Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I give them a list of the Names of:
1. Multiple Home Inspectors
2. The Home Inspectors Website
3. Contact Phone Number
I have used all of the Home Inspectors in the past and they are solid communities that are properly licensed.
I give clients all the information they need. I suggest the check out the Home Inspectors Website to see the reviews on their sites PLUS they can "Google" the Home Inspectors name to see INDEPENDENT reviews on such sites as YELP etc , if they choose. I am all about letting the client choose who they want to work with...who they feel comfortable with according to their research. I was taught to stay neutral.
Well you aren't since you have put inspectors on the list that you have used before. I wouldn't call that neutral.
I misunderstood. I thought these were some random inspectors names. Most of my clients check out my recommendations too.
And Yelp stinks. I would not send people there for independent reviews of anything.
Good insights as usual from MikePRU. I don't always agree 100% with everything he says but reading his posts is always a pleasure.
MikePRU shares, with pride and passion, how he gives recommendations. He then provides a point of view and insight on the topic with his three categories. Nice and tightly defined and structured. Then he explains each of the three and gives examples from his experience. Very clear and disciplined writing. I hope you don't think i'm being sarcastic or patronizing. I am not.
I think most readers will get the impression that it's written by someone who has pride in what he does. Humble yet confident. No whiff of arrogance. In other words, some might say, "yeah that guy is the kind of agent I want. Sounds like he gets it."
He also shows that he understands the issues on all sides and I like how he transparently recognizes that there are inspectors (and presumably agents) who do play games. Doesn't throw around hyperbole which only serves to insult peoples' intelligence (like talking about the crazy people who think agents bribe inspectors and are in conspiracies). Like he's having a proper adult to adult dialog instead of digging in, getting defensive, and hurling arrogance around. Maturity abounds. How refreshing in this place.
In summary, I think MikePRU is a great example of professionalism in the usage of social media to help people and to create a positive impression of himself and his industry.
We will probably end up locking horns about something again in the near future so this is no love fest but just wanted to share my views.
Well he did call one type of inspector a clown. I don’t have a problem with that, but I have a feeling if MikeJ wrote that you’d have a different opinion.
I do not want clients to feel that I am in collusion with a Home Inspector just to make sure that the sale of the home closes.
As you can see from some of the prior posts, some clients think that we will only refer certain Home Inspectors because we conspire to:
"secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.
"the armed forces were working in collusion with drug traffickers"
synonyms: conspiracy, connivance, complicity, intrigue, plotting, secret understanding, collaboration,
scheming"
Several years ago, I had an investor purchase a couple homes as an investment here in Wellington FL. He was very frugal and he chose NOT to have an inspection. Almost 1.5 years later I get a call from him. He is telling me that his tenants are breaking the lease due to an issue with black mold in the kitchen. He feels that he should go after the Sellers agent and the Seller as they had to have known there was a slow leak in kitchen wall. Who knows if the leak was there when he purchased it or if it occurred later? He really had no recourse after this much time had passed.
Last year I had a listing that had a recent wet spot on living room ceiling. The Buyer and his agent had an inspection done which found that the leak was also affecting the walls in the kitchen. The walls behind the kitchen cabinets were showing evidence of moisture. They negotiated a discount in the sales price which would cover pulling out the cabinets (which were reusable) and tearing down the walls. The money for this inspection was well spent.
I guess the answer to your question is "that I prefer to remain neutral"
Did you recommend to the investor buyer to get an inspection in general, even if you didn’t want to recommend a specific inspector?
I give them a list of the Names of:
1. Multiple Home Inspectors
2. The Home Inspectors Website
3. Contact Phone Number
I have used all of the Home Inspectors in the past and they are solid communities that are properly licensed.
I give clients all the information they need. I suggest the check out the Home Inspectors Website to see the reviews on their sites PLUS they can "Google" the Home Inspectors name to see INDEPENDENT reviews on such sites as YELP etc , if they choose. I am all about letting the client choose who they want to work with...who they feel comfortable with according to their research. I was taught to stay neutral.
So. You’re recommending a home inspector. Just pick one on the list, that you’ve already screened (for lack of a better term).
"didn't notice." I assumed that from the get go.
Never assume lack of character when "stupidity" will suffice...
