I’ve worked for Structure Tech since 1997, and during this time, I’ve developed some strong opinions about who should attend a home inspection and who shouldn’t. Today, I’ll discuss buyers, sellers, agents on both sides, and all of the extra people like family, friends, kids, coworkers, and contractors.
The Buyer
The buyer should attend the home inspection. It’s a fantastic learning experience, and it helps to see everything firsthand.
Should the buyer attend the entire inspection, or just the end? That’s a more challenging question to answer.
Our inspections seem to take longer and longer every year, and I think this is the result of ‘scope-creep’. We do more and more “stuff” during our inspections every year as we learn from mistakes and adopt new policies and procedures. While we used to take two to three hours to conduct a home inspection, but today, we schedule a minimum of four hours for our inspections.
We used to invite buyers to attend the entire inspection, but we changed our stance during Covid. When we were forced to conduct inspections without home buyers present, we found ourselves making fewer mistakes, because we were able to focus on the inspection itself entirely; we weren’t having to explain everything in real-time. When we started allowing buyers to show up for the last hour, we were able to give a much more polished summary of the home to our clients.
The Buyer’s Agent
Many real estate agents don’t attend their buyers’ home inspection because someone has told them this increases their liability. I completely disagree. It’s their conduct at the inspection that puts them at risk, not their presence. About half of the agents we work with attend at least part of the inspection. I’ve identified several different types of agents throughout the years:
- The Annoyed Agent
These agents act like they’re doing their client a favor by selling them a house, and they’re annoyed with their client. They moan and sigh every time we talk about something that needs attention. They want to write up an addendum to the purchase agreement and have the client sign it while we’re still at the property, before they’ve even seen the home inspection report. Stay home. - The Know-It-All
These agents have a background in construction or they know a lot about houses, and they want to make sure everyone else knows it. They do more talking than we do at the inspection, and they downplay or disagree with items that we say need attention. These agents are exposing themselves to significant liability. Stay home. - The Critic
These are the agents that don’t know our team, and they’re scared as heck because we’re not their usual inspector. They’re afraid we’ll say something that will blow the deal, and they try to question everything we say unless it’s positive. They utter phrases in an annoyed voice, such as “In all my years as an agent, I’ve never heard a home inspector say this was a problem.” Stay home. - The Other Inspector
This agent attends the home inspection and tries to point out anything the home inspector might have missed, and tries to be a second set of eyes. This agent has good intentions, but the home inspector shouldn’t need another set of eyes to produce a solid inspection. While these agents have their clients’ needs in mind, they could be giving their clients the idea that they’re just as qualified to inspect the home. An attorney might tell these agents to stay home – see the note at the bottom of this blog. - The Rookie
These agents are new, and they haven’t sold a lot of houses. They learn a ton about the inspection process, and they use this information to help their current client and their future clients. These agents should definitely be there to learn. Come along. - The Hand Holder
These agents show up at the inspection because they’re working with first-time home buyers who need their hand held throughout the entire process. They introduce us to the client, and they tag along to provide moral support. They don’t get in the way, and their clients appreciate them being there. These agents have their clients’ needs in mind. Come along. - The Professional
These agents show up because they feel it’s their due diligence. They want to be informed about any significant issues that arise, and they want to understand the issues and see them firsthand. These agents have their clients’ needs in mind. Come along.
About the “Other Inspector” – I read an article about this agent at the NAR website a couple of decades ago, and I think this article might be one of the largest factors in agents not wanting to attend home inspections. My interpretation of this article is “Rotten client does a rotten thing to real estate agent.” I followed up with the author of the article because the article never tells how the story ended. I asked if the agent had to pay for the repairs, and the author said “The insurance company paid”.
The Seller
For the most part, the seller should not attend the home inspection. They get in the way and they’re emotionally attached to the house. Of course, it’s their house and they have the right to do whatever they want… but if the goal is to sell the house, they would do well to find something to do outside of the house for half a day.
But never say never. For example, if a seller works from home and they can commit to staying out of the way in an office with closed doors, that’s cool. We’ll inspect their space at a time that’s convenient for them, and we’ll stay out of their hair. I’ve never had an issue with those folks.
The Seller’s Agent
See above. The seller’s agent typically has no business attending the inspection; however, there may be extenuating circumstances that warrant their presence. For example, I’ve inspected several huge homes (think 10,000 square feet or more) where the seller’s agent was present to let us in, introduce themselves, and introduce us to the caretaker for the home, who would be available in the guest house if we had any questions. I appreciate these introductions, and it can be helpful to have a caretaker present to answer questions about unusual and unfamiliar topics.
But even in these cases, the Seller’s agent doesn’t stay for long, and they aren’t there to learn about what we’ve found. In fact, they would rather not know, because if anything goes wrong with the deal, they may have to disclose everything we told them to future buyers.
Everyone Else
Just about everyone else ought to stay home.
This isn’t the time for buyers to show the house to their friends and family. It’s not the right time to get bids on remodel projects from contractors. And it’s not a great environment for young kids. I have countless horror stories about kids spilling food and drinks in people’s homes, breaking things, making a mess, moving things, and even stealing things.
Again, I’d never say never to any of these people coming to the inspection. Still, with all things being equal, a home buyer will get the most out of their home inspection if they can give their undivided attention to the home inspector.
Mark Jerde
June 10, 2025, 7:17 am
I appreciate this info. I used your services for the first time last September. I showed up at the end of inspection and asked alot of questions to Eric. I now know who should and should not attend and why. Good to know information.