The purpose of home inspection is to help buyers to get a certification on the liability of the property. It is a buyer’s last opportunity to discover problems with the house before purchasing. And it’s a chance for the seller to address those problems and negotiate pricing with the buyer.

As a home buyer, the home inspection is your last chance to uncover defects with the house — and potentially get the seller to pay for them — before sealing the deal. As a seller, you want to know what the inspector will look for so you can be prepared for their visit and help everything go as smoothly as possible.

Here’s what you should look out for during a home inspection:

Roof: Look out for any sign of leaks or damage and any loose flashing or leaky spot.

Drainage and Foundation: You do not want to buy a home with serious drainage issues and foundation damage. Signs of foundation issues include doors and windows that stick, cracks in walls above doorways, sloping floors, and L-shaped or horizontal cracks in the visible parts of the exterior foundation.

Plumbing: Damaged pipes, malfunctioning water heaters, and backed-up sewage systems are common things that you should look out for.

Electrical: Home inspectors commonly encounter problems with electrical wiring such as reverse polarity, missing junction boxes, and damaged receptacles. Do not ignore these signs.

Interior: Check for cracks in basement walls, around door frames, gaps around windows, door frames, between walls and floors, nails popping out of walls including uneven or bouncy floors.