The way Monday Mornings Should Be.

A little over two weeks ago I inspected a house on behalf of the purchaser. This particular sale was a FSBO, and therefore, there were no agents for the seller to direct his questions or concerns to.

When I arrived at the property, the seller indicated he was nervous about having his home inspected as he had no idea what was involved in a home inspection. I then told him, that since I was working for the purchaser, I could not discuss my findings with him, nor could I provide him with a copy of my report. I told him that I was hired to report on the condition of the house, which generally means "find problems." I also assured him that I would indeed find problems with the house, every house has problems. While I explained the process to him, he began to realise that it was going to be an in-depth look at his house. He asked if I minded if he were to follow me through the inspection. I told him that it is his house, he is welcome to do as he pleases, but again stated that my findings would only be disclosed to my clients, if the clients choose to show him the report, that is their business.

I then proceeded to go through my normal inspection routine, with the homeowner as my shadow. Unlike other times when the homeowner chooses to accompany me, this time was actually a pleasant experience. He cleared any stored items out of my way, made sure I had access to the attic and crawlspace, and even held the ladder for me when I went on the roof. What he didn't do, surprisingly, was ask questions about my findings, try to defend any issues or steer me away from issues.

I finished up, shook his hand, thanked him for his time and left. Later that evening I delivered my report to my clients explaining all the issues I had found with the property. My clients thanked me, then went over the issues they had with the seller.

Last Monday, I received a message in my email in-box. I recognized the sender as the seller of the house. "uh-oh" I thought. Time for my Monday morning to get ugly! To my surprise, he just wanted to drop me a quick note, thanking me for the educational experience. That definitely put a smile on my face - having both parties of the transaction happy with my service. In fact, this morning (another Monday) I received a call to set up an inspection appointment, and this mornings client was referred by the aforementioned seller - they are co-workers.

I am beginning to develop a whole new appreciation for Mondays!

-Brad