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Just wondering if a lot of people do this. With my first home, the realtor gave me a list of inspectors her firm had worked with and spoke highly of but I still went with a different one I had researched. I'm in the process of purchasing a second home and while the seller is making some repairs, my realtor went out of her way to make an appointment for inspection on the home and I did not even know the man's name! She had spoke of him a few times previously when we looked at other homes and referred to him as "her guy" this and "her guy" that which I just brushed off as banter. I wasn't bothered at first until I researched the person and found a very shoddy website and the only review for his company being left by himself (didn't think to use a different first AND last name in his review lol). I'm rescheduling with someone new tomorrow but just wanted to know if it's common for people to use the realtor's inspector.
I think it was mentioned already a few times but I will chime in to reinforce it.
Any good realtor is gonna give you a decent sized list of inspectors and let you choose one. This has been my experience when dealing with a realtor. I would and have changed realtors if they tried to steer me to any particular inspector.
1 of the best home inspectors I have used had a laughable website that look like a grade school kid designed it. He showed up early and had all the HVAC, hot water, etc tests started so when I showed up we were able to start right away and walk through everything step by step without waiting for stuff like the hot water heater to come up to temp. He quickly zeroed in to a drainage issue the house should have and then went looking for signs of flooding inside that wall of the house and I rapidly came to the conclusion that the current owner was not making the required disclosures. I turned around and flushed the whole deal. I have recommended that guy to several people.
I think the best way to narrow it down is to start asking people for references. Check review sites. Then start calling and find out if they are available and how long they have been doing private home inspections and any areas they are certified/specialize in. Use that to narrow it down to a winner. I highly recommend showing up and going through the inspection with them. If your unsure about what you should be looking at then do some research on it on the internet and get yourself up to speed so you make sure that the inspector is checking everything. And you can ask intelligent questions so you get a clearer picture of the condition of the house and what future items will likely need work/repair in the next 1,5,10 years. If they do not want you walking along with them, or asking questions (you should probably ask if they have a problem with this before you schedule them) then get a different one.
As for the your particular situation with this inspector and realtor. I would honestly find a new inspector and a new realtor. It might be all well intended but unless your really sure of yourself that you can walk along the inspector and find things he is missing then I would bail.
I would never do it again. We used the inspector recommended by our Realtor for our first home purchase. After Closing, we ended up getting stuck with $5K+ because of an issue with an underground pipe in our community. I don't know if an independent inspector would have told us about the issue or not, but I know the one recommended by our Realtor did not.
I think you are prudent to not use a Realtor recommended inspector. Then you KNOW there is no blind loyalty to that person or their agency.
I give a short list of inspectors that past clients have used and been happy with whether or not the deal closed. I do have preferences just based on past experience working with them and what they've found (and I've had situations where the buyer's agent, for example, said he couldn't inspect the fireplace because the damper didn't work when the pre-inspection was done a week before and it worked, was inspected, a VERY minor ($1.50) new code defect was found (and fixed by the seller), and it worked fine). I recommend the same list of inspectors to my buyers and to my sellers having a pre-inspection done.
I have one that I really prefer first time home buyers use (though I give several names). He does everything including septic, builds houses well enough that real estate agents tend to use him to build their homes, is certified not only to inspect but to install septic systems (quite a few of those in this area), and is EXTREMELY thorough but does not feel it is part of his job to incite panic - he'll say if something is a safety issue, if it is a code issue but only because the code changed last year or last month and at the time the house was built it was built to code, if it's a $10 fix from Home Depot, and if the house is in good shape and the first time buyers are attending the inspection, give hints on how to keep things that are in good shape that way.
And, no, I don't get a kickback or referral fee from him, or any of them. What I get are happy clients, and the prospect of not having to deal with bad inspector-related issues during the contract period.
That's a great idea. A lot of people don't realize that in most areas, there is NO REGULATION OR TRAINING REQUIRED for home inspectors. Any yahoo can call himself a home inspector and make money doing so with proper networking/marketing.