I just showed a house, and when we crawled under, found two significant foundation cracks to go with the three smaller ones that we noticed from the outside.
Mentioned it in my feedback, and the agent says, "Sellers had the house inspected when they purchased, and there were no issues."
IOW, the house grew 5 cracks in the last 6 years?
Heck, it must be collapsing into a sinkhole. LOL
Wait, you’re telling me a sellers agent might have tried to put the best possible spin on something, but it didn’t hold up to thoughtful scrutiny?
Like the one that called me randomly a few weeks ago when I stated that a truss had some damage. (I mean, it was probably due to constuction damage and had been there 30 plus years and I mentioned that, but it had a chunk at least half way through the chord or more, really, so I couldn’t not at least mention it.) Anyway, the buyer asked for it to be fixed. Sellers agent complained and called me directly and wanted me to come look and approve it not needing to be corrected and wondered why they would ask to be fixed. (Oh and she would definitely use me for future inspections in the future, natch ) I told her, all due respect that had she been the buyer’s agent, she wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t do the same and it would be just as cheap to have her husband GC that had built everything in Raleigh just fix it than even talking on the phone any further.
Wait, you’re telling me a sellers agent might have tried to put the best possible spin on something, but it didn’t hold up to thoughtful scrutiny?
Like the one that called me randomly a few weeks ago when I stated that a truss had some damage. (I mean, it was probably due to constuction damage and had been there 30 plus years and I mentioned that, but it had a chunk at least half way through the chord or more, really, so I couldn’t not at least mention it.) Anyway, the buyer asked for it to be fixed. Sellers agent complained and called me directly and wanted me to come look and approve it not needing to be corrected and wondered why they would ask to be fixed. (Oh and she would definitely use me for future inspections in the future, natch ) I told her, all due respect that had she been the buyer’s agent, she wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t do the same and it would be just as cheap to have her husband GC that had built everything in Raleigh just fix it than even talking on the phone any further.
Anyway, tangent acquired and locked.
And MikePRU also gets it. Long term > short term.
LOL
And, Yes, MikePRU and MikeJ get that long term vs. short term thing.
Explaining it to people with no values is like describing a sunset to a blind person.
I give them a list of the Names of:
1. Multiple Home Inspectors
2. The Home Inspectors Website
3. Contact Phone Number
I have used all of the Home Inspectors in the past and they are solid communities (sic) that are properly licensed.
I give clients all the information they need. I suggest the check out the Home Inspectors Website (you mean a statewide site, or each inspector's individual site?) to see the reviews on their sites PLUS they can "Google" the Home Inspectors name to see INDEPENDENT reviews on such sites as YELP etc , if they choose. I am all about letting the client choose who they want to work with...who they feel comfortable with according to their research. I was taught to stay neutral.
Per the bolded, some questions so we understand ...
1. the one that really matters - you were "taught to stay neutral" because that's what is in the best interest of your client, or because it limits your liability?
2. most of the rest are pretty easy from the bolded.
3. would it surprise you hear that a)many home inspectors don't have slick websites/online reviews? b)MOST agents don't have accurate online representations?
Well I'm not an agent so it's not really my job to tell you how to do your job.
you've been telling us how we're doing our job wrong for a long time now. drop the subterfuge, eh?
Quote:
1. I would mind my ethical and legal requirements for the market that I work in
the ethical requirements of a Realtor are the same regardless of their market.
Legal requirements generally ALLOW you to turn the entire thing over to the client. As such, if your ethics allow you to follow the contract, and allow the client to source and schedule whichever inspections they choose, then you're perfectly minding your personal ethical and legal state requirements.
Quote:
2. I would seek to understand what my clients want in my market. Sitting here today, I have no idea what consumers want or expect for recommendations in my hypothetical market.
you've told us time and again what you consider reasonable over a WIDE variety of specific and hypothetical markets, the vast majority of which you've never been client or agent in.
Quote:
3. I would prudently balance my own legal/liability risks in this process.
so, of 3 listed items, 2 of them deal with you covering your own ass. Not unexpected. And you're right - look in this topic - each of us is allowed to take our personal liability, based upon the legal requirements of each of our states, as the most sacred item. Each of us can hide behind "legal" and "ethical" by going to the language of the contract.
