Why I Attend Every One of my Customer's Inspections

I can’t tell you how many times I attend an inspection and the other agent isn’t there. I’m always surprised because being at my customer’s inspection is so important to me. So, why do I attend every home inspection for both my buyers and sellers? The home inspection can make or break the deal The home inspection is one of the top items in the contract that can absolutely make the deal fall apart. Under both of our NABOR contracts, the “as is” and the standard, there is a provision that allows the buyer to conduct a home inspection. When the buyer hires an inspector, items inevitably come to the surface and need resolution. With the as is contract, you would think that would mean the buyer is taking the home as is. This is rarely the case in Naples. What happens is that the buyer holds the seller’s feet to the fire by saying, “We will walk away from this deal unless you fix x, y, and z.” With the standard contract, there are 6 areas of concern regarding the inspection. These are: Systems and Equipment Radon gas Lead-based paint Termites or wood-destroying organisms Air quality (e.g. mold) Open permits These are a lot of areas for items to appear and the buyer will ask for a financial credit at closing or for the problem areas to be remedied by the seller. With this being such an important part of the transaction and an area where things can fall apart, why would I not be there? It is too important for my sellers and buyers. Some home inspectors are very dramatic Inspectors are generally very good at what they do when it comes to finding latent defects in a home or condo. However, they can be very different when it comes to presenting the information to the buyer. Consider these two statements regarding the same problem: There’s a small electrical issue here that should be repaired. We see this all of the time but it really should be repaired. —or— Come look at this! This isn’t up to code so not only is it a code issue but it could easily lead to a fire or someone getting electrocuted. It’s frustrating. We want our buyers and sellers to be fully informed but we certainly don’t want an inspector that turns a small, common problem into one that can cause the deal to fall apart. By being at the inspection, I’m able to see problems like these where I know the remedy from prior inspections. I’m able to then help hold the deal together by explaining how it will be fixed or how much the credit should be for the repair. How can I negotiate effectively for my customer if I didn’t attend the inspection? Similar to the situation above, I need to know the details of the problems in the inspection report and that insight is gained by attending the inspection and being present when the defects are discussed. I recently had a deal where the agent on the other side wanted a credit for a brand new air conditioner based on the inspection report reading that there was some corrosion on the coils. Really? A new A/C? Since I was at the home inspection, I was able to let the other agent know that what was truly said was, “You should get an A/C company in here for a routine maintenance where they can clean the coils.” Needless to say, that $5,000 or so request was denied and we were able to negotiate it down to a service call. It is my job to be there. My last point is simple—I should be there because it is my job to do so. It’s so important for me to do everything I can to get my customers to the closing table smoothly and a big part of this is attending inspections. I’m earning a commission on the sale so taking money without giving full effort is just not acceptable in my eyes. Too many customers do not realize how important it is to have their agent at the inspection so they let it slide. If only they know how important it truly is, they would never accept anything less.

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