Having a license doesn't mean they are not cooperating with a sales person to push the sale along. Having a license and being part of a food chain are not the same. It is like going to the IRS to have your taxes done. Yea, that is a good deal.
"What should an agent do or say when the client picks a bozo inspector?"
Why is that?
Is the agent more liable for keeping quiet when the consumer picks a bozo, or for helping the consumer pick a pro?
What should a consumer do when an agent who has been at hundreds of home inspections tells the consumer that they have picked an illiterate bozo? Distrust the agent?
"What should an agent do or say when the client picks a bozo inspector?"
Why is that?
Is the agent more liable for keeping quiet when the consumer picks a bozo, or for helping the consumer pick a pro?
What should a consumer do when an agent who has been at hundreds of home inspections tells the consumer that they have picked an illiterate bozo? Distrust the agent?
Oh the irony! We had that client earlier this year and he had an inspector come in from a different community because he was so distrustful. He felt if he had a local inspector they would intentionally overlook items due to realtor loyalty. His inspector sucked IMO, and I can say our recommended inspector is definitely more knowledgeable and thorough. However, it's my job to make recomendations and clients job to make decisions. They were happy so it's all good.
I highly recommend showing up and going through the inspection with them. If your unsure about what you should be looking at then do some research on it on the internet and get yourself up to speed so you make sure that the inspector is checking everything. And you can ask intelligent questions so you get a clearer picture of the condition of the house and what future items will likely need work/repair in the next 1,5,10 years. If they do not want you walking along with them, or asking questions (you should probably ask if they have a problem with this before you schedule them) then get a different one.
I agree clients should be present at the inspection and ask every question they have concerns with, just not right on our shoulder as we have a lot to focus on. Some clients take the "walk around with the inspector" a little too literally, at least until it comes time to inspect under the house, then they miraculously disappear lol. The advice I give is, let me look areas over and fill you in on what I am seeing periodically. This allows us to put the clients eyes on problems without being distracted while investigating.
If you trust your agent, use their recommendation. I assure you we are not in cahoots. Would we really risk our state license or potentials for a lawsuit over a few hundred bucks? No. We do not work for the Realtors, our contract is solely with you. They recommend us because it helps you avoid the 75% of the inspectors that should be in a different line of work.
"What should an agent do or say when the client picks a bozo inspector?"
Why is that?
Is the agent more liable for keeping quiet when the consumer picks a bozo, or for helping the consumer pick a pro?
What should a consumer do when an agent who has been at hundreds of home inspections tells the consumer that they have picked an illiterate bozo? Distrust the agent?
Exactly, and please, do not price shop for the cheapest inspector. That $50 can cost you thousands!
Female inspector? Nothing against females, but I would only want an inspector who has worked residential construction for many, many years. And you just dont see many female construction workers out there. Working on houses for a living and book knowledge are two completely different things.
Could be. Unfortunately, you will never find out.
My mom could totally be a home inspector and be very good at it. She has been a real estate agent/broker, and a residential builder, as well as a property manager for 20+ years. She draws the plans for the houses we build, she is on site almost every day when we are building, and she knows every single step of the process, from foundation to roof, from plans and permits to Certificate of Occupancy. She has an excellent eye for detail, she knows all the building code requirements and can find problems many people would not notice.
She actually had this same problem (of perceived incompetence), when my father got hurt about 10 years ago, and she picked up the slack of everything he was doing. The subcontractors all thought they didn't have to listen to her and that she didn't know what she was talking about. They all learned, very quickly, that she did. Now they all call her with questions/issues instead of my dad.
Just because it isn't common doesn't mean it isn't feasible.
On the other hand, I don't know of a single female inspector in my area, it is definitely a male dominated field.
Back to the original question, I would use my realtor's inspector/lender/escrow officer, because I would pick a realtor I trust in the first place. If you don't trust your agent, you won't trust their recommendations. If you don't trust their recommendations, maybe you should find a new agent.
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