To attend the home inspection or not? that is the question! This subject is really easy for me to answer…A definite YES! I encourage my clients to please attend the inspection as it is more than just a inspection report it is a education in your potential future home. This experience is where you get the payoff for the fee you’re paying to hire a professional home inspector for our opinion about the property. Take a second a think about what other professions will allow you to hang out and shadow them while they show you first hand what is a happening and how systems in the home operate or why certain things are the way they are on the home. I wish more mechanics would operate this way LOL. If you are anything like me and a majority of people I learn by example with a hands on approach, reading a report after physically attending, discussing and seeing the items of concern will make much more sense and can eliminate lots of questions on the back end of the inspection process. This is a proactive approach so you completely understand the condition of the property.
Does this mean to bring your whole extended family? NO! I’ve had inspections where 12 people arrived to “look” which is incredibly distracting have 12 people move about the house while inspecting…they are not the ones buying the house. Kids should be left at home as you need to pay attention to the inspector you’re paying. Don’t get me wrong I love kids and have some of my own…but…kids are hard on things, distracting and are not welcome to “play” in another persons home. As for your uncle, step father, father in law, or regular ol dad who is self proclaimed expert should probably not attend…no disrespect to these members of your family which they may be very smart but you are paying a professional for their opinion not paying them to have your other family member try to discredit their findings or to be flipping switches and monkeying around with another persons home. I can’t tell you how many times these self proclaimed experts have sent the buyer down a different path due to their remarks or different opinions on a finding in the home. Inspectors take high regard for our customers, the people selling their home and their personal belongings as we are the ones entering and liable if anything would happen.
Now business models vary and many inspectors prefer their customers to not attend so they can “focus” on the inspection. That sounds good and I can understand that view but it is not my approach I prefer the customer to attend the last hour and for first time homebuyers I strongly encourage the whole inspection. Life happens and sometimes you just can’t make it to all your scheduled appointments in which I make an effort to call these customers and put a human aspect to the property report. The process shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be difficult it can be educating, exciting, and very informative I want my clients to feel empowered after the inspection not defeted, remember its a small price to pay if the house has major issues to back out of the deal or just for the peace of mind and validate the choice you made to put a offer on a property you like.
