Our experience at Inspect It Like a Girl over the last 17 years has been that the selling of a home can be incredibly stressful for all parties involved.   

Given our current national crisis with coronavirus, Covid-19, the emotional toll appears to have been exacerbated.  

Unfortunately we have seen that many times the home inspection report becomes weaponized as a way to renegotiate agreed terms and tempers then flare.  Home sellers get defensive, home buyers get paranoid, Realtors are working overtime to make the deal happen, and the home inspector becomes the target.  

Here at Inspect It Like a Girl, we believe there are several ways to help avoid this tension and make the process a little easier.

1.  Choose your Realtor and Home Inspector based on their credentials, online reviews from previous clients and the level of expertise and professionalism they exhibit during the interview process.  On a personal note, I have found the level of professionalism is sometimes based on how someone assesses others.  So if your Realtor or home inspector are bashing others in the profession, I would consider finding someone else.

2. As a home seller, consider having your property inspected by the home inspector of your choice before listing your home for sale.  We have seen this process work incredibly well, giving the home seller more leverage, more time to address repairs and many times ask for more money and sell the home more quickly.  This does not preempt the home buyer from using their own home inspector, however, it usually helps the seller address the big deals and avoid a last minute negotiation melt down.  

3. We would like to caution home sellers against banning specific home inspectors as we have worked on and have knowledge of several lawsuits against homeowners, Realtors and home builders who have participated in this practice. The consumer has the right to choose the home inspector of their choice, and when they are banned from doing so, the seller/builder has immediately opened themselves up to suspicion and the possibility of legal action.  

4. As a buyer, educate yourself on the inspection process and discuss reasonable repair requests with your Realtor.  The home inspector wants to give you the condition of the house and you need to understand that the home inspection report should not be used as a laundry list of demands.  Focus on the big deals and safety concerns.  All houses, just like people, have issues.