Even though I have been a home inspector for the last 15 years I still from time to time get nervous before doing an inspection. I may look at my schedule and see that I have two larger houses scheduled for the next day and that both are for buyers, buyers that I imagine may have questions, lots of questions. As I scan the property details part of me is looking for reassuring signs, do I know the neighborhood, i.e. the type of homes. Are they newer or old? Newer is good. Do I know the Agents, it helps when I know the Agents, it may be akin to having a fan in the audience. I have never performed on stage for people but I think there are similarities.
The facts on the ground are that people you have never met arrive and look to you the inspector to lead them through the story of this house. This house they have chosen out of who knows how many. Generally one or both parties are in love with this house. I know that, and at the same time they are paying me not to be in love with it. This is not a big group hug kind of thing. I must be neutral party the bearer of truth where possible. Some-days you kill the love it is a bit harsh I do not like to see it flicker and go out in their eyes but it happens. This is painful and perhaps is part of my nervousness at times. Life takes a lot of courage and some-days you have less of it.
But I digress back to the story of these people, people you have never met who are now your paying clients and may have certain expectations about what is going to go on during the inspection, it’s scope and limits. The clients may have been properly informed by their Realtor about what goes on or they have assembled their own expectations. The good days are when they just sold a house, and had and inspection done on their pride and joy and know the drill. They may not have liked it but they know the drill.
The challenging days are of course when they are misinformed, often woefully misinformed and are reluctant to let go of their mangled expectations. I have to gently tease apart their badly twisted often lurid story lines they have invested in and lead them down a straighter more boring path strewn with bits of common sense. Not to colorful or exciting I am afraid, and a home inspection does not have a complete ending in and of it’s self. It’s outcome is to find out who the client needs to see next for further evaluation and corrections.
My clients usually do not expect that the inspection process is only the beginning. In fact they may have arrived expecting a bit of light comedy with a happy ending. All to often though due to their choice of home, and it’s extensive history of being a neglected rental what they end up witnessing is a bit more like a Greek tragedy. Then I have to write a report for them.
Writing reports…well lets just say Homer I am not! Which of course adds greatly to the tragedy, and this subject matter is not a tale of epic proportions with Hero’s and woe played out on some distant Mediterranean shores of old. It’s a house, abused maybe, neglected often, but not flesh and blood, only wood framing, bits of drywall, some wiring, indoor plumbing, and glass maybe some hardwood. But I should remember in one sense people do pay with their lives in the pursuit of such things. They may not be camped out for 10 years in front of Troy away from home and family, but in fact they often suffer through awesome commutes daily, and toil endlessly in cubicles to provide this place, a home for their families and in that sense I owe them my full attention.
So in summary although it’s true I get a bit nervous to spend 2 and half to three hours with total strangers, it should be known that they are bucking themselves up to sign a thirty year mortgage based in part on what a total stranger tells them about their prospective house. That’s Epic, life changing, and given recent history it takes real guts.
All the best!
