Selling Your La Jolla Home: The Pre-Listing Inspection Checklist

Why inspect before you list

In California the buyer almost always orders a general home inspection during their contingency period. A pre-listing inspection simply moves that discovery forward: you learn the condition of the house first, decide what to repair, and hand buyers a clean, documented picture.

California sellers must also disclose known material facts about the property. Anything a pre-listing inspection reveals becomes something you know, so plan to disclose it — which is exactly why buyers trust a home that comes with reports already in hand.

Reports worth ordering early

• —General home inspection — the full walk-through of structure, roof, plumbing, electrical, heating and built-in appliances.
• —Wood destroying pest and organisms report (termite report) — standard in California transactions; findings are typically split into Section 1 (active infestation or damage) and Section 2 (conditions likely to lead to it).
• —Sewer lateral video scope — the line from the house to the street. Older La Jolla lots often still have clay or cast-iron pipe, and root intrusion is common.
• —Roof inspection — especially for clay tile, where broken or slipped tiles and aging underlayment are easy to miss from the ground.
• —Specialty reports as needed — chimney, pool and spa, foundation or drainage on hillside lots, and a permit history pull from the City of San Diego.

The checklist buyers' inspectors work through

• —Roof and gutters: age, missing or cracked tiles or shingles, flashing, downspouts that discharge away from the foundation.
• —Exterior: stucco cracks, wood trim rot, deck and balcony condition, grading and drainage away from the house.
• —Foundation and structure: cracking, settlement, moisture in the crawlspace or garage slab, retaining walls on sloped lots.
• —Plumbing: active leaks, water pressure, water heater age, and seismic strapping on the water heater (required in California).
• —Electrical: panel brand and capacity, ungrounded outlets, GFCI protection in kitchens, baths and exteriors, any amateur wiring.
• —Heating and cooling: age, service records, and whether the system actually heats or cools every room.
• —Safety devices: working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, as California requires at sale.
• —Windows and doors: fogged dual-pane glass, sticking sliders, corroded tracks.
• —Interior: water stains on ceilings, soft flooring near tubs and toilets, signs of past leaks under sinks.
• —Permits: additions, garage conversions, ADUs or remodels that don't match the permit record.

Coastal issues to look at closely in La Jolla

• —Salt air corrosion on railings, hinges, light fixtures, exterior HVAC units and window hardware.
• —Stucco and wood exposed to wind-driven moisture on ocean-facing walls.
• —Drainage and slope stability on hillside lots around Mount Soledad, Muirlands and La Jolla Heights.
• —Older homes: original galvanized supply lines, knob-and-tube or undersized electrical service, and clay sewer laterals.

Fix, credit or disclose

Not every finding needs a repair. Safety items and anything that could stop a buyer's lender are usually worth fixing. Larger, more subjective items — an aging roof, a dated panel — are often better handled with pricing or a credit. Either way, disclose what you know.

We'll walk the reports with you, get contractor estimates where it matters, and help you decide which items move the price and which only move the negotiation.