Preferences

[Jim Baird]

 

I’ve written before about other inspectors, the kind the real estate people like, and some of my experiences coming behind them.

Listing agents love boosters, they love smiling faces, they love the trappings and graphics of franchise inspector types, the logo knit shirts, the logo ball caps, the canned software, and the lighthearted approach to property transactions.  

I recently encountered a relatively new franchise that takes the booster ball and scoots through the diligence red zone to the cloistered closing table with a curious stable of older guy inspectors, mostly retired, avuncular types that don’t move very fast, that can minimize so called problems with a wink and a shrug.  They fill out the canned software they carry and focus most on the reduction of buyer anxiety.

There are inspectors who emphasize the gravity of the transaction, the fear of missing a problem that turns ownership into a dip in a money pit.  They warn of toxic molds that afflict surfaces, of poisonous gases that pool in basements and crawls, of antiquated components that might swamp the whole household in a wave of negligent toxicity.

All the realtor and the finance agent want to see is a signature at the bottom of a stack of pages, the kind the lawyers shuffle and scatter around the big closing table’s seats, with rapid fire legal banter not designed for the benefit of the signatory.

I am neither booster nor fear monger.  I am simply the building guy.  I look at the building and I report what I find.  I try to be as objective as possible.  As some say down South, “I dont have a dog in the fight.”

[Marc]

I'm glad I can count you among my like-minded colleagues. I too prefer the pure and simple, the unmolested approach, to just say it like it is and be done.

Edited October 8, 2021 by Marc

[Jim Katen]

7 hours ago, Jim Baird said:

I am neither booster nor fear monger.  I am simply the building guy.  I look at the building and I report what I find.  I try to be as objective as possible.  As some say down South, “I dont have a dog in the fight.”

But that's exactly what all the other guys that you're describing *think* they're doing. We all do. 

[Marc]

8 hours ago, Jim Katen said:

But that's exactly what all the other guys that you're describing *think* they're doing. We all do. 

The majority, for sure. Their lack of familiarity with houses and the things that can go wrong with them, their inability to write, and their particular inspecting & reporting style, make them naturally appealing to the interests of agents. They're oblivious to what's going on and don't believe there's any conflict at all. I believe they're being honest, though they're dead wrong.

A much smaller number are highly proficient in what we do, well aware of the conflict that agents face when faced with a request for an HI referral. Of these, some value the balance in their bank account more than the service they provide and deliberately deceive the client. Others give a damn and are fortunate enough to live in a real estate climate where they're rewarded for their stellar performance. The remainder are unfortunate few who live in a climate where agents enjoy the devotion of their clients and funnel their referrals to their preferred HIs. If these few thrive, its because of side jobs where such conflicts doesn't reside.

I sold one HI last month, 19 so far this year. It's pretty much been that way 18 years. Currently I'm doing much more service work in electrical/mechanical than inspections. Just gave a quote to paint the interior walls of a house belonging to a guy whose gasoline dispensing station I've done lots of electrical work on.

I've no regrets about the choice I've made. I work for, and represents the interests, of the one who pays for the inspection. Can't see myself doing otherwise. So there.

Edited October 9, 2021 by Marc