Buyer Peeved That Inspector Would Not Advise Whether Or Not To Purchase House

[Bruce Breedlove]

It pays to bring your clients' expectations in line with the service you provide.

Questioning the home inspector

Sharon from Dover writes: I’m annoyed with our home inspector. We paid this guy $800 and when I asked him whether he thought we should buy the home based on what he found, he said he couldn’t answer. What gives? Should we be worried that he’s being dodgy? Maybe he just didn’t want to advise us against buying it when our buyer’s agent was right there?

Sharon, It’s a common misconception that home inspectors can tell you whether it’s a good decision to go forward with the purchase. . . .

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[Matt Fellman]

I have a blanket answer that easily covers this commonly asked question. "I'd buy any house for the right price. But, since I don't know prices in this area and, even if I did, am not allowed to comment, I can't tell you."

People ask all kinds of screwy questions. The way you answer it can make all the difference to the buyer and their perception of you. If you just get all rigid and defensive people will do the same and it easily turns into an unfavorable situation. Keep your cool and "guide" them to your answer and people are much less likely to get angry.

[Nick Ostrowski]

Every so often, I'll get a client who wants me to put a verbal dollar amount for repairs of every defect I find. Some will also want to know how they can fix things themselves and ask for my input on this as well. I know some people come into the situation with little money to spare but 3+ hours of fielding these questions can be exhausting.

[Bruce Ramsey]

Client: Would you buy this house?

Me: Nope, I already got one. I can't afford another.

Usually follow it up with something like, you have been following me around for 3-4 hours. I have showed you everything I found. Everything we found can be repaired given enough time and money. The major concerns we found today are X, Y, and Z. There are numerous other small defects. We discussed each defect during the inspection and I helped you to understand the potential implications if not repaired. Only you can decide if the cost of repairs outweigh the benefits of this house for your family. I did not find any overwhelming reasons to not buy this house.

[William Brady]

$800.00 for a home inspection now thats what I'm talking about. Must have been some home!

[Scott Patterson]

$800.00 for a home inspection now thats what I'm talking about. Must have been some home!

That would be about a 7,500 sf home in my area and we have a bunch of them! Granted, they are not selling but we still have bunch of of homes between 6,000sf & 8,000sf in the greater Nashville area.

[Duane Nelson]

Here is my pat answer to that question and the other one "Is this a good deal?": "I am not the right guy to ask. Ten years ago we paid $4000 for our home. Since then we have put $50,000 - $60,000 of improvements into it and it is now worth almost $20,000."

[John Kogel]

Here is my pat answer to that question and the other one "Is this a good deal?": "I am not the right guy to ask. Ten years ago we paid $4000 for our home. Since then we have put $50,000 - $60,000 of improvements into it and it is now worth almost $20,000."

OK, I've got to tour your neighbourhood in Circle on Google Streetview.
Yours too, Scott. That much square footage must be horse country.

The question that caught me off guard one day "Would you let your son or your daughter buy this place?."

I often say something like, "there's nothing here that would make me change my mind, but I'm handy, so I'd be doing most of the repairs myself, and I like knocking myself out and on and on blah blah blah."

The best thing is to keep a steady stream of info going so they don't have time to think of questions.

[Raymond Wand]

On occasion I have told my client to keep looking for another house, but only after I query them on whether they were aware of all the issues I was finding and whether or not they had the where-with-all to deal with the myriad of problems. Dependent on their answer I then tell them they may want to pass on the house.

[Nick Ostrowski]

There have been houses when I shook my head after being asked if I would buy the house. After slamming nearly every area of a rehabbed property that looks like it was worked on by chimpanzees, it's hard to bite your tongue sometimes.

[William Brady]

Hi Raymond, I don't know if you can make a remark like "you may want to pass on this house" where you live but as far as I know giving that type of opinion around here would be a death nail in your business. Also when I was trained to inspect I think they advised not to provide an opinion on buying the home ever.

I know we are not Realtors but they work hard putting deals together and only get paid when things close. I would never get between them and their clients by advising on purchasing or not. I see our part of the bigger real estate transaction as small. We are there to inspect not advise on a purchase. I could be wrong about this but it has always work for me staying out of that discussion.

[Raymond Wand]

William

I appreciate your comments.

The ones I have told have always had their agent present. The agent is the one that referred me to them. In those cases because I know the agents and know the type of person they are, they have had no problems with me giving such advice. As a matter of fact the agents have me do the next inspection. The clients are thankful and I have never had a problem. The few agents I do deal with, are reputable and honest agents, they know I'm tough and they know my reputation. I suspect they would not refer their clients to me if they did not think I was a soft peddler, and that also reflects well on the Realtor.

[Bruce Breedlove]

Raymond,

The buyer and the buyer's agent may not be the ones you should be concerned about when you tell the buyer to pass on a house. The seller and the listing agent may very well think you cost them a sale and seek legal recourse.

[Raymond Wand]

They can try that but how do they explain to the judge that because the home had a failing foundation, wood rot, improper framing, and possibly a buried oil tank, non plumbed sump, a racked exterior wall, a crawlspace with debris and fallen insulation, - how is the vendor going to substantiate a loss?

My client is being protected from something he has no gumption nor finances to deal with and is covered by the contract terms vis-a-vis the inspection findings of which are at his sole discretion? He is excercising his due diligence and I am there to assist in that fulfillment.

[William Brady]

Being a tough inspector is really not what I am talking about. I to try to be the best inspector but remember we inspect and the outcome of the inspection is based upon the inspector and his or her experience. Every inspection will be a little different. Now about the comment. Comments are one thing that we as inspectors can do well and some of us do not due well. Ego enters into this and I know that happens in every industry. All I am saying is that as much as a real estate broker may like one of us they are trying to put bread on the table, honstly for the most part. I try not to enter into an area that is for the Brokers and seller or buyers. I do not belong there. If I try to answer the "would you let your mom buy this house" question I am not serving myself or my client well. It is hard to say I can't give you that info but in my opinion it is something that should be said.

Mr Breedlove may be correct. I know that in Canada suing may not be like it is here in the States. We need to protect ourselves down here from those who are looking for any reason and someone to blame for something. You may be right in your way of doing things and if it works for you great. I for one would never say buy/don't buy.

[Brandon Whitmore]

My answer often depends on the type of client I am working with, and the condition of the house.

A couple of answers I have given:

1) If I was looking for a house like this, I don't see anything that would scare me away.

2)The house has quite a few issues. Are you looking for a house that is move in ready, or are you looking for a fixer that you'll be dumping quite a bit of money into?

[Eric Barker]

I my case I am legally and ethically restricted from answering such questions and I explain this to the client. From the buyer's point of view it's a very good question and I empathize with them when they are trying to determine what to do. As an inspector the client depends upon you and such feedback would be invaluable. I often will say that there's nothing that get's me excited - but I also won't hesitate to say that I think a particular condition may warrant further evaluation before a final purchase decision is made. This gives them a feel for my impressions and for that they're grateful, even though I dodged their "should I buy" question.