Using an inspector recommended by realtor-conflict of interest? (room, cheap, houses)
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Agree with this. We used an inspector recommend by our buyers agent, though I did certainly check for BBB complaints, online ratings etc. And I found he's also the inspector used by the historic home association in our town. Seemed thorough and very willing to point out issues, and our agent was aggressive in seeking credits or warning us away from some places.
That said, apparently not everyone has the same experience. Two different co-workers warned me never to trust your own buyers agent and _especially_ never to use any inspectors or other professionals your agent recommends. I didn't get details but in both cases it did seem motivated by actual bad experiences (or perceived bad experiences -- I'm sure some people end up regretting a home purchase and back-rationalize some way that it was their agent's fault).
With some experience in the house now, I do have a better sense of the range of things that even a good inspector can't check, like unsafe old DYI wiring inside a wall, or a gutter leak when inspected during dry weather (and where the hole was on the house-facing side of the gutter). But we have not yet had any significant problems that seem like they should have been caught but were missed by our inspector.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
Eventually you will tell your friends, many of whom will themselves be "first time buyers" about how helpful this agent was. THAT is how buyer's agent earn a decent living! It makes sense that a good buyer's agent would give a list of three or more TOUGH BUT HONEST home inspectors as part of the choices you need to make!
If instead the buyer's agent recommended some oaf of an inspector that tried to pull the wool over your eyes and let you buy a house that would wipe out your savings with unexpected repairs you would bad mouth the terrible agent!
This has been beat to death routinely here.
I swear, sometime when someone says they won't use an inspector I recommend, I will recommend all the bums my buyers pick off Angieslist, or from referral from some goober at work or church or in their softball league who bought a house 4 years ago and thought the inspector was a nice guy.
I really don't know another good way to weed out the dregs of the business to get people to pick the good ones, if my recommendation is not adequate.
If buyers would only see how many of the "independent" inspectors they pick kiss my butt trying to get my future recommendations.....
We did that on our last house and it was a HUGE mistake! CD doesnt have enough server space for me to list all the reasons why and what happened in the end. would not use agent recommend for home inspection. But I would never use a home inspector again, so I guess its moot
1. We did use the one recommended by our buyers' agent.
2. I was happy with his work. Followed around the entire time. He found the hidden drywall screw that had punctured the waste pipe.
3. House was a new build. Have lived in for 4.6 years. Still happy with his inspection and gave hime a good review on Yelp.
Are you denying that many realtors do not have a "cozy relationship with inspectors that will try their best to be sure the inspection goes well?
I know, but of course not you.
I'm denying it. I can only speak for myself but my inspectors are on my list for the quality of work and their ability to communicate effectively with the buyer. Most agents I know only communicate with inspectors on a professional level.
We had a buyer, it was either last year or 2 years ago, that was so distrustful he not only didn't use one of our normal inspectors he paid someone to come in from an outside market because he thought that was the only way he could get someone who wouldn't just "pass the house to get more agent referrals." Honestly, it was one of the poorest inspections I've seen in the 10 years and 500 homes I've sold. And...he paid extra for it!
An agent can recommend as much as they want- the buyer should do their own homework and hire an inspector based on some solid research and a good interview of the inspector. Relying strictly on the recommendation of an agent that you don't trust emphatically is an unnecessary concern with all of the resources available to home buying consumers these days.
The first question a potential client asks an inspector while shopping for an inspection nearly 100% of the time is --- ??
The preferred practice is to give at least three names of inspectors and to emphasize that the buyer is free to choose anyone they like. If I were a buyer, I'd probably pick one of the suggested ones but I'd want them to agree first to let me be there looking over their shoulder and asking questions as they go. If that means a higher fee, so be it. That's how I would do it.
If I were a buyer, I would EXPECT that an inspector would allow me to tag along. I've never heard of an inspector charging more to explain his work to the person who is paying his fee!! The ones that are my favorite go-to guys are all extremely good at talking as they go, pointing out issues, weird water line turnoffs, etc.
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