Many home inspectors like the client to attend the home inspection. It is just easier to see the scope of some types of defects than read about them on an inspection report. If you’ve never attended a home inspection here are some helpful pointers:
- Inspections may not be kid-friendly. We remember the buyer’s unfortunate child that knocked his teeth out when he turned on the seller’s treadmill while playing on it. The home being inspected may not be as carefully childproofed as your own home.
- Don’t walk on the pink fluffy stuff in the attic.- (don’t scoff at this one, clients have fallen through the ceiling more than once).
- Home inspections are not dog-friendly. Some folks always take their dogs to places they go. Okay, I’m with you on this one but sellers won’t get it (yep, even if it’s vacant).
- Participate if the inspector allows you to walk along but remember the home inspector’s job is to identify significant defects and they need to stay on that task. No no’s for instance would be asking “Did you look at this or this?”
- For naïve people like us–You’re probably being recorded so just don’t say it if it’s that personal. Rude maybe but it’s common today in most homes.
- Turn on the tub/sink or any water on and walk off. Nothing strikes fear in a home inspector more than this one.
- Decide to test the sprinkler heads while the inspector is walking the exterior.
- Turn lights randomly on and off. Some home inspectors track their inspection route through the home with the lights and test different circuits.
- If it looks like it’s about to break it probably will so don’t touch it. We’ve had clients accidentally break an entire shelf of display china (they left a note).
- Don’t leave the exterior doors open. It’s what gets in that bothers us. “That was not their cat” said the listing agent.