If you’re planning on selling your home, or purchasing a new one, the first thing you need to do is hire a home inspector to perform a home inspection. Sellers should get a home inspection to be prepared.

It’s smart home selling to know the weak points of your product. And buyers should always get a home inspection to know what’s wrong with the house they’re about to buy. If any major issues appear in the home inspection, buyers can factor the cost of repairs into the price of the home.

When you hire a home inspector to perform a home inspection on your house, be prepared for bad news. Chicago area home inspector Jamie Dunsing says, “Don’t be insulted when a home inspector comes in and criticizes your house, that’s my job.”

Older homes will typically have more issues than newer ones in a home inspection. Some of the big home inspection problem areas can be wiring, moisture leaks and plumbing problems. These home inspection problems appear when people don’t keep up with the maintenance of their home.

Dunsing recommends buying a software program that will remind you when it’s time to take care of home maintenance chores. He says, “There are a lot of online services that you can apply to where they will send you weekly, biweekly emails that say, it’s time to change your furnace filter. Time to clean your gutters, time to check the stucco outside to see if there’s any cracking. Things like that, and that’s just common sense.” Constant maintenance is the best way to avoid surprises during a home inspection.

Even though it’s more fun to pick paint colors, the mechanical systems in your home are what determine your quality of life. Don’t wait for a home inspection to tell you that you’ve been living with problems. Taking a proactive approach when it comes to the less fun parts of your home will save you time and money in the future.

For more stories on consumer safety, real estate and personal finance visit ThinkGlink.com. Also check out our articles on attic inspections and basement inspections.