I haven't seen an agent on here say they don't at some level say "the inspector/lender/tile/etc/etc/etc are your choice But you should use MY inspector/lender/title/etc or else I won't work for you". Yet that is what you insinuate.
Quote:
If a client did want recs, I would probably give a list in alphabetical order and encourage the client to interview a few, keeping in mind that the inspector's experience with the type of place they are buying is important (e.g. antique house, waterfront or coastal area, unit in a high rise, etc, etc). And the CLIENT needs to select the inspector that THEY are most comfortable with. It's not one size fits all. I would probably have some statement about these not being the only available inspectors and ... encourage them to think about other sources of recommendations.
there should be no probably, likely, want to, or maybe about what you'd tell your client. You've had no issue telling us, definitively. You've taken more than enough time and bytes to decide how YOU would act.
what would you say when your client says "Just_because, we've only got
10 days to do all of this. I work, this is your area of expertise and why I have hired YOU. What should we do?"
Quote:
I would urge the client to attend and observe.
You think we tell them ..."You don't need to be there at all - nothing to see here."
What about when they say "I don't have time to attend the whole/any of the inspection, Can't you just tell me what happens?"
You actually don't think that happens?
has nothing to do with your wordiness, just your desire to repeat the same hackneyed crap you specialize in, without telling anyone what you would ACTUALLY do.
1. I would mind my ethical and legal requirements for the market that I work in
2. I would seek to understand what my clients want in my market.
3. I would prudently balance my own legal/liability risks in this process.
or, in the fewest words possible:
* 2/3 of my strategy would be limiting my liability
*1/3 of my strategy would be asking the client what they want.
My clients hear and participate in the conversation with the inspector when we are just getting started...
I tell the inspector that we want to know everything that is wrong with the place. Especially if my clients are first time buyers without a lot of money for repairs and renovations, I tell the inspector that, along with their desire to not have to do any major renovations, so he goes through with their budget and skill level in mind and lets us know if he sees any readily predictable big ticket items looming in the near future for this house. I tell him to make sure he points out any and all reasons not to buy this house. I do NOT worry about clients hearing too much bad news on a house. Far from it. Perspective, I can help with.... I want them to have all the information first.
Mike didn't say he made up flaws that didn't exist and demanded they be included on the report... these were real defects he pointed out, that should have appeared on any inspection report. If an inspector forgets or neglects to put something important on the report that should be there... Something I noticed and pointed out and intend to include in any inspection response requests??? You bet we should bring it up and ask for it to be on the report. Why should we not?
You see potential for conflict of interest? Well... I can cope with that conflict, easily. I see a far worse sin in having a fear of actually expressing an interest. We are the client's advocate.
I didn't say that anyone made up flaws. My opinion is that when you start telling an inspector what to put on his report, that's crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed.
And the influencing of the report was linked to future referrals (explicitly or suggested, we don't know). Any wise agent knows that the conflicts of interest with inspectors is a red flag issue, whatever your beliefs on it are. So you should take extra caution to avoid any real or perceived misbehavior, abuse of power or inappropriate involvement. And when you start trying to influence the report, that's over the line. Excuses like YOU thought it was best for the client don't matter. You either take an approach to control, filter, influence, twist, etc everything to YOUR view of what's best for the client and you start talking about how you're higher in the food chain, blah blah or you let the expert that works for the CLIENT do his job. You either create an atmosphere of independence for the inspector or you establish your command and control over it. Two very different approaches.
When you start telling the guy how to write his report and linking that to future referrals, you are not giving the message that the inspector is in charge of his own report, you give the message "you'll do this my way". That's the wrong atmosphere to create. I would immediately fire any agent who messed with MY inspector like that. Even if I thought he had a good point on one specific item. I would fear that the whole report was compromised because it was created in an atmosphere with the wrong power dynamics. So we can argue how vital that one thing was or was not to the report but let's consider the big picture of the whole atmosphere that's created when you conduct yourself like that.
Of course there is nothing wrong with asking about something or challenging why the uneven floor in the bathroom or whatever is not on the report. However, I think it should be done in a way that does not create the wrong dynamic with the inspector. And linking future referrals to getting your way is unsavory.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) I told her, all due respect that had she been the buyer’s agent, she wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t do the same and it would be just as cheap to have her husband GC that had built everything in Raleigh just fix it than even talking on the phone any further. 
