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Real Estate Agent Recommendations (Are they safe?)
They can be, but that is not always the case. Most professional realtors no longer recommend specific Home Inspectors, in part because some realtors have been held liable in court for "negligent referral" by recommending cheap quickie inspectors that wouldn't "kill the deal" and cost the agent their commission.. The accepted standard now is for realtors to provide a list of Home Inspectors and leave it to the client to research and select their own Home Inspector. Not all Home Inspectors will be on a particular agent's referral list. Use the Internet, Yellow Pages, referrals from friends and co-workers, etc, to identify other Home Inspectors.
When I bought my first home, before I became a Professional Home Inspector, I was silly enough to think a real estate agent recommendation was safe. Now I look back on the process and realize that I fell into every pitfall. I was new to the area. I asked my agent for a recommendation. He gave me a "list" of about 6 inspectors.
(There were over 100 inspectors in the immediate area.. Why were only 6 on the list?)
A SIDE NOTE: There are over 100 Home Inspectors in the Central Kentucky area also. How many made it to your agents list? I wrote letters to all the local realtor companies explaining my qualifications and asking to be placed on their list. I don't know how many lists I made it to.
Back to the story:
When I asked, the agent recommended a specific inspector, warning against inspector's known as" deal Killers". Then I asked my lender representative for a list. The same inspector was at the top of her list. Well, he was the cheapest, so I used him. I received a 1 1/2 hour inspection, on a 2,500 square foot home, and an 8 page checklist that downplayed the significance of certain issues. Later, I realized the significance of those downplayed issues. In addition to what I spent while living in the house, it cost me several thousand more when I sold the house three or four years later. The buyer of my house was smart enough to use a thorough professional Home Inspector who found problems that had obviously been there for years, but wasn't mentioned in the inspection report I received when I bought the house. My mistake wasn't repeated during subsequent real estate transactions.
What type of ageny relationship do you have with your agent and the agent's real estate company? An agency relationship in real estate is an arrangement between you, your real estate company and your agent to assist you in buying or selling a home.
Selling Agency - Seller's best interest are supposed to be paramount
Dual Agency - Just a facilitator. Not supposed to be partial to either party. (Right!)
Buyers Agency - Buyer's best interests are supposed to be paramount.
Make sure you know what type of agency relationship exists between you and the real estate agent you are dealing with. Understand the meaning and ramifications of the different types of agency.
Base your trust on whose best interests the agent has at heart. The seller's, the agent's, or your's.
As a retired time Home Inspector in California said
"It was kind of humorous, and kind of sad, when I met my first agent that thought I was a deal Killer. He wanted me to inspect a house his mother was buying, but had refused to recommend my services in the past. I asked him why he wasn't using the inspector he normally recommended to his clients. He said, 'Hey, My mother is buying this house!'"
Samples of our inspection report are available on this web site.
Please call or e-mail us with your information to obtain the price of a professional home inspection.
Whatever your decision, don't buy a home without a Professional Home Inspection.
B4U Close Home Inspections 502-570-4054
E-Mail: Inspector@b4uclose.com