Ruth, Don't Rescue Us

RUTH TO THE RESCUE : Get a home inspector who'll tell it like it is

Home inspectors who want future referrals from a real estate agent have been known not to tell it like it is if the truth could cause a buyer to back out of a sale. Try a home inspector recommended by an attorney or a friend.

Dear Ruth, that is not only insulting to both the Realtor and the professional home inspector, its just plain bad advice. As a Realtor, I've made hundreds of recommendations to my clients when they needed home inspections. My primary goal, as my client's fiduciary, is to ensure that the inspector finds everything that may concern my client as the future homeowner. I never want to hear from a client after closing that there is a problem that the inspector should have found. I want the house to be everything the client expected, and that is why I recommend an inspector in the first place.

All of the Realtors I know would rather have a purchase fall apart after a home inspection than have the purchaser discover defects later. Believe me, its much easier for us to have a "deal" fall apart than it is to deal with a purchaser with problems after close.

And, unlike a buyer's attorney or friend, I've been to hundreds of home inspections. Most people's friends have been to one or two inspections. I've listened to good inspectors and bad inspectors. I've had clients not chose an inspector recommended by me to save money, or because a relative recommended someone else, and they've regretted their decision later.

So, Ruth, I think you need to rethink that advice and print a retraction, because you are just plain wrong on this one.

Sincerely,

Maureen Francis

SKBK Sotheby's International Realty

Birmingham, Michigan

And, in homage to the great Broker Bryant, I ask: "Be nice to me, this is my 100th post." Something has been holding me off from posting #100. It obviously wasn't hard the first 99 times, but still...