The buyer’s inspection: how a seller prepares

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Hello. Everyone explains the pre-purchase inspection to the buyer. Almost no one explains it to the seller. Yet it happens at the seller’s home.

The question, as people ask it: “how do I prepare for the buyer’s inspection”

How long it lasts, and in what order

On the day you sell, an inspector may spend a whole morning at your home. Here’s the order in which they go through it.

The inspector arrives with the buyer, and often with the buyer’s broker. Allow several hours. Often a full morning. Sometimes half a day when the house is large, or when there’s a garage and outbuildings to cover.

The order is almost always the same. The exterior first. The roof and the envelope, looked at from the ground. Then the basement or the crawl space. Then the upper floors, room by room. The attic towards the end. And a discussion with the buyer to finish.

It isn’t a decorative order. They start outside because what they see outside decides what they’ll go look at inside.

What that changes for you: you know at what time they’ll be in which part of your house. You can plan your day accordingly, instead of putting up with it.

What the inspector does outside, before going in

Before even entering your home, the inspector has already decided what to look at first.

Outside, around the house, the inspector starts with the lot. That’s where they start, and it’s the part sellers see the least.

They walk all the way around the building, slowly. They look at the slope of the ground against the foundation. They look at where the downspouts discharge water. They look at the foundation wall, the part of the concrete that sticks out of the ground, looking for cracks, and they look at the parging or paint that covers it. They look at the exterior siding, the windows, the caulking, the flashing.

The roof, they look at from the ground, often with binoculars. They also look at the bottom of the gutters, where granules collect.

One clarification: the French drain, they don’t see it. It’s buried. No one sees it without excavating or without a camera. What an inspector observes outside are signs at the surface.

When they finally go into the house, they already have their list of places to check. That list was made outside.

What they do in the basement

An inspector turns off your basement lights. It’s not by accident.

In the basement, they often turn off the ceiling lights and work with a flashlight, in raking light along the concrete walls. That’s how a crack shows up. Under the ceiling lights, the same crack disappears.

They look for rings on the concrete. Discoloration at the bottom of the walls. The whitish, powdery deposit called efflorescence. They look at the slab where it remains visible: the mechanical room, the storage space, behind the furnace.

When the ceiling isn’t finished, they look at the main beam, the columns, the joists. And at joists that have been drilled or notched to let a duct through.

They don’t say where a trace comes from. That link belongs to the drainage contractor for water, and to a structural engineer for cracks. The inspector observes, and writes it down.

What they do in the attic

There’s a place in your home you haven’t looked at in years. The inspector goes up there.

The attic — the space under the roof — is part of the inspection visit.

The inspector goes up through the hatch, with a flashlight. Often, they don’t go all the way in. When insulation covers the ceiling joists, they look from the opening, because walking on it would damage the ceiling below.

They look at the wood of the roof underside and the trusses, looking for dark stains. They look at the nails: in winter, frost can form on them. They look at whether the insulation is compressed or pushed against the soffits. They look at whether the bathroom fan exhausts its air into the attic rather than outside.

Two different trades read those observations. The stains on the wood and the condition of the shingles: that’s a roofer. The frost and the condensation: that’s a ventilation contractor.

Preparing access: the seller’s list

There are seven things to clear in a house before a buyer’s inspection. Here’s the list, to prepare ahead of time.

Preparing access is the seller’s real task on the day of the buyer’s inspection.

Clear the electrical panel. The door must open all the way, without moving a shelf or a coat.

Clear the attic hatch. Empty the closet below it if that’s where it is. Remove what’s sitting on top of the shelves.

Clear the area around the furnace and the water heater. One metre clear all around is reasonable.

Clear the basement walls as much as possible, especially where boxes are stacked against the concrete.

In winter, clear the snow: around the house, the access to the shed, the garage door, the basement exit.

Unlock everything. The shed, the detached garage, the crawl space hatch. Leave the keys on the table if need be.

And leave the utilities on. Water, electricity, heating.

Your place during the visit

A seller who stays outside during the inspection lets the inspector work. Here’s why.

That leaves your own place on the day of the buyer’s inspection. The rule is simple: don’t follow the inspector step by step, and don’t comment on what they’re looking at.

It isn’t about hiding anything, and I want to be clear about that. You must answer honestly any question you’re asked. Your seller’s declarations remain your seller’s declarations.

It’s a question of roles. The inspector works for the buyer. They need to look calmly and take notes. A seller who explains everything live adds improvised words that no one will be able to verify afterwards.

