Can A Seller Be Present During A Home Inspection?
Hey everyone, just want to take a few minutes to discuss with you today about why when selling your home and you got an offer accepted, being present for the buyer’s private home inspection is not a good idea. I can understand that having someone into your home and going through the house to pretty much inspect the house can be something that you feel more protective about. But when selling your home, it really is not an advantageous idea to be present. One of the main reasons is that because you are there and if you are involved with the inspector going through the house, that’s one indication that there is something wrong with the house because you feel like it’ll give off the perception that you don’t want the inspector to locate something that you feel would be a big deal. And so that’s a red flag for the buyer.
Another reason is that because you’re present, now there’s a big chance that you are going to be aware of things about the house that if this deal were to fall apart, now you may have to disclose it when putting it back on the market, which can hinder you in having a potential accepted offer. Another big reason is that because you’re present and the inspector obviously doesn’t know the house more than you do, they’re only inspecting it.
Them or the buyer may ask you right out front, something that the inspector found to get clarity on. And depending on what the buyer wants, they may use that against you. For example, if you’re saying that you have a warranty on the windows and they’re all Wallside windows, then they’re going to expect you, okay, well, he has a warranty on them, why don’t we just ask him to fix all those windows? So now if he lied about that and you really don’t have it now, they’re kind of putting you in that predicament of, “are they going to move forward now because now I lied or now that I don’t really know if I have a warranty or not on the windows…” And in reality, if that wasn’t something that the buyer or the inspector asked you before, then they may not even readdress it.
They may say, “oh well, that’s probably going to cost them a lot of money to get those windows replaced. So we won’t even bring that up in inspection because we really want this house.” And even if they do bring it up, at least when they bring it up, they’re going to be talking to their buyer’s agent about it. The buyer’s agent will bring it to your representation, which would be the listing agent. And the listing agent can better coach you through on what’s the best approach from there.
So in reality, definitely understand why being at the home inspection may be important to you, but if you want to get your house sold, it really is not the best idea. So this is all I have for today. If you have any questions, leave a comment below, or you can email me at [email protected] all right. Thank you. Bye.
This has been “Can A Seller Be Present During A Home Inspection?” by Patrice Henderson Be sure to subscribe to her YouTube channel for all your real estate tips, home tours and advice. Get your FREE listing consultation or home evaluation to learn more about the home selling process.