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I disagree.
When we looked at the house we eventually bought, the seller's agent was so knowledgeable and nice that we allowed her to handle the whole deal.
She did an outstanding job. So much so, in fact, that we recommended her to our kids, and they have used her to buy 4 houses and sell two of them over the past few years.
Never say "NEVER". Somebody will always disagree, and beat you over the head with FACTS!
My experience has been that the top agents know the best inspectors and have probably worked with them for years. The very last thing that a good inspector would do would be to "miss" something that causes the agent problems down the line. They will probably be more thorough, not less.
I am wondering if an inspector that is recommended and referred to by an agent, will ever be able to say something that might be a deal breaker?
dont they try to only make small recommendations so as to not break the deal?
Just fyi, I am an inspector, 3rd generation actually, and have inspected over 10,000 houses. Aside from the fact that inspectors do not want to miss anything because it puts them in a liability situation, who would better to quantify an inspector than someone who deals with them often? I hear all the time "my friend said their inspector is great"! I am thinking to myself (for example), your friend is a computer programmer and has never even hammered a nail, how can they possibly know how great the inspector is? Even inspectors at the bottom of the barrel have enough rudimentary book knowledge to impress someone not in related fields. Realtors, especially the better ones, have been on hundreds or thousands of inspections, seen the reports, dealt with the repair procedures and any aftermath. I am all for getting a few names from your Realtor and calling to speak with them preemptively to find a comfort level, but if your agent has a good name, they will also have good vendors in almost every circumstance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbronston
No one here can tell you whether your situation specifically is a conflict of interest or not but I've been doing this more than 10 years and I've never had an inspector (recommended or not) who gave a rat's you-know-what about me or my business to the extent that they would deliberately mislead a buyer. They do, however, care very much about their own business and, while everyone misses something at some point in their careers, it's hard to imagine an inspector who would risk their reputation, their livelihood, and perhaps all of their net worth, by faking any aspect of their report.
That is 100% accurate. I love my Realtor friends, but they KNOW I am not going to sugarcoat the truth.....which is why they use us. They want to protect their clients just like we do.
I am wondering if an inspector that is recommended and referred to by an agent, will ever be able to say something that might be a deal breaker?
dont they try to only make small recommendations so as to not break the deal?
It is definitely a conflict of interest, find your own independent inspector via a referral from someone who does not have a vested interest in the purchase of the property or by using one of the following methods.
ASHI is the nation's largest home-inspector trade association. To become a member, an inspector has to pass a test, have performed at least 250 inspections and pass another test that covers standards of practice and the code of ethics. Members are required to take 20 hours of continuing education annually to keep abreast of new materials, building standards, technologies and inspection techniques.
There's also the National Association of Home Inspectors, which has similar standards. NAHI's Web site allows you to search for a local inspector.
It is definitely a conflict of interest, find your own independent inspector via a referral from someone who does not have a vested interest in the purchase of the property or by using one of the following methods.
ASHI is the nation's largest home-inspector trade association. To become a member, an inspector has to pass a test, have performed at least 250 inspections and pass another test that covers standards of practice and the code of ethics. Members are required to take 20 hours of continuing education annually to keep abreast of new materials, building standards, technologies and inspection techniques.
There's also the National Association of Home Inspectors, which has similar standards. NAHI's Web site allows you to search for a local inspector.
No it isn't. Most of the time realtors recommend inspectors just because they find them to be reliable and responsive to a potential buyer's needs. Realtors don't refer inspectors because they think the inspector's report will sway the buyer's opinion toward purchasing the home. Contrary to popular belief, inspectors are NOT legally allowed to advise their clients on whether or not they should purchase a particular property, and any inspector who is caught doing this can lose his/her license. The primary job of an inspector is to clearly present the issues to the client that he/she discovers on the day of the inspection. They cannot predict the future condition of the home, tell the buyer how much it will cost to fix the house, suggest the buyer buy/not buy the home, or tell the buyer if the house is a good price for its condition.
I am wondering if an inspector that is recommended and referred to by an agent, will ever be able to say something that might be a deal breaker?
dont they try to only make small recommendations so as to not break the deal?
Hey,
When I bought my home (prior to becoming a real estate agent) I used the inspectors that my agent suggested. I had put an offer in for a home and when the inspectors came in they did a fantastic job. Such a good job that uncovered that the home had active termites and mold that the owner had tried to cover up by spray painting a wall black in the garage. Needless to say the damage was over $70,000 dollars and we walked. The same people inspected the home we purchased and we have had no surprises.
I send my inspectors and their families on exotic vacations every year and I make sure their kids' college educations in the finest schools are paid for from untraceable sources. They always green-light the money pits that I routinely stick my buyers in to insure the uninterrupted flow of generosity. If only I had an advanced degree...
While I realize this is said tongue-in-cheek, there is much truth in it.
I am wondering if an inspector that is recommended and referred to by an agent, will ever be able to say something that might be a deal breaker?
dont they try to only make small recommendations so as to not break the deal?
Do you trust your agent? Have they been looking out for your interests up til now? Then why do you think they are going to ********* now?
I have several inspectors that I recommend. They are meticulous, organized, thorough, do an excellent job of explaining systems to the prospective buyer, and do a great job of prioritizing problems from "eh, no biggie, you can live with this" to "omg, don't walk in the house until this is fixed" issues. They aren't alarmist, they are just very matter-of-fact. We get a report the next day, usually 30-60 pages long, with lots and lots of photos and notations.
Have I had deals fall through because of the results? Sure. All the time. But would I want my clients in a house that was going to cost them thousands to fix, or may be a safety hazard? No, no, no. That's not the way to get referral business. :-) On the other hand, if they DO choose to go through with buying a house they just love too much to let go, at least they are going in with their eyes wide open, with few secrets lurking to jump up and bite them in the butt later on. And sometimes, after I've seen the estimates for some repairs, I've been the one to strongly suggest to my clients, "Don't buy this house."
I don't receive any kick-back from my often-used inspectors, other than they will do their best to fit a client in on short notice if necessary. I give my clients a list of 3 or 4 inspectors and invite them to talk to them, compare costs and choose the one they prefer, or use their own inspector. Makes no never-mind to me -- except there is one inspector that I would strongly discourage with the client if they choose him. Horrible, dishonest and sleazy (and over a drink, I may tell you what I really think of him.) After a while, you know the good inspectors and the ones that don't know an A/C from a furnace.
And I've used them (and paid for their services) for MY house, when we were considering some renovations. If they are good enough for me, they are good enough for my clients.
Using an inspector recommended by realtor-conflict of interest?
I think so. Additionally, a VA inspector (and I'll use my own recent experience as an example) will look for certain things that are not up to code (our seller had to put a handrail on the basement steps) or peeling exterior paint, but they won't check outlets or do in-depth probing to check for wood rot in the attic, etc. My guy the contractor did his own in-depth inspection and, because of his findings, which he wrote up professionally, he was able to renegotiate the price. This house passed for financing but we're spending a fortune in time and materials to bring it up to speed. (and there was a LOT more that wasn't up to code than the VA inspector annotated)
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Using an inspector recommended by realtor-conflict of interest?
