Quick Answer: No, on almost every sale I handle, the seller should not be home during the buyer’s home inspection. Buyers and their inspector need to talk openly, open every panel and take their time without feeling watched. Your job is before the inspection, not during it: utilities on, access cleared, pets out and documents ready. Then leave for the three or four hours it takes.
The home inspection is the most awkward day of a sale for most sellers. A stranger is going to spend half a day in your house. They will open cabinets, run every faucet, climb into the attic and photograph anything that looks off. The natural instinct is to stay and explain. I understand it, and I still tell nearly every seller to go.
In Huntington Beach, where a lot of the housing stock dates to the 1960s and 1970s, the inspection matters even more than usual. Buyers expect to find things. What they do with what they find depends partly on how the day goes, and sellers help themselves most by staying out of it.
Here is why most listing agents say no, what to do instead, and what actually happens while you are gone.
Why Most Listing Agents Say No
There are four reasons, and they all come down to the same thing: the inspection is the buyer’s time, not yours.
- Buyers will not speak freely with you there. The inspection is when a buyer asks the dumb questions, voices second thoughts and talks through what they would change. If you are in the kitchen, that conversation happens in the driveway or not at all, and the buyer leaves less confident than they should.
- Anything you say becomes a disclosure. Sellers who stay tend to narrate. “Oh, that stain is from years ago, it is fine now.” The buyer heard that from you. If the stain turns out to be an active leak, you have a problem bigger than the leak. Let the forms do the talking.
- Inspectors work differently with the owner watching. A good inspector is thorough regardless, but the pace and the questions change. The buyer’s agent spends the day managing you instead of their client.
- Liability runs both ways. If you are there and something gets damaged, or the inspector trips over your dog, it gets complicated fast. If you are not there, the buyer’s side owns the visit.
The one exception I sometimes make is a complex property, such as a Huntington Harbour home with a dock, a lift and specialty systems. There, a quick walkthrough at the start helps the inspector find things. Even then, the seller shows the systems, answers nothing about condition, and leaves.
What to Prepare Instead of Being There
Your real contribution to the inspection happens the day before. Here is my checklist:
| Item | What to do |
|---|---|
| Utilities | Gas, electric and water all on. Pilot lights lit. If the home is vacant, confirm the accounts are active, not just the breakers. |
| Attic access | Clear the closet or hallway under the attic hatch. Move clothes, shelves and boxes so a ladder fits. |
| Electrical panel | Nothing stacked in front of it, inside or in the garage. The inspector needs to remove the cover. |
| Water heater and furnace | Clear the closet or garage corner they sit in. Remove anything leaning on them. |
| Under sinks | Pull out the cleaning supplies so the inspector can see the plumbing and check for leaks. |
| Crawlspace or slab | Most homes here are on a slab, but if you have a crawlspace, clear the access and make sure it is not locked. |
| Garage | Make a path to the walls, the panel, the water heater and the garage door opener. |
| Windows and doors | Unlock everything. Remove window locks and security bars that block operation. |
| Pool and spa | Equipment accessible, cover off, system running. |
| Keys and codes | Leave keys for sheds, side gates and any locked rooms, plus the alarm code with your agent. |
Anything the inspector cannot access gets written up as “not inspected.” That is worse for you than a finding. The buyer will either demand a second visit or assume the worst. A blocked attic hatch has cost sellers more than a leaky faucet ever did.
Pets, Kids and the Time Away
Take the pets with you or board them for the day. An inspector who has to work around a dog is doing a worse inspection. So is one who cannot open the back door because the cat might escape. Buyers with allergies notice pets too, and the inspection is not the moment to remind them.
Plan for three to four hours for a typical home, longer for a large or older house or one with a pool. The buyer often arrives at the end to walk the findings with the inspector, so do not come back early. If you are still living in the home, the post on living in your home while it is listed versus selling vacant has more on managing these days.
Leave the house clean and the counters clear. Inspectors photograph everything, and those photos end up in a report the buyer reads carefully. A tidy home reads as a maintained home.
What the Buyer’s Inspector Actually Does
Knowing what happens while you are gone takes some of the anxiety out of it. A standard home inspection in California is visual and non-invasive. The inspector will:
- Walk the roof if it is safe, or inspect it from a ladder and the attic.
- Go into the attic to look at framing, insulation, ventilation and signs of leaks or pests.
- Remove the electrical panel cover and check the wiring, breakers and grounding.
- Run every faucet, flush every toilet, fill tubs and check drainage and water pressure.
- Test the water heater, furnace and air conditioning, and note their approximate age.
- Operate windows, doors, the garage door and its safety reverse.
- Check for signs of past water intrusion, slab cracks and drainage away from the house.
