If you are buying a home, the short answer is yes. At HomePro Inspections, we encourage our clients to attend the home inspection. We tell people up front that we are there to observe, document, and educate you on the home's condition.
We feel that education and one-on-one time with your home inspector are key to helping you make one of the biggest decisions of your life. If you have questions before your home inspection, prepare a list. You can communicate those issues beforehand or ask your home inspector during the inspection. We feel that a better-educated home buyer will be a better-educated homeowner.
Home Buyers
Being present at the home inspection provides several benefits:
· Observing the home inspector while they are inspecting key components of your home will allow you to better understand any concerns or issues found during your inspection. It allows you to ask questions and gives your home inspector the opportunity to share solutions or insights.
· Sometimes, a list of issues on an inspection report can be overwhelming. If homeownership is new to you, your inspector can help you understand the real issues and simple maintenance-type projects.
· If you have a list of questions ahead of time, your home inspector will gladly address them during the inspection.
Home Sellers
If we are pre-listing a home inspection for a seller, then yes, it is okay for them to be there. They can discuss their concerns with the home inspector, as well as any historical information. Our job as a pre-listing inspection is to provide our clients with those issues that will help prepare their homes for sale, eliminate any issues on their terms, and help them sell their home faster.
The home seller, however, should not attend a buyer’s inspection. They may interfere with the process by “trying to help” or cause the home buyer to feel uneasy about asking the home inspector questions. Whether intentional or not, the home seller’s attendance can, and usually does, inhibit communications and the process.
This can have a very negative impact. Over the years, we have encountered situations where the home seller has dissuaded a potential buyer due to excessive information, defensiveness, or providing information completely unrelated to the home inspection process.
On the scheduled inspection day, the home seller should have their home ready for inspection as best as possible, and the home inspector should have access to all areas of the house. Although a home inspection may uncover some defects in the home, the home seller should not fear the process. Our job is to provide the home buyer with peace of mind and set expectations based on the findings.
Things to remember
The buyer hired a home inspector to provide them with an objective, unbiased inspection of the home, answer their questions, and provide feedback. If we have a seller hovering around while the inspection is taking place, this could lead to feelings of suspicion. Home sellers can sometimes distract from or hide things that could potentially be an issue. We must remember that the home inspector is working for the homebuyer. The home inspector must be able to focus on their task and document any potential issues or flaws with the home.
As we inspect someone's home, we truly understand that this is where they raised their family, and that there are some emotional attachments. If the home seller is present and they hear negative issues regarding their home, they may feel defensive, argumentative, or just try to justify or explain away any defects we may find. We often hear, “Oh, that's been like that since we moved in.” Just because it's always been that way doesn't mean it's right.
Becoming familiar with the home
During the home inspection, the buyers spend time with the inspector and learn about the house. They also start to visualize their life in that new home, including where the furniture will go and what they will need to do. They start to imagine and develop an emotional investment in their new home.
Having the home sellers present makes the buyer feel more like a guest, which interferes with their ability to visualize their life and belongings in that house. When a person can’t invest emotionally in a house, they fail to make the connection that this could be their new home.
Summary
As previously stated, our job is to observe, document, and educate the home buyer regarding their potential new home. In addition to defects, your home inspector will point out positive aspects of the home. Attending the home inspection allows you to gain valuable insight that you do not get from the inspection report alone.
At HomePro Inspections, our home inspectors are trained to inspect all areas of the home. Any issues found are documented in your home inspection report and recommended for resolution by yourself or a qualified professional.
Visit our website to learn more or to schedule your home inspection in the Rochester, Owatonna, and Faribault, MN areas. You can contact us today at (507) 202-8942 or use our online “Schedule Now” feature to schedule an appointment.