Our Process

Bringing Peace of Mind to the Home Buying

Home Inspection has become an important step in the home-buying process. Now, in addition to obtaining financing, a sale contingency on the buyer’s house, career relocation, appraisal value, and the whims of both the buyer and the seller, the house itself must “pass” an inspection.

It would seem that the last thing a buyer needs is one more “hoop” to jump through. The purchase of a home is usually the largest single expenditure most families will make. By the time a realtor has brought a buyer through all of the steps required to affect a closing, he has had to be everything from a banker to a psychiatrist. The buyer, meanwhile, has had every aspect of his life laid bare in his quest to qualify for a mortgage, and, in most cases, he has stretched every resource that he has in order to convince himself that he really can afford to do this.

It is no wonder therefore, that the prospect of a home inspector entering the picture at this point is not a cause of rejoicing for some realtors. Anything that could upset the delicate balance which has finally been achieved in bringing the buyer to the point of closing is not looked upon too favorably, to say the least.                   

The home inspector finds himself in a position where it is not what he says, but rather, how he says it, that can make or break a deal at this critical juncture. What the buyer really wants at this point is information, so that he can proceed with confidence. He is usually not looking for a reason to back out, but, if information is not presented to him correctly, he can often find one.

There is a difference between information and insinuation. Information is a presentation of facts which shed light on a particular subject. While the true facts concerning the condition of a home or building are not subject to change, the way in which they are presented can vary greatly, as can the effect that they have on the outcome of the deal. If an inspector’s goal is to create additional issues for the buyer, he can kill nearly every deal in which he is involved. The litigious nature of today’s society, coupled with the fear that many people have of being “ripped-off”, has encouraged some inspectors to take this approach. While such an inspector may be viewed as “the buyer’s best friend”, he is not really providing a service to either the buyer or the seller.

Negative information does not have to be presented in a negative light. There is no such thing as the perfect house, and most buyers either understand this, or can learn to understand it, if the home inspector does his job properly. The home inspector’s job is to explain to a buyer that any house or building is composed of many different systems, such as roofing, plumbing, electricity, HVAC, and others, each of which has a life cycle. By showing the buyer where each major system of the building falls on its particular life cycle, he has presented usable information which can then be used to determine the needs for maintenance and/or replacement if necessary. This approach provides a much more useful service to the buyer than that of pointing out a particular issue as proof that the house is a “lemon”.

Home inspection should be a service which provides information that is useful to both the buyer, the realtor, and the seller. This means that the information must be presented correctly, and for the right reasons.When a home inspection report is turned over to the buyer, he then has the information he needs to make an informed decision. His questions about different issues concerning the house have been answered for him in a way that is both thorough and easy to understand. If the home inspector has done his job properly, then the buyer should have the confidence to address any issues that may have arisen concerning the house.

As for the realtor, he now has an informed buyer. This approach tends to make for much more harmony in the long run, as it minimizes the potential for unpleasant “surprises”. When no attempt has been made to fool a buyer, then there should be no fear of retribution.

Home inspection can be a real peace-making process, if practiced correctly. There are already many opportunities for turmoil in a real-estate transaction. The information business should provide answers, not more problems. A home inspector who uses this approach is providing a service to all of the parties involved in a deal, without ever having to choose sides. Home inspection is not a threat to a deal, but rather a tool that can be used to insure success.