- Test outlets, GFCI protection and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Look at the exterior: stucco, siding, grading, fencing, gates and the condition of patios and decks.
Buyers in Huntington Beach commonly add specialty inspections on top of this. The usual ones are a sewer camera scope for original clay or cast iron lines in older tracts, a termite inspection, a roof certification and a pool inspection. Each adds time and sometimes another visit. The HUD booklet on getting a home inspection is what many buyers are reading beforehand, and it explains the scope from their side.
The inspector is not there to pass or fail the house. They document condition. What the buyer does with that report is the next step, and that is where sellers need to be ready.
What Happens After the Inspection
Within a few days of the inspection, expect a request for repairs or a credit. In California the buyer typically has an inspection contingency period to complete inspections and ask for anything. It is a seventeen-day default on the standard form, but it is usually negotiated shorter. You can agree, counter, or decline, and the buyer can accept your answer or cancel.
How you handle this is a negotiation, and it goes better when the inspection itself went smoothly. A buyer who had full access and a thorough report tends to ask for specific, reasonable items. A buyer who could not get into the attic or found the water heater buried behind boxes tends to ask for everything. The post on handling aggressive repair demands after a buyer’s home inspection covers how to respond when the list is long.
The strongest position of all is to have already done your own inspection before listing. A pre-listing inspection lets you fix or disclose problems ahead of time, so the buyer’s inspector confirms what you already told them instead of discovering it. Read how pre-listing inspections save time and money for how that works.
What I Tell My Clients
Treat inspection day like a showing with a longer clock. Prepare the house the day before, hand your agent the keys and the codes, take the dog, and go do something else for the afternoon. Your disclosures already say everything you need to say. Nothing you add in person will help you, and plenty of it could hurt.
If you really want to be useful, leave a one-page sheet on the counter. List the age of the roof, water heater and HVAC, the date of the last termite treatment and where the shutoff valves are. Add a note about any quirks like a sticky gate latch. That is the seller presence inspectors appreciate.
Key Takeaways
- Do not be home during the buyer’s inspection. Buyers need to speak freely and inspectors need room to work.
- Anything you say in person becomes a disclosure. Let the written forms carry the information.
- Prepare the day before: utilities on, attic and panel access clear, under-sink areas empty, keys and codes available.
- Take pets with you and plan to be gone three to four hours, longer for older or larger homes.
- Blocked access gets written up as “not inspected,” which costs you more than a finding.
- A pre-listing inspection turns the buyer’s inspection into a confirmation instead of a discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the seller be present during a home inspection in California?
Legally, yes. It is your home until closing. Practically, nearly every listing agent advises against it. It limits what the buyer and inspector will say and do, and anything you mention becomes a disclosure.
How long does a buyer’s home inspection take?
Usually three to four hours for a typical home. Larger homes, older homes, pools and add-on inspections such as a sewer scope can stretch it to most of a day or require a second visit.
What should I leave out for the inspector?
Keys to gates, sheds and locked rooms, and the alarm code with your agent. Add a short sheet listing the age of major systems and the location of shutoff valves. Clear access to the attic, panel, water heater and under every sink.
Do I need to turn on utilities for a vacant home inspection?
Yes. Water, gas and electric all need to be active, with pilot lights lit. An inspector cannot test what is not running, and anything untested will be flagged and usually requires a return visit.
Will the inspector tell the buyer my house has problems?
The inspector documents the condition of what they can see and test, including normal wear in an older home. The buyer decides what to ask for. A clean, accessible home with good disclosures usually produces a shorter request list.
Next Step
If you have an inspection coming up, send me a note and I will send you my inspection-day prep sheet. If you have not listed yet, ask me about a pre-listing inspection. Knowing what the buyer’s inspector will find before they find it is the single best way to keep the repair negotiation small.
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Jennifer Thomas and Ian Wilfert are Huntington Beach real estate partners at Seven Gables Real Estate, serving buyers and sellers across Huntington Beach and Orange County. Jennifer Thomas is a Huntington Beach real estate broker with 40 years of experience, over 1,100 closed transactions, and a reputation as one of Orange County’s most trusted listing agents and senior relocation specialists. Ian Wilfert specializes in first time home buyers, guiding clients through every step of the buying process in Huntington Beach and surrounding Orange County communities. Together Jennifer and Ian bring decades of established market knowledge and first time buyer expertise to every client they serve in Huntington Beach and Orange County. For the fastest response, contact Ian directly at 714-887-9560 or ianw@sevengables.com. Jennifer can also be reached at Jennifer@JenniferThomas.com or 714-415-5052. Visit ianwilfert.com. Jennifer Thomas DRE 00931959 | Ian Wilfert DRE 02096787.
