I had an offer on my property yesterday & right after I accepted it, the buyer scheduled the inspection for the very next day (today). Is it best that the seller (me) not be there during the inspection this afternoon or does it not really matter. My agent said she'd be there for most of it & I know the buyer & her agent will be there, too. First time seller here. I don't think my presence is necessary, but just wondering what most sellers & inspectors prefer.

In my area, it is very rare for the seller to be at the inspection. In fact, it's very rare that the seller's agent is there, either.

It doesn't make any difference to me as a home inspector. The only thing that does cause problems is when the seller or seller's agent follows me around asking what I'm doing, how long I'm going to be, have I found any problems, etc. Generally, I'm not working for the seller or seller's agent, so I'm probably not going to discuss things with them without my Client or my Client's agent being present.

While I understand the memories that exist in a home that a seller is selling, the absolute worst thing to do if you remain at the inspection is to defend or downplay anything that the inspector notes. Note the condition of the property is the home inspector's job, so let him do his job and prepare his report. In most cases, the condition of the property is not a reflection on the seller because seller's are not knowledgeable in all things real estate, so don't take anything personally. Then once you see the home inspector's report, i.e., in writing, you and your agent can defend or negotiate as necessary with the buyer/buyer's agent. Makes for a much more pleasant inspection experience.

You can do your part, though, before the inspection even takes place. Here's a file that I give to my pre-listing Clients to help make the home inspection process go easier.

http://www.abouthomes.info/files/0019%206960.pdf

Good luck.

I have never been at a home inspection as a seller's agent or buyers agent.

We just had an inspection done and both the seller and her agent were there for the duration. They were MOSTLY well-behaved, but any noises, and the seller would be yelling "what's that ???"

Fortunately she didn't see him digging huge hunks of rotted wood from the sills with a screwdriver !!

The sellers agent did approach me to say "Isn't that a beautiful room !! I've ALWAYS LOVED this room."

I'm typically a well-mannered person, but I walked away without responding.

In my experience it's not a good idea that the seller/owner be at a home inspection. That's what your agent is for.

As a buyer agent I attend all my home inspections. As a seller agent I attend roughly 7 out of 10 home inspections. The only time I don't go is when I have a scheduling conflict. In that case I send another agent or an assistant to look out for the sellers interests.

A seller at home may be helpful, for example, in pointing out an otherwise unknown entrance to an attic, etc.

In general, though, he/she should not interfere in any way with the inspection.

If the seller, by overhearing an inspector's comments becomes aware of a previously unknown condition, they he/she is obligated to amend the disclosure accordingly. Sometime it is better NOT to know .....

Hey Jack,

Are you saying it's better not to know about the defects of the house you own, and if there are some issues, it's better to just pass them along to the new buyers? If I'm the home owner I would much rather know, fix the issue and not have to worry about litigation later. My .02

wait for the report., then deal with it

Given that this was posted in February, I'd have to assume that this issue has been resolved.

Thumb's down for bumping a 6 month old post.

A home inspection is an important aspect of your home selling. I think it should be made mandatory for seller to be present at the time of inspection. Thus the home inspector can advice the seller directly on the condition of the home. However, the seller should never ever interfere while working.

Typically, the home inspector is not hired by a seller; because the inspector is most-often hired by a buyer, the inspector's job is to advise the BUYER. In many jurisdictions, the professional inspector cannot discuss or disclose ANYTHING regarding a property's condition with the seller, unless the buyer specifically authorizes it.

If you're suggesting that there might be fewer problems in the entire transaction/process when various intermediaries and other parties (e.g., attorneys) were not "processing" information between the transacting parties, I think most inspectors and agents (and many home owners and buyers, as well) would agree. From that standpoint, it'd be great for a buyer to simply have his or her inspector directly inform the seller of defects and issues. Unfortunately, the whole thing rarely works that way. And as long as it can't (or won't) work that way, having a seller home at the time of the inspection often does not work out well, at all. Commonly-seen problems experienced when the seller is home:

1.) Buyer does NOT wish anything to be discussed in front of seller.
2.) Seller was not briefed or prepared by his/her agent as to what a professional inspection is or as to what a professional inspection is designed to do.

Either one of these scenarios causes a high degree of discomfort for one or both of the transacting parties.

As a listing broker I've always been present when the buyers inspection was conducted. When taking a listing I've always encouraged my clients to have inspections performed prior to putting the property in the MLS. In never event was it useful to have my client present. Absentee owners aren't in the business of hiring professionals that need their presence at such routine events.

On my home that I purchased... I was there for my inspection that I was paying for. The seller decided to stay there as well and wouldn't leave the home. It made for a very uncomfortable situation for all. Not good!

The only good reason for a seller to be present is if he or she didn't have a life and just wanted to inject an opportunity for the deal to come apart. In other words there is no reason for a seller to be present provided they have competent representation.

If I am representing the seller, and the co-operating brokerage is arranging the home inspection, I encourage my sellers to be home for the inspection and I will always try to be there aswell. If the seller cannot be home for the inspection because of work or some other reason, it's especially important for the agent to be there on their behalf.

On the other hand, I double ended a listing and myself as well as both parties were at the home for the inspection. The seller overheard some of the things the inspector had to say about the property which caused the buyers to call off the purchase unless the sellers dropped the price $5,000.

The sellers actually called the home inspector up and tore a strip off him. It was a bad scenario, so it can really go either way.

Needless to say, the sellers accepted and the sale went through.