When you bought your home, chances are pretty good that you paid a professional home inspector to check it out before you bought it. It may have been especially useful at the time in your decision regarding the home's value. But do you know what you did with the report once the purchase negotiations were completed?

Your home inspection is good for much more than simply a tool for negotiating adjustments to the sale price. Once you've purchased the home, the home inspector's report can be useful for prioritizing maintenance, improvements and upgrades that need to be made to your home. The report should have addressed all of the major systems and features of your home with indications regarding projected life expectancy (of the system). Some reports also include recommendations for maintenance to keep systems in working order.

Whether you've just bought your home or you bought it years ago, the inspector's report undoubtedly identified areas of your home which need some attention. Reviewing the report should give you some idea of what routine seasonal maintenance you need to do (or hire a professional to do). Since the report should cover all of the systems and significant features of your home, you can record on it (or a copy) the dates and expenditures for all work on your home. This becomes a handy reference for you, especially when you decide to sell your home.

We've been recommending for years now that home sellers pay for a professional home inspection when they list their home for sale. Regardless of the improvements you may have made, every home inspection will turn up at least some negatives. But, if you are diligent about your home maintenance and improvements and keep good records, you increase the likelihood that your home will have a favorable report. Home buyers are faced with so many good options in today's market, and they tend to prefer homes that have been well-maintained and are move-in ready.

So make the most of what you paid for and dig out your inspection report. Chances are, there are some areas of your home you haven't even thought of which will be easy to improve today, increasing the likelihood of an easier sale in the future.

Copyright © Shawn Buryska