Buyer's Agents Need To Understand What Is In A Home Inspection Report

No, this is not a miner making his way back into the sunlight after weeks digging for riches in a gold mine.  This is Stan Poss the owner of Attic to Foundation Home Inspections.  My go to guy for all of my home inspections.  I have trusted him to do the home inspections for all of my buyers for at least 2 years now.  As you can probably tell from the photo I took of Stan exiting a home's crawl space he takes his job very seriously.

When a buyer hires a real estate agent like myself to work for them, they are entrusting us to know how to protect their interest in a real estate transaction.  A big part of that role is to build relationships with trusted partners such as home inspectors, lenders, closing attorneys, etc.  When I first started as an agent I did like most new agents, and when I needed to have a home inspection done I looked through the business cards in the vendors area at my brokers office and then asked around a bit with other agents for referrals.  Most just use the preferred parter of the broker which was often a large firm in the area.  So I called them, and noticed over the first three times I used them I never got the same inspector.  Always someone new.  An interesting fact about home inspectors in Georgia...they do not need to be licensed.  Pretty much anyone can do it.  That is something they do not teach you in real estate school.  So I really had no idea just how qualified these guys were, or how well they did the job I was trusting them to do to protect my client.

Another bad habit new agents can get into is not attending the home inspection walk through.  I have attended just about every inspection I have ever scheduled.  Not just because it is important to know what to expect in the upcoming report, it is also one of the best learning experiences an agent can have.  Stan is both ASHI and InterNACHI certified as well as being certified to inspect for radon, mold, stucco, pools, spas and more.  Every time I walk an inspection with Stan I learn something new, and this knowledge helps me when negotiating with sellers agents over repairs that need to be taken care of.  A good real estate agent will know how to use a home inspection report to negotiate a better deal for their client, and also how to advise the home buyer of what issues could be serious, and which ones to just add to a honey do list for the next few years.

If you are thinking about buying a home in the near future you should ask the agent you are thinking about using if they will attend the home inspection.  If they say no, you may want to consider just how important protecting your interests are to them.  It is our job to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into, and it is also your job.  So you should also attend the home inspection.  Ask a lot of questions, and learn as much about your new home as you can.  Ask hard questions, and tell the inspector you want them to explain everything as you go through.  Put them to the test so you feel comfortable that they are qualified to do your inspection properly.  Ask them if they guarantee their work.  Stan does.  If you are not comfortable with the job Stan has done inspecting the home after walking through it with him, just let him know before he creates the report and he will not charge you.  I can pretty much guarantee you will be more than satisfied.  He does a great job.

If you are thinking about buying a home and want an agent who spends the time to make sure you are getting a great property give me a call at 770-676-8999.  If you want to set up a home inspection, or are also an agent wanting to add Stan to your preferred list of vendors you can find his information at https://attictofoundation.net  Tell him Troy sent you.