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For my referral list, I choose the inspectors I know to be the most thorough, both with their inspections and with the report.
I would never recommend an inspector who I thought might gloss over something serious. If there's a deal killer in that house it's their job to find it not hide it. Many of our clients are first-time buyers without big savings accounts. If there is a foreseeable big expense coming they need to know about it.
If this deal falls apart for the right reasons I will still have a client. There are other houses we can look at :-)
But if you turn it around and you were so unwise as to recommend a single inspector, your reputation would be closely tied to the perceived performance of that that inspector, never mind the legal liability risks. And everyone knows that inspectors and their real and perceived performance in identifying issues are a hotbed of risk in the transaction. And even if they do everything right, they often are the subject of blame when things go wrong. If you recommend one, it (rightly or wrongly) becomes YOUR inspector in the client's mind.
I have a list of inspectors that my past clients (buyers AND sellers) have been happy with. If a client uses someone not on that list (I always advise that they are perfectly free to do so) and they do a stellar job, they get added to the list.
I also advise my seller clients to get the house pre-inspected as part of the process of getting it ready for sale so that there are no unpleasant surprises when they are under contract, in the option period, and need to make a decision under the gun. I give the same list of inspectors to my seller clients as my buyer clients.
My criteria for a good inspector is one that is VERY thorough, but who does not think it is their job to incite panic. One who can say, in effect, "This is a $10 fix at Home Depot. THIS is a safety issue," and know what he is talking about.
And, as said above, people who are readying what THEY would do into what agents would do overlook the fact that even if the agent was solely about their own bottom line, that bottom line is best served by having happy, satisfied clients who will use you again and will refer friends to you. Anyone short-sighted enough to use inadequate inspectors for kickbacks, or inspectors who would ignore any issues to keep from killing the deal, usually isn't in the business very long.
I can only speak for us and how we want to do business. The guy at the top of the list is at the top of the list because I know I can count on his work! I'm giving a recommendation, no way around it. I don't see how it's more responsible to give them more names and more choices than I can really vouch for.
The other guys are fine too! But the guy at the top has earned his way there. He does thorough inspections and thorough, complete reports. He spends time with each client explaining what he found. He brings an extra set of coveralls so they can crawl under the house with him if they want :-) and a few have!
I've seen him pay for a repair of an issue that a client reported finding after the sale, something that he missed.
That's the kind of above and beyond work that earns my repeated recommendations… Certainly not glossing over things or minimizing oversights.
I can only speak for us and how we want to do business. The guy at the top of the list is at the top of the list because I know I can count on his work! I'm giving a recommendation, no way around it. I don't see how it's more responsible to give them more names and more choices than I can really vouch for.
The other guys are fine too! But the guy at the top has earned his way there. He does thorough inspections and thorough, complete reports. He spends time with each client explaining what he found. He brings an extra set of coveralls so they can crawl under the house with him if they want :-) and a few have!
I've seen him pay for a repair of an issue that a client reported finding after the sale, something that he missed.
That's the kind of above and beyond work that earns my repeated recommendations… Certainly not glossing over things or minimizing oversights.
Yes, my personal preferred inspector has a warranty for the inspection - if something in a house he inspected breaks within a certain period of time, it's covered.
For what it's worth, on the OP's example story… I can't imagine any realtor... let alone any home inspector, who would have suggested that no one should peek behind a sheet of plastic in the basement.
I have a list of inspectors that my past clients (buyers AND sellers) have been happy with. If a client uses someone not on that list (I always advise that they are perfectly free to do so) and they do a stellar job, they get added to the list.
I also advise my seller clients to get the house pre-inspected as part of the process of getting it ready for sale so that there are no unpleasant surprises when they are under contract, in the option period, and need to make a decision under the gun. I give the same list of inspectors to my seller clients as my buyer clients.
My criteria for a good inspector is one that is VERY thorough, but who does not think it is their job to incite panic. One who can say, in effect, "This is a $10 fix at Home Depot. THIS is a safety issue," and know what he is talking about.
And, as said above, people who are readying what THEY would do into what agents would do overlook the fact that even if the agent was solely about their own bottom line, that bottom line is best served by having happy, satisfied clients who will use you again and will refer friends to you. Anyone short-sighted enough to use inadequate inspectors for kickbacks, or inspectors who would ignore any issues to keep from killing the deal, usually isn't in the business very long.
Everyone here keeps saying that they hire inspectors that are thorough and I have to ask how in the hell would you really know? Do you also look over the house yourselves for things they may have missed and know what you are looking at so you can call them out on it? I know real estate school didn't cover this stuff and the answer is no. I don't fee like I would ever know that everything that is suppose to be on that report is there. Especially after what I've seen happen. You can have 3 different inspectors write three different reports. They all leave things out that another would call out.
Yes, my personal preferred inspector has a warranty for the inspection - if something in a house he inspected breaks within a certain period of time, it's covered.
Since home inspection and risks of the home's condition are so important, perhaps you can share more about this warranty. Does it cover the stuff that people actually worry about? For example, six months after I buy the home i have foundation issues and I need my slab mud jacked at a cost of 35k? This is what people worry about. Or mold is found in the ceiling from a since repaired upstairs plumbing leak and I need to have the ceiling removed and replaced and the mold abated at a cost of 10k.
Not criticizing...just curious as I've never had an inspector warranty anything and I'd like to know how useful it actually is.
For what it's worth, on the OP's example story… I can't imagine any realtor... let alone any home inspector, who would have suggested that no one should peek behind a sheet of plastic in the basement.
I am having a hard time believing any of these multiple treads the OP is starting. I do have to wonder if it really happened. Nothing about the story adds up.
I agree with boots. Wise to let the client decide. Keep it separate. Inspector should not be beholden to the agent and the inspector being beholden to the agent is not a good fundamental principle to guide if/how you give recommendations as MJ describes in his practices. The inspector should be beholden to one person...the client.
My client still decides. I just recommend one and they can decide to use him or get their own. I don't care either way as long as they get a quality inspection.
My lists consist of 2 attorneys, 1 inspector, 3 termite companies, 2 HVAC inspectors, and a some GC's and specialists (carpet cleaners/roofers/foundation companies/etc).
What if none of them seem do that great of a job? I have noticed that when a house falls out and another inspection is done different things are called out. If they are doing the same job, shouldn't the inspection reports reflect that? I feel that recommending one among those I know would be more of a liability. I have some doozy stories about inspectors, but maybe that's for another thread. Still for most buyers hiring one is better than not hiring one. I will agree on that.
I also think its important to point out that home inspectors don't inspect everything. Good idea to ask for the furnace inspected and septic done also. Big things that the home inspector won't do and a lot of buyers won't know to ask for.
That's legit. I know of 5 very thorough inspectors in my market. 2 are awful at communication and one of those 2 is not punctual. Of the remaining 3 one is much more expensive and one is always booked, the other one is my recommended inspector who prints out the report on the spot and has great photos he attaches to the summary. I also happen to think he's the best communicator of the 5.
I could have all 5 of them come through a home and probably they'd all find different things but I'd trust any of the 5 to do an inspection for me personally. I want the "deal-killer" because I don't want unhappy customers after closing. I can always find my buyer another home but I can't undo a closing.
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