Yes, that's right a home inspector writing on why people need to use real estate agents. In the last two months I have inspected several home that were FSBOs. Some of these inspections were nothing out of the ordinary, some were nightmares. The common denominator, no Realtors.
Why is it when no agents are involved that people seem to think it is the home inspectors' job to advise them on resolving and negotiating home inspection issues? I am not a Realtor, and have no training or interest in that facet of the real estate process. But I continually get put on the spot by my clients.
My experience has been some people are fine with the FSBO process and others haven't got a clue. I can recall two recent examples of people who very desperately need a Realtor.
The first were clients of mine working without an agent buying a FSBO home. They were high maintenance clients and constantly asked how to resolve and negotiate the issues discovered. I was polite and professional with them, but the whole time I am thinking, "GET A REALTOR!"
The other was the same circumstances except the sellers were the problem. They had requested directly from me information from the inspection. I informed them that I can not release inspection information unless my client gives me permission or they can obtain it directly from the client.
They got very angry when I informed them of this client confidentiality. I was told it is our house, etc. I ended up receiving a registered letter from them informing me of their dissatisfaction. In a nut shell they are completely clueless of the home sale and inspection process and it is clearly evident from their reactions.
I have come to appreciate more and more the role of the real estate agent. These recent experiences have shown me that having a professional to guide someone through the home buying-selling process is invaluable. It definitely can make my job easier.
James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
Thursday, August 16, 2007
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