Last week a friend (Realtor) of mine asked if I could show one of his buyers a house while he was on vacation. I obliged and met the buyer at 1892 Overthere Lane. The buyer showed up with his uncle, girlfriend, grandfather and dad. No big deal. It's natural for buyers to bring others with them for support. Once we were in the home the father pulled out a giant flashlight and immediately flew up the attic stairs. It happened fast and without permission. The grandfather strolled into the kitchen and got on his hands and knees and started looking at the kitchen plumbing while explaining how the first home he purchased had galvanized pipes and that here was "no way in hell he'd let his son go through that." The uncle sat on the couch.
My first concern was to head up the attic latter to get the father down before he either fell through the ceiling or bumped his head on a cross beam. When I got up there with him he was tampering with the temperature relief valve on the water heater. I was put in a position where I had to ask him to please come down stairs. The larger issue I had is that the father was was a retired teacher and not a plumber or HVAC technician.
There's a time to inspect the home, and it it's never during the intial visit. A buyer shouldn't touch remote controls for the pool, open windows, test whirlpool tubs, get on the roof or tinker with the electrical panel. The seller of a home expects a licensed and professional home inspector to vist the home at some point. Home buyers should refrain from attempting to inspect the property while viewing.
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