“Im going to sell my home and Im a nervous about the buyers inspection. My home is in good shape but its not new. Wont the buyers contractor come up with a lot of things wrong so he can charge to fix them?
***ANSWER:
Great question. Its the same concern you have when taking your car to a mechanic that you dont trust 100%.
Fortunately, almost no professional home inspectors do repairs on homes they inspect, so theres no incentive to find repairs that arent needed. Otherwise it would indeed by a conflict of interest.
Two related things to be careful of are:
1. Often home inspectors recommend additional inspections, such as roof or plumbing. Sometimes its because they think its needed. Other times its just to cover their backsides (CYB).
(In the 80s, one inspector ALWAYS called for every imaginable additional inspection, scaring people out of buying homes that had no issues. So when I represented a seller, I put in my counter-offers that the buyer couldnt use him. The inspector got mad and threatened to sue me, but never did.)
You want to be sure the buyer doesnt think those CYB recommendations mean your house has problems.
2. Tell the contractor up front theyre NOT necessarily coming out for a bid, but to determine if any repair is needed at all. Offer to pay an inspection or trip charge if no work is needed. And hopefully you or your agent know a contractor who can be trusted. (I know people in most trades that I trust.)
Good luck!
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