Q. I will be there for most of the inspection tomorrow just because I'd like to know what and if anything is wrong with the property. I read most of the reviews on your company and trust that you are on the up n' up, I've heard of buyers agents bribing inspectors. I just want this to be as legitimate as possible. Kerry C.
A. Kerry, yes, good on you that you did your research. Some unscrupulous agents have "relationships" with inspectors and these agents like using inspectors that produce "soft" reports. A soft report can be described as lacking sufficient detail and breadth, attempting to show good faith by filling the inspection report with pictures and wordy mumbo-jumbo while glossing over what the agent feels is minutia, or the lesser important details about the home. These agents are in the business of selling a house so anything that could "kill" or "poison" the deal they avoid (you even hear them throw around terms like this).
We are not beholden to anyone, and our allegiance rest solely with our customer, the home buyer. We don't even send a copy of the report to the buyer's agent unless the buyer tell us that it is okay to do so. We have learned over the years that at times, the relationship between buyers and their agents are trepiditious at best - and in these circumstances it may behoove the buyer to get a copy of the report before the agent so as to allow time for them to formulate a game plan about how to enter the negotiation phase of their escrow.
We've worked with these agents. And I can tell you they only use us once. And that's okay. We have a handful of professional Realtors whom we work with that value a good honest inspection. They understand it helps them in the long run avoid lawsuits due to negligent referrals.
