 100 A, 125 A, 150 A, 200 A, 400 A, Could not tell
Main panel — where it is
Panel make, if shown
Service drop or lateral, meter and entrance cable
Main panel and breakers
Branch wiring you could see — Copper sheathed cable, Wire in conduit, Solid aluminum branch circuits, Knob and tube, Cloth-covered cable, Mixed
Could you see a grounding conductor at the service?
Any open junction box, loose splice, missing cover or warm outlet?
Ground-fault (GFCI) outlets near water and outdoors — Every one tested tripped and reset, One or more would not trip or reset, Missing where you would expect them, Not tested
Arc-fault (AFCI) protection — Present, tested and reset, Present, one or more failed the test, None seen, Not tested
Smoke alarms — Present and sounded when tested, Present, one or more stayed silent, Missing from a bedroom, hall or level, Present, not tested
Carbon monoxide alarms — Present outside sleeping areas, Missing — the home burns fuel or has an attached garage, Not needed — all-electric with no attached garage, Not checked
What you saw at the electrical
Electrical photographs
Fireplace and Wood Stove
Only if the home has one — what you could see of the firebox, damper and hearth.
Does the home have a fireplace or wood stove?
What kind — Masonry wood-burning, Factory-built wood-burning, Gas logs or gas insert, Wood stove, Pellet stove, Decorative only
Firebox, hearth and surround
Does the damper open and close?
Is the hearth extension short or cracked, or is anything combustible close to the opening?
What you saw at the fireplace
Fireplace photographs
Attic, Insulation and Ventilation
What sits above the top ceiling: insulation, air flow, and anything venting into it that should not.
Attic hatch — where it is
How you looked — Went in, Head and shoulders from the hatch, No access
Insulation type — Loose-fill fiberglass, Loose-fill cellulose, Batts, Spray foam, Vermiculite, None seen
Typical insulation depth
Roof and soffit ventilation
Stains, frost marks, wet insulation or growth on the roof deck?
Bathroom fans end — Outdoors, In the attic, Could not tell
What you saw in the attic
Attic photographs
Interior, Garage and Appliances
Rooms, stairs, doors and windows, the garage, and the kitchen appliances that convey with the sale.
Walls and ceilings
Floors
Interior doors
Windows you sampled — open, close and lock
Stairs, handrails and guards
Any ceiling or wall stain from a past or present leak?
Any double-pane window fogged between the panes?
Kitchen counters, cabinets and sink
Kitchen appliances, run briefly
Does the range tip forward when the open oven door is pressed?
Garage door opener reverses on an obstruction — Reverses, Does not reverse, No opener or no garage
Door from the garage into the house — Solid or fire-rated and closes on its own, Hollow, or held open, No attached garage
Dryer vent — Rigid or semi-rigid metal to outdoors, Plastic or foil duct, Disconnected or crushed, Not visible
What you saw inside
Interior photographs
Seller's Disclosure Notes
What the seller already knows about the home, in their words, next to what you saw.
This records what the seller told you. It is not their legal disclosure statement — that is theirs to complete with their agent or attorney.
Past problems the seller mentioned — Roof leak, Water in the basement or crawlspace, Foundation repair, Plumbing leak, Sewer backup, Electrical work, Termite or pest treatment, Mold clean-up, Insurance claim, Work done without a permit, None mentioned
What the seller said about those, in their words
Repairs, replacements and upgrades
What was done
Year
Who did it — Licensed contractor, Handyman, The owner, Not known
Paperwork — Receipt or invoice, Permit, Transferable warranty, None
Photo of the work or its paperwork
Where what you saw differs from what the seller described
Seller's Action Plan
Each finding the seller has to decide about, and the decision.
Recommend a kind of trade, not a company you benefit from. The decision on each line is the seller's.
Action plan
The finding
Where
Plan — Repair before listing, Get a quote to show buyers, Disclose as it is, Leave — minor or cosmetic, Price it in
Who should do it — Licensed trade, Handyman, Seller, Not decided
Done by
Photo
The three things a buyer's inspector is most likely to raise
Not Inspected and Limitations
Anything you could not see, reach or run today, and why — so nobody reads silence as a clean bill.
Name each area or item you could not get to and the reason. A report that leaves something out without saying so is read as if it was fine.
