One of the responsibilities that we consider very important in the sales process is attending the inspections. You may be surprised to hear that often, a buyer's agent does not attend the inspection on behalf of the buyer. That sounds odd doesn't it? I've heard a variety of excuses over the years - "I don't have time", or "My broker says attending opens me up to liability" - the excuses are endless.
There are three main reasons why we always attend our inspections, regardless of whom we are representing. They are:
(a) if something is wrong we know about it first hand from the inspector, rather than the buyer (who may not have a complete understanding of the problem and may not give us a clear picture, hindering it's resolution)
(b) I want to be able to minimize buyer's remorse if something comes up and reassure the buyer on the spot that we will figure out a solution (and save the deal)
(c) I can call the listing agent (if they do not attend) and immediately ask questions about anything the inspector finds and let the listing agent speak directly with the inspector so if the listing agent has any questions, they can get their answers directly from the inspector.
Sometimes things are easily explained and buyer anxiety is kept to a minimum, simply by communicating.
In addition, we try very hard to attend any inspections done on our listings. If the buyer's agent is not savvy enough to be proactive, if (and when) something comes up (because that's what inspectors are there to do - find problems) we can step in and help the buyer's agent manage the process with the above points. We prompt them to do so and will even make proactive calls to the Sellers to try to find out more information and reduce buyer anxiety.
It's all about the buyers and sellers and that's what they hire us for. The sellers have a house to sell and the buyers want to buy. There will inevitably be items that are in need of repair. We all have a rolodex of experts in each field - from roofers to electricians to plumbers - to help sellers get repairs made that buyers want - to get deals done.
It's important that we hear diagnoses directly from the inspectors when ultimately we will be asked by our clients to help facilitate required repairs.
Posted By: Christianne Gordon - Northern Nevada Real Estate Agent - Realtor
with RE/MAX Realty Affiliates, specializing in Carson Valley Real Estate and Northern Nevada Real Estate.
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