What’s the point of attending inspections?

Over the past week, I’ve had some very “interesting” and “revealing” interactions with another real estate agent.    Here’s how it started -

I got a call from my out of town seller, who was upset to learn that “someone” had been out to his house to do a well inspection.   Within 20 minutes after arrival, the guy knocked on the door and told the tenant there was a problem with the well.   The tenant called the owner, and the owner called me.  

Sellers don’t like surprises, and neither do I.   I wasn’t aware that the inspection was scheduled, nor who was performing it.   As agents, I’m sure we can all understand – buyers’ agents have to make a flurry of phone calls to arrange all the inspections, notify the homes’ occupant, etc., - but somehow I wasn’t on the list of people to inform.

The other, bigger, issue was, when I contacted the buyers’ agent and indicated that hearing from my seller wasn’t my favorite way to get bad news about an inspection, he didn’t know what I was talking about!     

As the situation evolved, I came to learn it isn’t his practice to attend inspections.   He doesn’t see any point in sitting around at a property for hours while licensed, bonded and insured professionals do their job.   Beyond that, he had no expectation of hearing from the inspector – he just waits for the reports.     Further – he went so far as to recommend that I NOT ATTEND the upcoming septic inspection!

Folks, if you’ve ever been to a septic inspection, you can see his point.   It’s gross.   But here’s the thing.   Inspectors are human.   I’ve had septic inspectors leave all kinds of chaos behind without a second thought.   They have to dig around to find the system.   What about that prized lilly or rose?  They’re septic guys!  They might not think to set it aside in the shade with some water.   

Once, an inspector kept delaying the estimate of when he could reach the property, so I finally left.   It was late by the time he got there…who knows what his rationale was…but he left the septic system dug up and wide open without telling anyone.   Big storm came, septic filled with mud, mud backed up into the plumbing in the house.    

If a septic contractor has been authorized to dig, and no one is there - who is going to make sure the contractor isn’t running up $800 in digging charges?  Who’s going to put some sense into the situation and call the person paying for the inspection to see what their expense limit is?   Maybe, they’d rather hire some of their own laborers at half the septic contractors’ hourly rate?   

My firm philosophy is that buyers need to attend the inspections to learn first hand what the property’s problems or potential weaknesses are.   I want my buyers to experience the problem in 3 D.   I want my buyers to be able to ask questions of the inspector right then and there, when everyone is looking at the problem.    I believe you just can’t learn about your future house in the same context and awareness by reading a report.    If you’ve never lived on well and septic, what better way to learn about them than from an inspector while you’re standing in front of the system?

So what’s the point of spending my time sitting at these inspections?   First, I believe I owe it to my buyers to counsel them, to give them perspective.   After all, I’ve seen hundreds of inspections – and chances are this is their first - or maybe second.    Plus - this is a great potential time to develop our relationship …there’s enough time for the conversation to open up to free exchange.   Plus I get to develop my relationships with the inspectors themselves.   The inspectors know they better call me about problems if I had to leave before they were finished, if they want my future referrals.

But I also feel someone owes it to the sellers - their property could easily get damaged inadvertently by a single clumsy moment with equipment, heavy trucks, etc.  In this situation, since there wasn’t an agent there to monitor the inspection, the tenant is concerned the inspector may have damaged the well during the inspection - because it was working just fine before the inspection began.     As you might imagine, the seller is not pleased at all.

I go to inspections as a professional to deal with the problems as they arise, not days later when a report comes all neat, tidy and typewritten into my e-mail in box. Some reports – like pest, well, and septic – don’t even come with photographs.   As an attending agent – I can snap a few photos “for the record.”   This really helps my clients, because I not only help people relocate here, I help out of the area sellers as well.

These are some of the reasons why I think it’s important for an agent to attend inspections. We REALTOR®s are specialists in resolving issues, smoothing out the bumps during the transaction.    A little information applied quickly may soothe peoples’ feelings before they become really upset.   

If you’re not there, how can you be aware?

What’s your philosophy – do you see any point in attending inspections?

Contact me if you’d like to hire an agent to do whatever it takes to negotiate your home purchase or sale in the Santa Cruz mountains.