Can the Buyer Attend the Home Inspection?

YES! Absolutely yes, the buyer can attend the home inspection! In fact, it is recommended for the buyer to attend the inspection of the home they are purchasing. This way, the home buyer is able to see the different things the home inspector sees, to ask questions about the home which can provide invaluable feedback and information for those looking to purchase a home, especially first-time homebuyers and those without a great understanding of the real estate industry and real estate transactions.

BUT! It is not always possible for the home buyer to attend the inspection, in which case, either a representative for the purchaser should attend the home inspection in order to relay the proper information back to the purchaser, or the real estate agent of the buyer (just be careful with this one, as a real estate agents goal is for you to purchase the home, and unfortunately, not everyone is entirely scrupulous in their dealings) if they are trusted enough (watch out for dual agency!).

Who Pays for the Home Inspection?

Any party in a real estate transaction can purchase a home inspection. Many home sellers choose to purchase a pre-listing inspection or Move-In Certified Inspection before the home is listed on the market. Homebuyers pay for home inspections during the process of a real estate transaction or sometimes even after the deal has been completed. At times even real estate agents pay for the home inspection as an added value service to their clients (though this is not typical).

Often times payment of the home inspection can be used as a negotiating tool for either the buyer or seller’s side. Foregoing a home inspection contingency on your purchase contract could net you a better price for the home, just be careful, I wouldn’t recommend this if you are not absolutely sure of what you are doing!

How Long Does a Home Inspection Take?

Whether you are buying a house or selling a home, a comprehensive home inspection with SPS Inspections takes an average of three hours.

Depending on the home being inspected, this number could be somewhat larger, but also smaller. Get an idea for how comprehensive our inspections are by looking over SPS Inspections’ Standards of Practice, which identifies the bare minimum of what will be inspected by our licensed and certified home inspectors!

Does My Home Inspector Need to be Insured?

Maybe yes, maybe no. As with home inspection licensing requirements, what is necessary and what is optional is typically decided by the state you are buying a house in. For Washington State, it is not required that your home inspector be insured. Because possessing insurance is not a requirement of becoming a home inspector in Washington State, it becomes extremely important to ask a home inspector whether or not they are insured before you hire them.

SPS Inspections and our licensed home inspectors all carry both General Liability and Errors & Omissions Insurance. This means you can rest easy with the peace of mind knowing your inspection is insured if, heaven forbid, something were to happen where a claim was necessary to be made to the insurance companies.

What is the Number 1 Mistake Home Buyers and Sellers Make With Their Home Inspection Report?

By far, the number one mistake I find people making in regards to their completed inspection reports is not actually reading the home inspection report! When you scan through the report looking at the pictures and only some of the text, you begin ascribing your own meanings to the different aspects of the report and more often than not create problems where there are none. Make sure both you and your agent thoroughly read the inspection report to completion and don’t make any assumptions based only on partial information.