What works better: leave the house, or stay in a single room. A seller who is represented routes questions through their broker, and the answers are given in writing, afterwards.

You answer what you’re asked. You don’t have to host the visit.

What the report contains, and the two words that keep coming up

Two words come up throughout an inspection report: not verified, and inaccessible.

A pre-purchase inspection report is a written document. The report describes what was observed, room by room and system by system. It contains photos. It contains recommendations to have certain items checked by specialized professionals — an engineer, a roofer, a master electrician, a plumber, as the case may be.

And it contains two notes that keep coming up: “not verified” and “inaccessible”.

Those words aren’t evasive formulas. They’re accurate. They mean the inspector couldn’t see the item, and doesn’t write down something they didn’t see.

What that means from the seller’s point of view: every area left blocked becomes an “inaccessible” line in a document the buyer reads with their broker.

A blocked area doesn’t disappear from the report. It appears there as an unknown.

The same observations, six months earlier

The inspector creates nothing in your home. They write down what is already there today.

The calendar, on the other hand, changes everything in a pre-purchase inspection.

The buyer’s inspector looks at the same foundation walls, the same slab, the same attic, the same electrical panel. The observations they could write down that day already exist today, in your home. Their visit doesn’t create them. It puts them in writing.

The only thing you control is when you, yourself, know about them.

The same observations six months before listing, or three weeks before the notary, aren’t the same information. It’s the same observation, not the same calendar.

Six months before, you call the expert of your choice, you get their opinion in writing, and you decide what to do with it. Three weeks before the notary, you’re answering on someone else’s timeline.

It’s not a question of seriousness. No one can say before the right expert has looked at it. It’s a question of timing.

Who to call, and for what

I don’t do the inspection. My role is to know where to look and who to call.

• Structural engineer
• Roofer
• Ventilation contractor
• Master electrician (CMEQ)
• Plumber

Frequently asked questions

Get a value report for your property, and a marketing plan

Get a value report for your property, and a marketing plan — comparables, features, opinion of value

Full video transcript

Full transcript of the video above, translated from French. Published October 5, 2026.

Hello. Everyone explains the pre-purchase inspection to the buyer. Almost no one explains it to the seller. Yet it happens at the seller’s home.

My name is Ernso Cléus. I’m a residential and commercial real estate broker with RE/MAX Crystal. Before becoming a broker, I earned a diploma in building inspection technology.

How to choose an inspector, and what an inspection doesn’t cover, are or will be the subject of a separate video on my channel.

I’m not going to tell you whether it’s serious, or what it costs. I’m going to tell you how it works, and which expert to call to understand an observation.

How long it lasts, and in what order

The inspector arrives with the buyer, and often with the buyer’s broker. Allow several hours. Often a full morning. Sometimes half a day when the house is large, or when there’s a garage and outbuildings to cover.

The order is almost always the same. The exterior first. The roof and the envelope, looked at from the ground. Then the basement or the crawl space. Then the upper floors, room by room. The attic towards the end. And a discussion with the buyer to finish.

It isn’t a decorative order. They start outside because what they see outside decides what they’ll go look at inside.

What that changes for you: you know at what time they’ll be in which part of your house. You can plan your day accordingly, instead of putting up with it.

What the inspector does outside, before going in

Outside, around the house, the inspector starts with the lot. That’s where they start, and it’s the part sellers see the least.

They walk all the way around the building, slowly. They look at the slope of the ground against the foundation. They look at where the downspouts discharge water. They look at the foundation wall, the part of the concrete that sticks out of the ground, looking for cracks, and they look at the parging or paint that covers it. They look at the exterior siding, the windows, the caulking, the flashing.

The roof, they look at from the ground, often with binoculars. They also look at the bottom of the gutters, where granules collect.

One clarification: the French drain, they don’t see it. It’s buried. No one sees it without excavating or without a camera. What an inspector observes outside are signs at the surface.

When they finally go into the house, they already have their list of places to check. That list was made outside.

What they do in the basement

In the basement, they often turn off the ceiling lights and work with a flashlight, in raking light along the concrete walls. That’s how a crack shows up. Under the ceiling lights, the same crack disappears.

They look for rings on the concrete. Discoloration at the bottom of the walls. The whitish, powdery deposit called efflorescence. They look at the slab where it remains visible: the mechanical room, the storage space, behind the furnace.

