We have worked with Boise's AAD Inspection for almost 30 years now.  They do a great job with their inspections, regardless if the property is a single family or multi-family, such as apartments or a fourplex.  AAD also devotes a lot of time educating buyers, sellers, and their agents.  Recently AAD released an article about how a seller can prepare for a property inspection, which we have posted (with minor changes).

PREPARING FOR A HOME INSPECTION

The following suggestions can help facilitate the process of having your home professionally inspected – making it easier for all involved, including the occupants.

Attendance:

Please vacate the property during the inspection, if at all possible. This gives the inspector and buyers (together with their Realtor) a chance to speak freely without anyone else listening in on their conversations.

If it’s not reasonably possible to leave the property during the inspection, please avoid interacting with the property inspector as much as possible, unless the inspector has questions. (Please understand and accept that the people actually paying for the inspection and report would usually prefer to receive
the information and have time to digest it before other parties receive the same information.)

Please either remove pets from the property, or secure them within kennels.

Providing Access:

The following places or components should be made accessible without needing to use keys or needing to move personal property:

All attic accesses

     All crawlspace accesses

     All electrical panels and/or fuse boxes

     All shops, garages, additional living spaces, and outbuildings.

What to Expect:

     The inspector should be the ONLY person touching and/or operating components and systems on and in the property.

     No personal property will be touched (unless to gain access to items or places that need to be inspected.

     Any and all other people (such as buyers and/or their Realtors) will be asked to refrain from touching or operating any part of the property.

     The inspector will likely lift and/or temporarily move all loose rugs to inspect under them.

     The inspector will operate the heating and cooling systems, removing panel covers and air filters for inspection.

     The inspector will run both hot and cold water through all plumbing fixtures just long enough to verify that they are correctly connected. Subsequently, only a minimal flow of cold water will be run through every sink or vanity fixture and a full flow through only showerheads for up to a couple hours (but only while the inspector remains inside the dwelling to watch for possible leaks or overflows).

     The inspector will operate all light fixtures and switches.

     The inspector will operate all windows and window coverings.

     The inspector will operate all major kitchen appliances and exhaust fans that are physically attached to the property.

     The inspector may operate the sprinkler system (if that service is contracted by the sellers).

     The inspector will walk upon all roof surfaces if safe to do so without fear of personal injury or damage to the roofing materials.

     The inspector will enter and crawl through all physically accessible attics over living spaces and crawl spaces under the dwelling.

Additional Thoughts:

     The inspector is not at liberty to discuss any findings with the sellers, occupants, or their representatives. However, if any discoveries or issues needing immediate attention for the safety of the occupants or the continued integrity of the property are found, the occupants and/or the listing agent will be made immediately aware of them.

     If any particular item or system in or on the property is not working, should not be operated, or needs special care, please inform the inspector through notes left on the premises, or by other means.

     The sellers might not ever see the entire report. However, if any inspection issues are brought to the negotiating table, the seller has the right to receive exact copies of at least those portions of the inspection report that address those issues. (This part of the Purchase and Sale Agreement contract protects the sellers from inaccurate conveyance of inspection information.)