Real Estate Agents Do’s & Don’ts: Home Inspections

The purpose of a home inspection is to give the buyer information about the house so that they can make an informed decision on the purchase. Most inspections focus on major defects that will cost the buyer a lot of money to repair after purchase.

An inspection contingency, also called a “due diligence contingency,” gives the buyer the right to have the home inspected in a specified time frame. Depending on the findings of the home inspection, the potential home buyer can negotiate repairs or they can cancel the contract. If a buyer has an executed purchase contract with an inspection contingency, then they will utilize their agent to negotiate repairs/or changes to the contract.

Why does this have to do with an agent going to a client’s real estate inspection? Well, everything. You need to think about how the way you spend your time benefits your business and your client. For instance, if you are a brand-new agent, and you are not familiar with fundamental housing structures/components then you should 100% be attending all your inspections. For two reasons, you will want to learn about all the different aspects of a house and, secondly, you’ll want to be able to ask the inspector questions so that you can explain his report to your clients.

If you are a brand-new agent but you have a background in home building, contracting, or home repairs then you may not have to attend the three-hour inspection because you can spend that time doing other things to promote your business. If you feel confident that you can relay an inspection report back to the client then you can decide what is going to be the best use of your time.

Here’s another scenario, if you are a veteran agent, then it’s very likely that anything that is going to come up in a home inspection, you have seen it before. You can choose to skip the home inspection as well.

With this being the general rule of thumb, there are some exceptions. If you have a client that needs a lot of re-assuring, and if going to the home inspection is going to make them feel more at ease, then I would recommend attending, veteran or not. If your client is attending the home inspection and specially asks for you to attend as well, then I would also try to be present at the inspection.

At the end of the day, when it comes to inspections there is no written rule book for real estate agents. There is no requirement you must attend an inspection. You should take every situation and think about how your actions affect your business and more importantly, your client.

Thanks for checking in with the Career Corner, let me know if you have any questions or if you have a specific situation you’d like to ask about. Hearing different perspectives from different agents is going to help you learn what the best course of action is for you! If you are brand new to the real estate industry and you’d like to enroll to get your license, call us! Our number is (859) 525-0303. Thanks!