Special offer

FAQ: Who Should Attend A Home Inspection?

By
Real Estate Agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty BK 3030920

I have attended many home inspections during my tenure as a Realtor.  Of course, as the buyer's reprensentative, that's one of my responsibilites (at least, for my comfort level, for the most part).

Over the years, I've seen wonderful, streamlined inspectors, who get their job done in the time they have allotted (and they know better than anyone else how long a  house will take).

And, then, I've seen the opposite: long drawn out inspections with too many people in attendence, all wanting to ask "their" question.

Yesterday was one of the latter examples.

The buyer showed up, with her 9 year old daughter in two, her parents and her sister.

 

 

 

Now, if all the extraneous parties (in my opinion, the parents, and the sister) had left shortly after the inspection had started, no harm no foul.

The scene: the 9 year old daughter is ringing the doorbell mulitple times, and then running through the house.  The father is looking for an extra flashlight so he can start doing "his inspection".  Mom and sister are asking if the house was replumbed, and when, how old is the HVAC, where those indentations from shelves or what?

I apologized to the inspector, and told him I had no idea all these people were going to be attending.

Thankfully, he was able to navigate the crowd, and get his job done.

Buyers, we know you want to show off the house to your friends and family - we expect that.  Please keep in mind the inspector is there to get answers t most of your questions, if not all, and he/she can do that best when they have the time to test the systems, and then provide you with a detailed 30 page (approx) report complete with color photos that you can review.

 

Posted by

Carol Zingone is a full service Broker Associate proudly affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty in Atlantic Beach, FL.  I help buyers and sellers locally, regionally, and internationally.  With hundreds of happy buyers and sellers over the course of my career, I'm thrilled to help first time buyers, military buyers, seniors, investors, 1031 exchange properties, short sales and REO's.  I have spent hours honing my expertise, including the designations of: Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), Loss Mitigation Certification (LMC) , Short Sales, Foreclosures, REO's, (SFR), and Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES).  I pride myself on providing excellent expertise to all buyers and sellers. Search the MLS via www.carolzingone.com  for Jacksonville and area listings!

 

Brenda J. Andrew
ULTIMA REAL ESTATE - Willis, TX
Professional Realtor in Conroe/Willis, TX

Great post and great information for buyers.  This is something we don't think about much, until something like this happens.  Buyers are excited and want to show everyone they know.  Friends and relatives try to do their part to make sure everyone else is doing their job.  Thanks for sharing this - it is great information. Sounds like you and the inspector handled it very well.

Jun 11, 2015 02:26 AM
Bret & Meredith Amon
LIV-Sotheby's International Realty - Breckenridge, CO
Breckenridge, Keystone, Silverthorne, Frisco,

I have told clients that really I should not attend as the buyer rep so not to put any not needed pressure on them. 

Jun 11, 2015 02:49 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

The buyer and the inspector, and of course, the buyer's agent, should be there.  Keeping it to a small group keeps it focused on the business at hand.

Jun 11, 2015 04:43 AM
Carol Zingone
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Global Realtor in Jax Beach, FL - ABR, CRS, CIPS

Brenda - thanks! I thought it might be a good topic, and it was VERY top of mind!

Bret & Meredith - I've heard the same thing, however, I'm always working and available for questions I CAN answer, which are not the same asked of a home inspector. 

 

Jun 11, 2015 04:44 AM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Carol - I wouldn't deny the buyers the option to attend the home inspection, but there is absolutely no reason their young children should be there. As far as other relatives or friends, I would be happy to show them the home at a different time, not during the inspection.

After the inspection, I would be more than happy to take the buyer back to the home to show and review anything on the report.

Jun 11, 2015 06:07 AM
Carol Zingone
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Global Realtor in Jax Beach, FL - ABR, CRS, CIPS

Chris Ann - totally agree!

Troy - I agree. It was a bit of a surprise to me.  The most ironic thing? The doorbell worked the 15+ times the daughter pushed it, but it ended up not working :-) 

Jun 13, 2015 04:47 AM