Believe it or not, that is the way the relationship is sometimes viewed by the home inspection industry. Of course, the statement could be flipped for the real estate agents, "The Kind Real Estate Agent vs. the Evil Home Inspector".
The home inspector is viewed as the necessary evil that invades the potential sale to alarm the buyer about the grossly dirty sidewalks. We all know that grossly dirty sidewalks will erode the condition of the foundation and eventually the house will cave-in. Or maybe the case where the multitude of lawn ornaments caused a sinkhole that the house slid into. This is common knowledge in the real estate industry.
The real estate agent is Simon (or Simone) Legree dry-washing his or her hands in hopes of a quick sale with a high sale price. Yes, we all know that real estate agents don't care a bit about their clients and the sole purpose of the home inspector is to be Captain America. He will rescue the client from Simon's (or Simone's) evil clutches just in time.
Maybe I overstated the above a bit, but you get the picture. In actuality, we know that neither is true. As a home inspector for the past four years and investor prior to that, I have yet to meet a truly evil agent or a home inspector that looks anything like Captain America. In fact I can say that every buyers agent I have worked with has had the buyers interest at heart. Every home inspector that I know feels the same. Since both have the same ultimate goal (protect the buyer and see that they get the best house for the money) you would think that they would be compatriots, teammates, and best friends.
The problem seems to be a few bad apples have fallen on both sides of the fence. Yeah, I know, there can't be any bad apples in the agents or inspectors orchards. Even I'm not that naive. When I became a home inspector four years ago one of the first things I heard was don't trust the agents. After four years I haven't had one agent ask me to write a soft report or to turn my head the other way. Amazing isn't it, with all the Simon (or Simone) Legree's out there that I haven't found one. All you Captain Americas out there, I guess your just going to have to earn your superhero status some other way. That's okay with me - the cape keeps falling off.
Jack Gilleland
Home Inspection Services
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