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Great Expectations - For Inspectors

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Heritage - Luxury Homes Division

 

AS A BUYERS AGENT...........

 When I have a client who is interested in purchasing a home, I want an inspector who is reasonable, honest, thorough and will take the time to explain exactly what the problem is to my clients (in simple terms).  I have a list of several inspectors that meet these criteria, and I usually encourage my buyers to choose one from the list.   Our office requires that we use only inspectors that have E & O (errors and omissions) insurance.  That way, if there is ever a legal issue - their legal fees will be covered.  

By law, all inspectors have a list of items that they inspect and evaluate.  In addition to the general inspection, I also recommend a WDI (Wood Destroying Insect) inspection. This will check for termites, as well as carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are quite prevalent in San Antonio, and they can do as much damage as termites. I also prefer inspectors who measure the elevation of the home from the front door to the back and from side to side.  This is very important in San Antonio with our clay soil, and gives a good indication if there are any foundation issues that might need further evaluation.

 I stress to buyers that the main issues we would want to be addressed are health and safety issues.  We would also want an awareness of items that may be nearing the end of their useful life - especially expensive items like a roof, air conditioner, or water heater.  This might make a difference on how much the buyer would be willing to pay for the property.

AS A SELLER'S AGENT......

I recently represented a SELLER of a 20 year old home.  The inspector that came in did a terrible disservice to both the buyer and the seller by exaggerating and giving out misinformation.  I felt his entire objective was to find as many small items as possible to alarm the buyer and seller and get more repair money from the seller.  The buyer's agent seemed to delight in the long list of items that the inspector found and bragged about having a ‘tough inspector' before he even came out. When my seller scrambled and got licensed electricians, plumbers, and HVAC repairmen out - many of the items he wrote up were not a problem and did not need to be repaired.  This was an added expense to her, and created a distrust towards the inspector and his report. This is not a win-win situation for the buyer or the seller. It was hard to prioritize the long list of repairs - especially when several licensed tradesmen said that there was nothing wrong with several of them.

My advice:

Choose inspectors wisely.  Ask your REALTOR to make several recommendations, then call and talk to each one and choose the one that is most likely to fit your needs and situation.   The goal of all parties involved should be:

•1.        Find out issues with the house so the buyer truly knows what they are getting into

•2.        Repair or compensate for issues, if needed

•3.       Proceed to closing if the buyer did not find anything that would keep them from buying the home

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