Do You Inspect With A Grudge?

[Joe Nernberg]

About 30-minutes into an inspection, the selling agent calls the listing agent to let him know that the transaction is progressing well. Listing agent asks who is performing the home inspection. This guy goes a little nuts when he learns it is me. Listing agent says that I have hold a grudge because I no longer get his referrals and offers to pay for a second home inspection.

The selling agent tells the other real estate agent that while he is ranting, the home inspector (me) is installing the seller's smoke alarms. I offered to do this for the older gentleman. No charge of course. Listing agent calms down.

I hold no grudges. People refer/use other vendors who are cheaper, better, faster, slower, print on site, etc. There are a few real estate agents I don't like, but I would never sabotage my client's home inspection because of a personal conflict.

Am I the minority here?

Similar Threads:

• Inspect for Engineering Company
• Curt Raymond Inspect-It 1st
• Lender says who can inspect?
• Curt Inspect-It 1st
• How close do YOU inspect these things??

[Rick Hurst]

Yes your a minority.

[Jerry Peck]

the home inspector (me) is installing the seller's smoke alarms. I offered to do this for the older gentleman. No charge of course.

Talk about "*LIABILITY*"!

I never held a grudge ... I didn't like.

Just kidding.

I went into every inspection trying to do my best and find everything I could find, regardless how nasty the agents were.

But "fix" something? NO WAY!

[Thom Walker]

I don't think you a minority with respect to objective Inspections, no matter who the Agent is. A house is what it is and most successful Realtors understand that.

Time wounds all heels. In Texas, that offer to pay for a second (implied favorable) inspection would have been a major faux pas and a probable sanction if a complaint were filed.

Build your business on prior Client referrals, Insurance referrals, lawyer referrals, trustee referrals, and associations with civic groups. Everything else falls into place. I did one today that was a $500K+ POS. Everybody is going to hate me except my Client. I can live with that.

[Tim Moreira]

Everybody is going to hate me except my Client. I can live with that.

As you know, that's who our allegiance is to so tuff nuggie for the rest.

You did *your* job.

[Nick Ostrowski]

"Listing agent asks who is performing the home inspection. This guy goes a little nuts when he learns it is me. Listing agent says that I have hold a grudge because I no longer get his referrals and offers to pay for a second home inspection."

This is the type of $#!& that gets under my skin. When somebody tries to take money out of my pocket, the gloves come off. The only good thing is that this @$$hole wasn't saying it to the buyer.

[Jack Feldmann]

Hold a grudge? Maybe a little sometimes.

Let if affect my inspection? Try not to.

The way I look at it, "it is what it is". The other side of this is when you go to inspect that house that belongs to your clients from last week. Do you soft peddle your findings? Do you ignore stuff you find?

When I show up to past clients houses, I tell them they had the advantage of my skills when they bought a house, and now they KNOW that the buyers of their house will have the same quality of FAIR inspection. You live by the sword, and can die at the sword.

I did have a past client tell their realtor NOT to have me inspect the house they are selling (told me lots about "their" ethics), but the realtor told him that he was better off with an accurate inspection and just deal with the issues, rather than try to hide something.

Have I hoped to find a FPE on cetain agents listings? You bet - I just didn't make stuff up.
JF

[Jerry Peck]

Have I hoped to find a FPE on cetain agents listings? You bet - I just didn't make stuff up.
JF

I doubt any of us 'just makes stuff up', at least I sure hope not.

Everything I every found was real, documented, and defensible.

Just one of the reasons I did not write up anything 'cosmetic', because what looks good to one, looks horrible to another.

That like the question: "What's the difference between 'gaudy' and 'tacky'?"

Answer: " 'Gaudy' is when you think it looks good."

[Jerry McCarthy]

Grudges, no Joe, but when the listing agent announced for all to hear, "I don't know why the buyer is spending good money on an inspection because this home was built by a master builder and perfectly maintained by my clients."
Needless to say I immediately went into to "overdrive" like I'm sure most of us would?
One time I was told by a listing agent before I could even get out of my truck, "you find anything wrong with this house and I'll sue you!" I told him to get into line because from my truck it looked like first class fly bait. Hey, we can all admit there are/where certain agents we didn't like, but doesn't that come with the job?

[Jerry Peck]

Needless to say I immediately went into to "overdrive" like I'm sure most of us would?

Quite right, but ... that is where we should have been all along, right?

Nothing made up, you just 'look harder', and, doing so makes you 'see things you did not see before', which makes you 'see them in the future' on other homes.

I'd make a guess that agents and sellers making comments like that have driven the 'intensity' of the 'standard home inspection' up to a more thorough level.

That and HIs learning more, thus doing more, thus making their clients expect more, which means doing more, which means learning more, which mean learning ... wait ... we are back to the beginning of the cycle, aren't we?

[Jerry McCarthy]

Jerry P, you left out "charging more!"

[Jerry Peck]

Jerry P, you left out "charging more!"

*I* never forgot that part.

But I think most do.

[Bob Mayer]

Do You Inspect With A Grudge?

Nah. I leave mine out in the vehicle. If the agent brings one inside and starts using it on me I can go out and get mine. You know what is said about bringing only a knife to a gun fight.

- BOB

[Jack Feldmann]

More than once I have had a seller just giving me the hardest time, and i have looked them in the face and said, "Didn't anyone ever tell you it not a good idea to piss off the inspector BEFORE he was finished?" It usually shuts them up - but not always.

I know we should be doing the same "good" job regardless of how we feel about the parties involved. But I know there are times when I could play the "engineer card", just for fun.
JF

[Joe Nernberg]

Jack,

The same advice to restaurant help. Don't piss 'em off before your food arrives. You may get a "flavor enhancement."

[Frank Bombardiere]

" I know you aren't going to find anything wrong with this house " If I had a nickle for everytime I have heard that. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would want to dare you to find something. I think when they see they have a thorough inspector on the hands, they just get all jacked up and say stupid things because they are nervous. I feel like I always try to find what I can, but I have to admit I try a little harder when I hear that statement. I might go back for another look at some things that I may not have otherwise.

[Mr Bill]

Grudges, no Joe, but when the listing agent announced for all to hear, "I don't know why the buyer is spending good money on an inspection because this home was built by a master builder and perfectly maintained by my clients."
Needless to say I immediately went into to "overdrive" like I'm sure most of us would?
One time I was told by a listing agent before I could even get out of my truck, "you find anything wrong with this house and I'll sue you!" I told him to get into line because from my truck it looked like first class fly bait. Hey, we can all admit there are/where certain agents we didn't like, but doesn't that come with the job?

Wow!! I never knew agent's did this kind of stuff, I have done a ton of work for Coldwell Banker in Houston for the past year, it has been has been a great! experience and they pay great!

[Thom Walker]

Oh, no, Mr. Bill!

I do hope you didn't mean what you said. Who are you doing the jobs for? Who pays great?

[Bob White]

Oh, no, Mr. Bill!

I do hope you didn't mean what you said. Who are you doing the jobs for? Who pays great?

Thom, Mr. Bill Is the owner of an HVAC company. His experiences with the realtor and your's may differ

[Mr Bill]

Thom, Mr. Bill Is the owner of an HVAC company. His experiences with the realtor and your's may differ

Thanks for clearing that up Bob.

[Thom Walker]

D****, I was hoping you were an HI and had found the secret formula for doing an honest inspection for the Client while getting money from the Realtor, too. You were going to be my new best friend. Man, I'm never gonna get rich.