Home inspector
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Anonymous
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We've made an offer on a home with a home inspection contingency (among other contingencies). Assuming our offer is expected, our realtor has a home inspector he uses, but I'm wondering if we should find our own to avoid any conflicts of interest, e.g., is the home inspector working for our realtor more concerned with keeping the realtor happy and thus not raise any major issues, or will he do his best to be our advocate even if that means raising something that could make the deal fall apart. Have most of you used your realtor's inspector? Maybe I am over thinking this, but i want to get the best person for the job. Thanks.
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Anonymous
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I would ask to see the inspector's resume/license/qualifications. Depending on jurisdiction, inspectors are required to be licensed.
Bigger question - do you trust your realtor? A home inspection isn't something most people do often, so finding one on your own may not be that easy. If the home is older, or you are worried about specific things, you could always do the inspection and separately have e trusted electrician and plumber each spend an hour looking at those systems. Two other pieces of advice - 1. be present during the inspection and walk with the inspector, and 2. ask to see manuals for all appliances. In my experience, homeowners who are organized enough to know where their hot water heater manual is are also the type to properly maintain appliances. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Don't use the realtor's home inspector. I believe it does present a conflict of interest--after all, the realtor is more apt to use someone who can help him or her close the deal, not someone who's going to be super thorough and tell you the foundation is crumbling. See if you can get a recommendation from a friend. |
Anonymous
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I used my realtor's home inspector for two inspections and he pointed out things in the first home that caused me to back out of the contract. he was completely independent, and I appreciated that. We used him again for the home I ended up buying and again, he was great. (the 2nd house ended up being more expensive so the realtor didn't lose out!)
Agree with the other posters - if you need to save time, have him do the roof before you get there or after you leave, because you probably won't be climbing up there with him anyway. But yes, be present for the entire thing, and take notes if you can, and read the report carefully. I'm happy to give you his contact info if you like. |
Anonymous
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Our situation was slightly different. We were building a house and although the had a home inspector, we wanted to have our own. So I called my insurance company and asked them to recommend one. I hired a home inspector that Allstate recommended. For $165, he covered two visits. I put into our contract that I wanted an inspection visit on the framing, electrical, plumbing, etc before the walls went up and for the final walk-through. Our inspector caught a few things (nothing major) that helped a lot. He got the building supervisor to note these things and have them taken care of. Well worth much more than $165.
Assuming that you will insure the new property with the same insurance company, call them. It is in their best interests to make sure that you are aware of any defects, issues, or repairs that need to be done to the property so that they don't have to pay out any claims and can just collect your premium. 
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Anonymous
| I think using one your Realtor recommends is fine. Realtor don't want to sell you a home that is crap and ruins their good name. Now if you don't really like or trust your Realtor then that is an entirely different story. |
Anonymous
I agree with this. A home inspector's job is to keep you OUT of a house if need be. A Realtor's job is to negotiate the HELL out of the home inspection contingency -- it's more stressful than negotiating the original price, to be honest. So, you need 1) a cranky home inspector who's going to flag things and 2) a Realtor who's going to get things fixed or credits and tell you what to let go (and you WILL let some things go). Realtors have teams of people. And good Realtors hire good teams. It all comes back to whether or not you have a good agent. |
Anonymous
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Our realtor gave us three names and I called them and talked to them all. I tried to hire one guy but he was ill so he referred me to someone else - who was great. Kept us from buying two different houses. The realtor was unhappy about us walking on the second one but he accepted it.
I'd be more confident about your realtor's inspector if he/she had given you several names to choose from. |
Anonymous
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I am a full time home inspector with over eight years in the business and I advise consumers NOT to use the inspector recommended by anyone who has a financial interest in closing the sale.
Often, a "preferred list" of inspectors provided by real estate salesmen is something that inspectors have paid to be listed on. In that sense, you are not getting the "best" but simply someone who was willing to pay for the referral. Many of my peers are so dependent upon referrals from real estate salesmen to stay in business that they would do NOTHING to jeopardize that relationship ... and consider their relationships and personal financial needs as they compose inspection reports. It's not hard to find a decent inspector when you simply look for someone who has a good enough track record to be able to be in the inspection business full time for more than five years. Ask for a sample report and expect to pay a bit more. |
Anonymous
| 10:06 here. Glad someone finally backed me up. We did use our realtor's recommended inspector to purchase our first home, and the inspection was a joke. Later, I was at a friend's house and she pulled out this huge binder filled with photos her home inspector had taken of her house. That dude had found anything and everything. There was a marked difference in the service she was provided. |
Anonymous
Realtor here. The inspectors I recommend (I give clients three names like another PP's agent did) all provide my clients with binders, photos and excruciatingly detailed reports. Just because your realtor recommended a lousy inspector does not mean that any inspector recommended by any realtor is automatically suspect. |
Anonymous
True. But I would rather err on the side of caution when dealing with such a large investment. My advice to OP is to find someone who he or she knows does not have a vested interest in the outcome, which is what I will do in the future. |
Anonymous
| Never ever use the realtor's recommendation. Finding a good home inspector is extremely difficult but is the most worthwhile thing you can do when buying a house. |
Anonymous
| Thanks, all. OP here, we have found our own and are going that route. |
Anonymous
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Just don't believe that the inspector will find everything. I've bought and sold several homes. Most of the inspections I've seen have been very hit and miss. They will make a big deal out of something that is a nothing and miss something major. They get things wrong (i.e. don't actually understand how some things in the home work, etc. yet make definitive statements that the things need to be fixed, when in fact they are as they should be). I'm sure there are good inspectors, but I think they are few and far between.
By all means, get an inspection, but I would be critical and double check what the inspector tells you. |