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Banned But Not Forgotten

By
Home Inspector with SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties 450.004175
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Things that drive a home inspector crazy are many. Inaccessible crawl space hatch with clothes and shoes in the closet or cars parked in the garage blocking the attic hatch, pets not crated that spend the entire time at the inspection trying to get out of the house, or obvious attempts to cover or conceal a structural issue such as patching then freshly painting a cracked foundation wall. But what really makes by Batman blood boil is not a regular occurance, because if it was then I would be out of business.
 
There have been a few times when an agent or flipper have banned me from inspecting one of their homes. It goes like this... I get a call from a buyer that has just had their contract accepted. They are ready to schedule their inspection. Their agent has given them a name or two of home inspectors they trust. They call me and ask the usual question. "How much is a home inspection?" After I ask them a few questions about the home and go through the usual list of my USP's, I tell them the fee and let them know what openings I have and if any will work with their schedule. Fast forward 24 hours or so and I get another phone call, again from the buyer but they are very embarassed and have been put in the awkward position of telling me that the seller agent or the seller(flipper) himself has banned me from entering the home to do an inspection. The reason given to them by Mr Flipper on one occasion of why I am banned from the home was that "I had never built a house before and because of that I didn't know what I was doing."
Banned but not forgotten
 
The agent that banned me from his listings said that he tracked all his sales offers and if a deal fell through because of the inspection, he felt that the inspector must have said something to "kill" the deal. If he saw the same inspection company name on more than one address, then he felt that it was best to just make sure that inspector didn't have access to his listings. 
Deal Killer
 
The worst part of this other than not getting paid for the appointment spot which probably never got filled, is that the buyer now has a very bad feeling about the house. They are wondering why I am banned and what is the seller trying to hide? 
 
The craziest part of the whole thing is that on 2 occasions, the agent doing the banning has called me later to inspect a new investment property they are looking to purchase. Talk about a Joker. 
 
My job is to inspect and report, not freak out on every little thing, and look for cookies, not crumbs. The house does most of the talking, I just happen to be the messenger.
 
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SLS Home Inspections @815-644-6271

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Show All Comments Sort:
Elva Branson-Lee
Best Atlanta - Atlanta, GA
Marketing Specialist, Atlanta Short Sale Pr

If I were the buyer or her agent, I would be wondering what the seller was trying to hide. Thanks for sharing, Scott.

Apr 03, 2017 04:14 AM
Kasey & John Boles
Jon Gosche Real Estate, LLC - BoiseMeridianRealEstate.com - Boise, ID
Boise & Meridian, ID Ada/Canyon/Gem/Boise Counties

While completely inappropriate to ban you from their listings/homes, it's clear that agent thinks you are an excellent inspector given the fact they have hired you for their own personally purchases.  Out of control. -Kasey

Apr 05, 2017 10:48 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Scott- since I'm not an agent, I can only give my opinion and that is it seems like this should be reported.  I would think that if the buyer is paying for the inspection for their use, then they have a right to choose whomever it is they want to use.  

Apr 08, 2017 12:35 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Retired Home Stager/Redesign

                                      Thank you Scott Seaton Jr. Bourbonnais Kankakee IL Home Inspector 

Apr 08, 2017 05:36 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

Is this even legal? A buyer has the right to do their due diligence in any way they see fit... if this isn't a condition of the contract, I don't see how someone can ban you from doing an inspection. Sounds to me like the seller is in breach somewhere.

Apr 09, 2017 04:23 AM
Rose Mary Justice
Synergy Realty Pros - Dandridge, TN
Synergy Realty Pros

Keep up the good work.  Buyers will certainly Thank you for a job well done.  I am sure they don't want to buy a home that is a money Pit.  And they have the right to choose whomever they want.  Can;t imagine this happening.

Agent is up to something.  It doesn't smell good.

Apr 09, 2017 04:46 AM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Oswego, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Hello Scott. If I were the buyer I would want out of the contract immediately to avoid having to sue the agent later! And I would be having a discusssion with his sponsoring broker! Enjoy your day!

Apr 09, 2017 05:15 AM
Sheila Anderson
Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ
The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Scott. What a farce. Hard to believe but I guess you wouldn't make it up. Too bad. As an aside your pictures didn't show.

Apr 09, 2017 06:18 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Good Morning Scott - I would certainly ask that agent for the fee up front on pass.

Apr 09, 2017 06:41 AM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Scott Seaton Jr. Bourbonnais Kankakee IL Home Inspector ,

Wow..I know there are some inspectors in our area that many of us dread if they are inspecting but it's not about the inspection it's about how they deliver the items uncovered. There are some known to be "deal killers" because they don't explan the items and have a superior attitude. Inspectors are not all created equal just as agents aren't. Our inspectors are required to write up even new code items but most also include "this was not requited when the home was built." Each year there are new code items to deal with in new home construction and sellers of resale homes are not expected to bring a home up to the latest in new codes. The buyers have a choice in who they pay to inspect a home under contract. It is not up to us as listing agents to ban an inspector!

Apr 09, 2017 07:01 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Scott

That's just nuts! I agree with Alan May that this should be reported.

Jeff

Apr 09, 2017 07:29 AM
Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

Hi Scott,  
You darn inspectors... keeping everyone accountable for being honest!  How do you sleep at night?  

Apr 09, 2017 08:44 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

I'd say that any agent who pulls that stunt has just branded himself/herself as a crook. They don't want the buyer to see what's probably wrong because the deal might go south.

Apr 09, 2017 10:00 AM
Susan Haughton
Long and Foster REALTORS (703) 470-4545 - Alexandria, VA
Susan & Mindy Team...Honesty. Integrity. Results.

Just wow.  It's like waving a red flag saying there is something they don't want you to see!  I don't even know how they can get away with it, frankly. 

Apr 09, 2017 11:07 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

That's awful. My first guess would have been that you cost them a previous sale. Maybe if the sellers had taken better care of their home there wouldn't have been any bad news to deliver! It doesn't seem right that the listing agent should have a say in who inspects.

Apr 09, 2017 11:31 AM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

You are obviously doing your job well if a builder doesn't want you in the house! If I was the buyer, i'd be very suspicious and in fact would want you to do the inspection even MORE. 

Apr 10, 2017 03:22 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

OMG that is just awful.  It really just shows that you are doing your job well and they are afraid that you'll find something they are trying to hide.

Oh and there are plenty of realtors who have never bought/owned a home and some of them are quite good agents.

Apr 10, 2017 04:40 AM
Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543
Realty ONE Group Advocates 484-237-2055 - Downingtown, PA
Selling the Main Line & Chester County

Interesting perspective of those doing the banning, what do they think the buyers opinion is going to do on hearing this.

Apr 11, 2017 04:12 PM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Really bad way to handle that. I will say that there are home inspectors that I know of that don't know what they are doing & I'm sure you do to. Don't ban them, just work around them like any other business blunder.

I agree that what was said does make the buyer suspect the condition of the house & you'd be the person to find it.

Apr 30, 2017 12:18 PM
Patricia Feager
Flower Mound, TX

I'm from Illinois and didn't know about these issues - of course, I wasn't a Real Estate Agent then but I did sell my home after moving to TX.

In TX, it's written in the contract sellers must let buyers do their home inspection during the option period. I wonder if you can get a copy of  contract to see what is written so you have it and can reference it too. 

Jul 07, 2017 11:03 AM