It can really go both ways. I did a listing inspection about 6 months ago. A buyer hired another inspector who came in and said there was a gas leak I missed. The seller sent it to me and said he wanted me to pay for it. Even though it was 6 months ago and anything could have happened, I agreed to meet the 2nd inspector on site at my expense (I WAS going to pay his trip fee) and turns out there was no leak, he had adjusted the thermostat on the water heater too low and blew out the pilot. When he turned it back up he smelled gas. With his buyer standing there, he didn't look too good, unfortunately. Right next to the water heater was the gas furnace with the flex line extending into the furnace. I reminded the client of the hazards of that as we were leaving and the buyer noticed it wasn't even on his inspector's report so he finally read my report and found many items that his inspector missed.

Point is, it have just as many risks as the 2nd inspector as you do the first, especially if you don't take the time to read the first inspector's report and make sure everything on his/her report is on yours that has not been repaired.

And finally, just don't be afraid of liability. That's part of the risks of being an inspector. I just do the best I can and try my best not to miss anything no matter what type of inspections I do. If I know I did my job the best I could, then if/when the law suit comes, I approach it confidently. Don't think I'm wording this as well as I wanted too, but hopefully you get the point.

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I'd rather be catching a big ole Redfish!