You’ve accepted an offer, and now a stranger with a flashlight is about to spend hours looking into every corner of your home. It’s natural to feel a little exposed, and to wonder what they’ll find and whether it could unravel the sale. You actually have more control over this step than it may feel like. Below, we walk you through what the inspector will look at, what to get ready, and how to weigh your options once the report comes back.
The short answer: make sure the utilities are on, every area the inspector needs to reach is clear, small maintenance items are handled and your repair records are easy to find. Then plan to be away for the appointment. A prepared house lets the inspector report on the home itself instead of on locked doors, blocked panels and burned-out bulbs.
The inspection usually happens after you accept an offer, and it’s one of the points where a sale can be renegotiated. Preparation won’t change what is behind the walls, but in our experience it keeps avoidable items off the report.
What happens during a buyer’s home inspection?
The buyer hires and pays for the inspection, and the inspector works for the buyer. In Oregon, individuals who perform home inspections for a fee should be certified by the Construction Contractors Board. The CCB’s consumer summary of the home inspection law lists the areas an inspection can cover, from structure, roofing and the exterior to plumbing, electrical, heating, insulation, interiors and built-in kitchen appliances.
Buyers often add specialists. Oregon’s seller’s property disclosure form itself advises buyers to consider inspectors such as roofers, plumbers, electricians, environmental inspectors and pest and dry rot inspectors (ORS 105.464). Depending on the property, a buyer may also order a sewer scope, a septic inspection on a rural property, or a radon test, which can involve equipment left in the home for a few days.
How long the buyer’s inspections take depends on the home and how many the buyer schedules, so your HomeStar Brokers agent will monitor that with the buyer’s side and let you know what to expect.
How do you make every area of your home accessible?
If the inspector can’t reach something, the report will say so, and the buyer may ask for a return visit, which slows the process and can add a fee. Here’s what we suggest clearing ahead of time:
- Keep water, electricity and gas on and working, even if the home is already vacant.
- Clear a path to the attic hatch, crawlspace entrance, electrical panel, furnace, water heater and shut-off valves.
- Empty the space under kitchen and bathroom sinks so the plumbing can be checked for leaks.
- Unlock gates, sheds, garages and outbuildings, and leave any keys or codes with your agent.
- Plan for pets to be out of the house or securely contained.
Which small items should you handle before the inspection?
A long list of minor items can make a well-kept home look neglected, even when none of them is serious. It’s the same idea we talk about when preparing to list, covered in why some Salem-Keizer homes sell while others sit: remove avoidable objections.
Walk the house the way an inspector would. Replace burned-out bulbs, so a dark fixture isn’t written up as a possible electrical problem. Fix running toilets and dripping faucets, replace the furnace filter and test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. If the home has a gas fireplace or another appliance with a pilot light, make sure it lights and works.
Outside, clean the gutters, check that downspouts carry water away from the foundation, trim plants back from the siding and look for wasp nests. In the Willamette Valley’s wet months, roof moss and water pooling near the foundation are easy to spot. Handling them is ordinary maintenance, and any moisture problems you know about still belong on your disclosure statement.
What paperwork should you have ready?
Records answer questions before they become negotiating points. We’d gather receipts and warranties for work such as a roof, furnace, water heater or windows, service records, earlier inspection or pest reports, and permit records for remodels or additions.
They also support the Oregon seller’s property disclosure statement, which most sellers of one- to four-unit homes must give each buyer who makes a written offer (ORS 105.465). The form asks whether remodeling had the required permits and final inspection and whether a pest and dry rot, structural or whole-house inspection has been done in the last three years. When your records match your answers, the buyer has one less thing to question.
What are your options after the inspection report?
The buyer will review the report and decide how to respond within the time allowed in the sale agreement – this is the “inspection contingency” period. Common responses are A) to proceed as is, B) ask for specific repairs, C) ask for a credit or price adjustment or, if the contract allows, D) terminate the purchase agreement.
Reports typically mix maintenance notes and the age of systems with actual defects, and part of our job is helping you separate the two. If the buyer asks for something, you generally have a few ways to respond:
- Make the repair. This fits safety items, active leaks and systems that don’t work, where a fix answers the concern directly. You control the contractor, but the work has to happen before closing. Confirm contractors through the CCB license search.
- Offer a credit or price adjustment. This often works better for larger or more subjective items, since the buyer can choose their own contractor and you avoid managing a project during escrow.
- Decline or counter. This can make sense when a request is really about normal wear or maintenance, though it carries more risk of the buyer walking away, depending on the contract.
- Offer a home warranty. A home warranty is an affordable way for a seller to offer real value and protection to a buyer for systems and appliances that may be older, but are currently working fine.
Whichever way you go, written agreements about who will do what, and by when, keep the transaction on schedule.
How much room each side has to negotiate also depends on the local market. The August 2026 Salem-Keizer housing market update and the Salem market report show what buyers can choose from.
Common questions
Should you be home during the inspection?
Generally, no. The inspection is the buyer’s time to look closely and ask questions, which is easier without the seller in the room. Leave the house clean, as you would for a showing, and make sure your agent can reach you if a question comes up.
Should you get your own inspection before listing?
It’s an option worth weighing. A pre-listing inspection shows you what a buyer’s inspector is likely to find while you still have time to repair, collect bids or price accordingly. The trade-off is that you’ll know about conditions you may need to disclose. For more on that decision, see what should you fix before listing your home in Salem?
Do you have to fix everything on the report?
No. The report describes the home’s condition; it doesn’t by itself require repairs. What happens next depends on your sale agreement and what you and the buyer negotiate. Many sellers focus on safety items, active leaks and systems that don’t work, and discuss a credit for larger or more subjective items.
What if the inspection finds something you didn’t know about?
It happens, even in well-kept homes, since inspectors look where owners rarely go. Talk it through with your agent before you respond. A newly discovered condition may affect your disclosure going forward, so if you’re unsure what is required, ask a qualified attorney.
Getting through inspection week
An inspection is really a conversation about the home’s condition, and a prepared house gives you a better starting point. Clear the access points, handle the small stuff, have your records ready and take the report one item at a time. If you’re weighing a sale in Salem or Keizer, a HomeStar Brokers agent can compare your home with the listings buyers will see alongside it and talk through timing with you.
This article provides general real estate information and is not legal, tax or lending advice. Inspection, repair and disclosure terms depend on the specific property and written agreements; talk with a qualified attorney about legal questions.
