Do Home Inspectors Really Kill Deals?

I read with interest an article written by Barry Stone, a frequent contributor to Inman News, following a request by a licensed Home Inspector who asked Barry to address the issue of realtors who refuse to recommend a high quality inspector, like himself. His position was that he felt that it was totally un-ethical that he had been unfairly labelled a “deal killer”, because he was extremely thorough in his inspections. He felt realtors much preferred to refer inexperienced inspectors, because they were liable to miss things that he routinely caught.

Barry stated that he felt that it was a clear conflict of interest because real estate agents are the primary source of referrals for the home inspectors. Yet he also put a bit of the blame on the fact that the home buyers should be asking realtors who the best inspectors are and not just settling for a realtor’s choice. He also said that many realtors, because of their interest in their pocketbooks, are indeed tempted and prone to referring inspectors who are not as thorough as others.

For me, it really isn’t a dichotomy, and it is certainly because I prefer to take the ‘high road’ when referring a home inspector. I take my client’s interests to heart. More than my pocket book, I worry about the possibility of a lawsuit, should defects be found after closing because I didn’t recommend the best possible inspector available. Maybe I have been extremely lucky in my career, because I’ve never had a deal killed from the results of a home inspection, or just maybe it’s because, with proper negotiation, even the most potential damaging problems can eventually be resolved.