Honestly, I’ve had a few inspections where the kitchen looked like a tornado hit it—missing drawer fronts, half-painted walls, cabinet doors leaning against the fridge—and the inspector barely even blinked. They just want to know: does everything work and is it safe? I’ve definitely spent more time making sure the GFCIs trip and reset than worrying about whether the cabinets line up.
I do think people get too stressed about cosmetic stuff before inspections. Had a place last year where the backsplash was literally half-tiled and there were tools everywhere. Inspector didn’t care. But he did check every outlet, made sure the stove ignited, and ran the taps for leaks. Even opened all the windows to see if they locked. Didn’t even mention the pile of tile spacers on the counter.
One thing I’d add—if you’ve got any exposed wiring or unfinished electrical, even if it’s just a junction box with a cover missing, slap a blank plate on there. That’s a quick fail if they spot it. Same with smoke detectors: fresh batteries, and make sure they’re actually mounted, not just sitting on the counter. I’ve seen folks get dinged for that.
And yeah, window locks are a weird one. I had a unit where every window was painted shut except one, and the inspector spent five minutes wrestling with it. Didn’t care about the peeling paint, just wanted to see that latch click.
At the end of the day, if you’re in a time crunch, focus on anything that could be a safety or habitability issue. Leaks, outlets, detectors, locks. The rest is just lipstick on a pig until after you get that sign-off.
Couldn’t agree more about the safety stuff taking priority. I’ve seen folks panic over mismatched paint or missing toe kicks, but inspectors just want to see that nothing’s going to shock, burn, or flood anyone. I’d add—if you’ve got a leaky trap or a loose handrail, fix that before worrying about the cabinet doors. The rest is just noise until you get that green tag.
Had an inspector once who barely glanced at my brand new backsplash but spent ten minutes poking at a loose stair rail. I was sweating bullets over the grout lines, but he just wanted to make sure nobody was gonna tumble down the stairs. Funny how we stress about the wrong stuff. Ever had an inspector totally ignore something you thought was a big deal?
Totally get this. I once spent hours touching up paint on my century-old trim, thinking the inspector would zero in on every chip. Instead, he barely glanced at it and spent most of his time checking my GFCI outlets and the handrail on the attic stairs. Guess safety trumps aesthetics every time.
- Safety stuff (handrails, smoke detectors, outlets) always gets more attention.
- Cosmetic things like grout lines or paint? Usually not a big deal for them.
- If your kitchen’s still a mess, just make sure nothing’s blocking exits or causing trip hazards.
Funny how our priorities don’t always match theirs...
Yeah, it’s wild how much time we waste stressing over stuff like paint chips. I did the same with my bathroom grout once—scrubbed it for an hour, and the inspector just peeked in and moved on. Like you said,
If your kitchen’s a mess, just make sure nothing’s blocking the way out or tripping anyone up. They care way more about that than a pile of dishes.“safety trumps aesthetics every time.”
