Once a home goes under contract, the first thing that normally happens is the buyer will set up their inspection.  This immediately raises questions.  Should the seller be there for the inspection to answer any questions the inspector might have?  Should the buyer be there as the home is being inspected to watch the inspection?  Should the buyer agent or seller agent attend the inspection?  There are no hard and fast rules, so I'll just share my philosophies in this area with you.

If I am representing The buyer

I suggest the buyer meet the inspector at the home to pay them for the inspection then leave until the inspection has been completed. I will ask the inspector to call the buyer and me about half an hour before it is complete to give us all time to drive back and meet with him to go over the report in detail.  Every inspector I have ever worked with is more than happy to do this. 

I have never believed it was a good idea for the buyers to stay at the home during the inspection for two main reasons ...

• First, an inspection can take 4-6 hours if it is a good sized home with a pool.  What are the buyers going to accomplish by sitting around the home waiting for the inspector to finish his work?

• Even worse, some buyers may want to be right there with the inspector as they go through the home.  I have never met an inspector who appreciates a buyer looking over their shoulder during an inspection.  If the buyer is continually asking questions about the significance of what the inspector is finding, it slows them down.  Time is money to them and they want to get in, get the job done, and get out.

I also make it a point never to attend inspections when I am representing the buyer.  I probably know less about that home than anyone, so I am the last person the inspector should be asking questions of in the first place.   However, I will always be at the post-inspection wrap-up with the buyer and their inspector to go over the report.  

If I am representing The Seller

Again, I advise the sellers not to be there during the inspection.  It is their right to do so but I think it is a bad idea.  As mentioned, the inspector is not going to appreciate anyone looking over their shoulder as they are doing their work.  But there are more reasons I don't want the seller there.

• I want any questions the buyer or their inspector might have to be placed in writing so we can respond in kind.  I learned early on that leaving a paper trail is very important on any real estate transaction.  Once you get into the "he said, she said" mode with no way to document it, you have problems.

• Because the inspector is almost always the client of the buyer, not the seller (since the buyer normally pays for the inspection) why would the inspector want to converse with the seller?  They know some sellers resent them going through their home looking for problems, and that is exactly what inspectors are paid to do.  They don't like having to defend their findings on the spot or explain their reasoning.  Plus, who likes confrontations, especially when they are with someone who isn't even your client?  I can't blame them.

Although it is not required, most buyers will share the entire inspection report with the seller.  Sometimes the inspector just plain misses something that really is there (like a hidden GFCI plug).  He may not be able to get the pool equipment, spa or heater working because he doesn't know the controls.  There may even be an override switch somewhere.  This actually happens quite often because there are so many thousands and thousands of electrical and mechanical systems out there.  No inspector can know them all.  The seller can easily respond to the buyer's concerns in writing and it becomes a non-issue. 

By the way, I like an inspector who will do a re-inspect for a nominal fee (say $75).  They can verify that all of the things they might have missed are there, and all of the things that were supposed to be corrected, have been.

Even if I am representing the seller, I will still never attend the inspection.  I will wait for both the inspection report and "request for repairs", then address each issue with the seller item by item.  We will respond to the buyers in writing telling them what the seller will do, what the seller will not do, and address any items we think the inspector might have missed.

Tom Grisak Estate Homes Realtors, Inc - Texas License # 0329533

Your Realtors for Allentexas, Fairviewtexas, Lucastexas, McKinneytexas, Murphytexas, and Parkertexas