I wanted to recount a recent "event" during a home inspection I attended as the listing agent. Why was I at this home
inspection, you might ask, given that I represented the seller and not the buyer?
inspection, you might ask, given that I represented the seller and not the buyer?
Good question!
My seller was elderly, not well, and unwilling to leave his house, all of which was okay with the buyers and their
agent.
agent.
On the day of the inspection I had a nagging feeling that I had better check in during this inspection because I wanted to
make sure all was going as it should be. The truth is, I knew my seller had a cantankerous side.
make sure all was going as it should be. The truth is, I knew my seller had a cantankerous side.
I arrived about 5 minutes after the buyer, her two-year-old son, her father, the inspector, and buyer's agent. There was an ominous chill in the room. But I was determined to be cheery and greeted everyone, and then asked my seller how he was doing.
He said, "Fine, but I have one question. When in HELL did a home inspection become a chance for people to have a God. Damn.
family outing?"
Well! It was to get worse. The next thing that happened was he called the inspector not only ignorant but also an arrogant pr**k. He might not have been wrong, but that's really beside the point.
Needless to say, this deal soon fell apart. Are you surprised?
This whole event (and believe me, I've toned it way down) only reinforces the unwritten rule that if you are a seller, even a super friendly, nice seller, DO NOT REMAIN IN THE HOUSE during a buyer's home inspection.
Remember the inspection is for the BUYER. 1) The buyers are paying for it and they should be allowed to openly ask questions, look at systems, and make all the comments they want about how they might start thinking of rearranging furniture and decor. 2) The buyers' agent will be there the entire time and his/her duty is to make sure neither the inspector nor the buyers do anything untoward while in the house. Finally, 3) it's really not fun to watch an inspector pick your house apart but that's their job.
My advice, therefore, is to go out and do something indulgent during the approximately three hour inspection time. You'll have more fun and most certainly, so will everyone else!