Areas or items not inspected
Area or item
Why — No safe access, Blocked by stored belongings, Utility off, Locked or no key, Weather or roof conditions, Covered by finishes, Outside the agreed scope, Occupant asked us not to, Other
What the client should do about it
Outside this inspection unless separately agreed — Mold sampling, Radon testing, Wood-destroying insect inspection, Asbestos or lead testing, Sewer line camera, Septic system, Private well or water quality, Pool or spa, Irrigation, Low-voltage, security and data wiring, Code compliance
Other limits on today's visit
Summary and Sign-Off
The few things the reader most needs to know, and who stands behind the report.
In a few sentences: the most important things from today
Specialists you recommend calling in — Structural engineer, Licensed electrician, Licensed plumber, HVAC contractor, Roofer, Chimney sweep, Foundation or pier contractor, Pest control operator, Drainage or grading contractor, None
Any other photographs
Inspector — signature
Seller — name
Seller — signature
Home Inspection
Pre-Listing Home Inspection
A seller's home inspection before the listing goes live: roof, exterior, structure, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, fireplace, attic and interior in walk order, then the seller's disclosure notes and an action plan that sorts every finding into repair now, get a quote, disclose or leave.
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A pre-listing home inspection form is the report an inspector writes for a homeowner who is about to sell: the same walk through the roof, structure and systems that the buyer's inspector will make in a few weeks, done first, so the seller decides what to fix, what to price in and what to disclose while there is still time to choose. This one keeps each system compact, adds the seller's own disclosure notes, and ends in an action plan. You can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.
Why sellers pay for an inspection
Every serious buyer will order an inspection. When the seller has already had one, the surprises arrive before the price is agreed rather than after, when every defect becomes a request for a credit and the closing date starts to slip.
It also buys time. A seller who learns in March that the water heater relief valve has no discharge pipe can have a plumber fit one for a modest fee. A seller who learns it from the buyer's report in May pays whatever the buyer asks, on the buyer's schedule.
Same systems, written for a different reader
The inspection itself follows the same standard as a buyer's: a visual, non-invasive look at what can be reached, in the usual order — roof, exterior, foundation and structure, heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, fireplace, attic, interior. What changes is the reader. A buyer wants to know what they are getting into; a seller wants to know what to do next.
So each system here is shorter than in a full buyer's report — one rating for each group of components, and a yes or no on the specific things buyers' inspectors always call out — and the report ends with two sections a buyer's report does not have.
Disclosure notes and the action plan
The disclosure notes record what the seller already knows: past leaks, repairs, replacements, insurance claims, work done without a permit, and which of those have receipts. This is not the seller's legal disclosure statement — that form belongs to them and their agent — but it puts the inspector's observations next to what the seller has said, which is where contradictions show up.
The action plan takes each finding and gives it a decision:
Repair before listing — safety items and anything a lender or buyer will insist on.
Get a quote to show buyers — larger work the seller will not do, but can put a number on.
Disclose as it is — known conditions the price already reflects.
Leave — minor or cosmetic items that are not worth the money.
Price it in — the seller adjusts the asking price instead of repairing.
What the inspector should not do
An inspector who also offers to make the repairs they find has a conflict of interest, and most associations and many states forbid it. Recommend a type of trade, not a firm you profit from. Keep the scope honest too: a pre-listing report is not a warranty, an appraisal, or a promise that the buyer's inspector will see the same things.
Common questions
Does the seller have to share the pre-listing inspection report with buyers?
That depends on the state. In many places a seller must disclose known material defects, and a report in their hands means those defects are known. Sellers should ask their agent or attorney how disclosure works where they live before deciding what to share. Many choose to share the report along with receipts for the repairs, because it builds trust.
Will a buyer still order their own inspection?
Usually, yes, and they should. A seller's report is useful to a buyer but it was commissioned by the other side. What changes is the tone of the negotiation: fewer surprises, and the big items already priced or repaired.
How far ahead of listing should the inspection happen?
Four to eight weeks gives time to get quotes, book contractors and finish repairs before photos are taken. A week before listing still helps with pricing and disclosure but leaves little room to fix anything.
Should the seller fix everything in the report?
No. Safety items and things that would stop a loan are worth doing. Large items are often better quoted than repaired, so the buyer can see the number. Cosmetic items rarely repay the cost. The action plan section exists to make those calls one at a time.
Is a pre-listing inspection the same as a buyer's home inspection?
The method is the same and so is the standard of practice behind it. The report is shaped differently: this one is shorter per system, and adds the seller's disclosure notes and an action plan.