Should sellers be present at home inspection? Let’s start by telling you I have been in this situation before. And let me save you some time by telling you, that I was present during the inspection (as a seller). And I did not have to be there at all, and soon enough, I realized this and left. If you are reading this because you are looking into selling your house by owner. Read: “How to sell your home by owner. All you need to know.”
I just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly, and maybe help the inspector if he needed it. My intentions were good honestly, with a hint of curiosity too maybe. But I later understood why I was completely in the wrong, and I should have never been there, and here is why.
You will find a lot of different opinions on the internet on whether sellers should be present at home inspections or not. And that is because everyone sees it through a different lens. Here, we will talk about and break down both sides and their reasons. So you can decide whether or not you should be present at the home inspection.
Why Sellers should be present at home inspection
Some people think the sellers should be present at the home inspection since… it is still their house, or because (like me) they want to help. But not just that, they could also want to be there to give some insight, and that is fair. I mean, no one knows the property better than its owner. Right?
Also sometimes sellers just want to be aware if there is anything wrong with the property. However, if this sounds like you. Getting an inspection done before maybe a better idea. If you are curious to know about all types of valuations and appraisals, to price your home right. Read: “The truth about home valuations and appraisals”.
Why sellers shouldn’t be present at home inspection
The majority of people and real estate agents, believe and recommend for the seller to not be present at the home inspection, and this is mostly because…
Conflict of interests
This means that the seller has the motivation and reason to try and manipulate the inspector. Especially if they are aware of any damages or details they “forgot” to mention before. The seller could try and manipulate or persuade the inspector. And even though inspectors are professionals, and not easily manipulated or persuaded. They are still humans, and we all make mistakes from time to time.
The buyer is paying for the home inspection
Hard to argue with that one. And this would not be the case if the seller was paying for it. However, it is a lot more common for the buyer to do so. To learn more about home selling expenses and who usually pays for each, read: “How much does it cost to sell a house.”
The buyer could be uncomfortable.
This is the buyers’ best time to go around the property accompanied by an expert and ask as many questions as they wish.
The buyer may have questions for the inspector that may seem “offensive” or “out of line” for the sellers. I mean, who wants a person going around their house pointing out all of its imperfections, right? Not me! That would really irritate me. And more likely than not, the buyer doesn’t want to upset you. So we can avoid this whole situation, by not being there at all.
In Conclusion
Of course, a seller wants to be there, I mean, it is our house and we care, right? However, if the inspection goes well (and sometimes even when it doesn’t). It won’t be your house for much longer. You will be a lot closer to legally changing its owner. And I understand that this may be tough at times.
Especially since for so many of us, selling our homes means leaving a place that we love dearly because we grew up there, or because that is where we raised our children… These and many other reasons make us love our homes the way we do. But we need to remind ourselves. why we are doing this. Keep moving forward, and give the new owners some space.
Now it is their turn to start making memories in that home.
That, and I hope you used Our Property Team and saved thousands in unnecessary realtor commissions. Then at least you will be very happy about that.
Do you think I missed an important point, or have a different opinion? Let me know in the comments!
