Your Home Inspection—Who Should Be There?

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, a home inspection is a significant part of the process. Who should be there besides the home inspector when it happens?

Let’s look at an important reason why you should be present when the home is inspected. Suppose you’re buying a home. Then you find all kinds of problems afterward, and you don’t believe the home was properly inspected. First, were you there when the home was inspected? Did you read the full report and not just a summary or repair document?

It’s your home inspector’s job to discover and disclose whatever he finds regarding the condition of a home. However, it is good to attend the inspection so you can see how thorough the inspector was and get any questions answered. You will know whether the inspector took the time to look at the home in detail or just whizzed through the house.

Be sure to carefully review the report when you receive it. Ask for the inspector’s help if you’re unclear on something. Get with your real estate agent to prepare a repair request, if that’s needed.

What should you do during the home inspection? Your primary task is to observe and listen. Watch and get familiar with how your inspector does his job. Ask questions. He should welcome your participation in the inspection. There should be few if any issues you don’t know about after the inspection.

There’s someone else you may want present when the home inspection is performed—your real estate agent. If you’re comfortable with your agent, she can provide moral support for you during the inspection. Besides, your agent knows you may refer others to her if she’s supportive of you all the way through the buying or selling process.

If you haven’t met your home inspector in person before the inspection, perhaps your agent can introduce you to one another. Buying or selling a home can be a fearful ordeal. It’s one of the most difficult and costly decisions you’ll make. However, if the three of you get acquainted with one another, it can lessen the fear and tension. This can be especially true if you’re buying a home in a community strange to you.

It’s up to the agent what she does during the inspection, since she doesn’t need to participate as much as you. Nonetheless, it can help to know she’s there if you have questions or concerns for her. For example, if you’re buying a home that needs roof repair, she may be able to tell you if it’s covered in the sales contract.

Your real estate agent can also do a little, but important thing before the inspection even begins—open the door of the home. If he can’t get inside, he can’t do the thorough inspection he must do.

When the inspection is completed, your agent can sit in with you on the inspection wrap up and report review. If there’s a concern, the inspector can go over it with both you and the agent. Your agent can assist with anything relevant to the sales contract. It can clear up and avoid confusion if you and your agent see and hear the same thing from the inspector.

In summary, make it a point to be there when your home inspection is carried out. If possible, have your real estate agent there, too. This can take a lot of anxiety out of buying or selling a home.