When the ceiling isn’t finished, they look at the main beam, the columns, the joists. And at joists that have been drilled or notched to let a duct through.

They don’t say where a trace comes from. That link belongs to the drainage contractor for water, and to a structural engineer for cracks. The inspector observes, and writes it down.

What they do in the attic

The attic — the space under the roof — is part of the inspection visit.

The inspector goes up through the hatch, with a flashlight. Often, they don’t go all the way in. When insulation covers the ceiling joists, they look from the opening, because walking on it would damage the ceiling below.

They look at the wood of the roof underside and the trusses, looking for dark stains. They look at the nails: in winter, frost can form on them. They look at whether the insulation is compressed or pushed against the soffits. They look at whether the bathroom fan exhausts its air into the attic rather than outside.

Two different trades read those observations. The stains on the wood and the condition of the shingles: that’s a roofer. The frost and the condensation: that’s a ventilation contractor.

Preparing access: the seller’s list

Preparing access is the seller’s real task on the day of the buyer’s inspection.

Clear the electrical panel. The door must open all the way, without moving a shelf or a coat.

Clear the attic hatch. Empty the closet below it if that’s where it is. Remove what’s sitting on top of the shelves.

Clear the area around the furnace and the water heater. One metre clear all around is reasonable.

Clear the basement walls as much as possible, especially where boxes are stacked against the concrete.

In winter, clear the snow: around the house, the access to the shed, the garage door, the basement exit.

Unlock everything. The shed, the detached garage, the crawl space hatch. Leave the keys on the table if need be.

And leave the utilities on. Water, electricity, heating.

Your place during the visit

That leaves your own place on the day of the buyer’s inspection. The rule is simple: don’t follow the inspector step by step, and don’t comment on what they’re looking at.

It isn’t about hiding anything, and I want to be clear about that. You must answer honestly any question you’re asked. Your seller’s declarations remain your seller’s declarations.

It’s a question of roles. The inspector works for the buyer. They need to look calmly and take notes. A seller who explains everything live adds improvised words that no one will be able to verify afterwards.

What works better: leave the house, or stay in a single room. A seller who is represented routes questions through their broker, and the answers are given in writing, afterwards.

You answer what you’re asked. You don’t have to host the visit.

What the report contains, and the two words that keep coming up

A pre-purchase inspection report is a written document. The report describes what was observed, room by room and system by system. It contains photos. It contains recommendations to have certain items checked by specialized professionals — an engineer, a roofer, a master electrician, a plumber, as the case may be.

And it contains two notes that keep coming up: “not verified” and “inaccessible”.

Those words aren’t evasive formulas. They’re accurate. They mean the inspector couldn’t see the item, and doesn’t write down something they didn’t see.

What that means from the seller’s point of view: every area left blocked becomes an “inaccessible” line in a document the buyer reads with their broker.

A blocked area doesn’t disappear from the report. It appears there as an unknown.

The same observations, six months earlier

The calendar, on the other hand, changes everything in a pre-purchase inspection.

The buyer’s inspector looks at the same foundation walls, the same slab, the same attic, the same electrical panel. The observations they could write down that day already exist today, in your home. Their visit doesn’t create them. It puts them in writing.

The only thing you control is when you, yourself, know about them.

The same observations six months before listing, or three weeks before the notary, aren’t the same information. It’s the same observation, not the same calendar.

Six months before, you call the expert of your choice, you get their opinion in writing, and you decide what to do with it. Three weeks before the notary, you’re answering on someone else’s timeline.

It’s not a question of seriousness. No one can say before the right expert has looked at it. It’s a question of timing.

A pre-purchase inspection is prepared beforehand, not that morning. Clearing access is your only task.

A seller’s first question is still the value of their property. I produce a value report and a marketing plan. You can request it through the links below the video.

If you’re already bound by a brokerage contract with another broker, this invitation isn’t meant for you.

The buyer’s inspection is never done by me. What I can do is walk through your house with you, before your seller’s declarations.

For a pre-listing inspection, the decision and the choice of inspector are yours. If you ask me for names, I give three, or I refer you to the inspectors’ associations. With no compensation.

Ernso Cléus, residential and commercial real estate broker, RE/MAX Crystal. Your broker who knows buildings.

Read also: how to choose a home inspector in Quebec · should you get your house inspected before selling · what to check before listing · get in touch

Ernso Cléus, residential and commercial real estate broker — RE/MAX Crystal. Your broker who knows buildings.