What's The Rush

Posted by Tiger Home Inspection on 11 April 2012 | 0 Comments

                                WHAT’S THE RUSH??

A recent phone call had me reminiscing about how easy home inspections were way back when, a simple 9 or 10 page report with all the major items covered but not bogged down with minutia, a time when buyers’ were happy to just have someone on their side. Someone who knew a little bit more then “Uncle Freddie” who used to work for a guy that worked for a contractor and he knows everything. Things were so much simpler back then, there was no such thing as a licensed professional home inspector we were all just home inspectors. I still vividly remember the first inspection I performed for a young couple buying their first home, a simple colonial in pretty good condition. However it is not  the home that has stayed in my memory it was the amount of trust that this couple had in me, the faith that I would give them all the answers that would guide them in making a sound decision to spend  their hard earned money on this house. I had spent maybe an hour and a half performing this inspection, much to the chagrin of the watch checking listing broker whose biggest concern was “how much longer will you be? I have another appointment.” All I really wanted was to make sure the client got what they deserved for the exorbitant fee of $150.00 at the time. At the conclusion of the inspection the young couple professed their profound gratitude for all my help and for answering all of their questions and we all went on our way. The gratitude they paid to me was the single reason I stayed in this business, and there can be no greater feeling then knowing you have assisted someone in making such a huge decision in their life.

But alas the times have changed; the simple 9 or 10 page report has become the 30 page computer generated , jpeg attached pdf that can be e- mailed in the blink of an eye to brokers, attorneys, mortgage originators, banks and of course “Ole Uncle Freddie”.  The simple one and a half hour home inspection has turned into an easy three hour affair to meet the hundreds of benchmarks set forth by the state. The Acts of 1999 was the bill that catapulted the licensing for all home inspectors in the state of Massachusetts. This forever changed the amount of time it would take to perform a proper Home Inspection. Along with licensing came the Standards of Practice and the Board of Home Inspectors whose sole function is to make sure that the consumer is protected from incompetent home inspectors. Everyone in the Real Estate community should understand that Home Inspections take longer because there is more to do, more to explain, and more to document so that the client gets what they deserve and the home inspector meets their standards of practice. Clients are paying much more than $150.00 these days and they DESERVE to have enough time to have all of the items contained within their report explained to them. This enables them to make an informed decision on whether to spend their hard earned money.

We respect and understand everyone’s time is valuable and precious. But guess what the customer’s time in this instance is just as valuable. I am sure you will all agree that the home inspection is vital part of the home buying process. So I ask the real estate community, “What’s the rush?”