Second Opinion on Home Inspection Report

Back in the heydays of Real Estate of the first half of the 1st decade, I was too busy to schedule some home inspections within the short time frame that the buyers were given to inspect the home they were considering. Some of them called me after wards for questions on the home inspection report that they did not understand.

So the idea of second opinion on the home inspection originated. Initially it was meant to be for my clients for who I could not schedule the home inspection. But slowly as the word spread, other agents referred their clients to do the same, even though the buyers had never called me in the first place.

While I was reading up on the home inspection report that the buyers were sending me to seek second opinions, I was bit concerned of being subpoenaed and dragged into the legal issues, even though I was not hired or paid to render this free Service. From the very beginning, I concentrated only the specifics of the report and not on the home inspector or the company. I neither wanted to give in to the temptation of rating the home inspector or put in a plug for my services. Hence I asked the senders to blank out the names of the home inspection companies, inspectors, addresses of the homes etc type of details so there would be no issue of bias and hopefully no legal complexities.

Later I had to ask the senders to sign a waiver before I would release any of my opinions. Touch wood, none of the friends (or competitors) have ever called me on my second opinions. One thing led to another and slowly I was getting reports from out of my area and even out of state. Now there are some days that I get more reports to comment upon in my inbox than the number of inspection I do in the entire week.

As we enter the second decade of this century, I wonder for how long, can I support this free practice of doling out second opinions on home inspections? I must admit I have collected quite a large mental collection of issues from other home inspectors and one day I intend compiling all my thoughts into a book that might be useful to other home inspectors.

One thing that I would share with my fellow home inspectors is that you should some how try to engage the buyer in the entire home inspection process even though the buyer may wear out after some time. There is no one magic formula for it, but the need for the second opinion arose only because there was some disconnect in between the buyer and the inspector.

While the practice of free second opinions, has had some impact on my business. I am not sure if it is monetarily rewards are fully compensating, but then there is no meaningful way to measure it either.

The real estate market is awful, the home inspection fees have not risen in years, and I find more buyers try to nickel & dime, yet every evening I sit down and answer all the emails after dinner, as the issues are time sensitive and the buyers have come to rely on my for this prompt reply.

Well for sure, I would like to continue with free second opinions on the home inspections in my area; but in the future would have to consider tacking on a small token fee for out of the area folks. So until then enjoy the free information, while you can. And please white out the home addresses / name of the home inspector and the company etc if you can please.