Should clients attend the home inspection?

A client who comes to the house leaves knowing more than one who only reads the report. They see the water stain, not a photo of it. They ask the question while you are both standing in front of the problem. And they hear the context a written report has trouble carrying, such as how worried to be about a finding.

It protects you too. Picture a client who stood there while you explained that the water heater is near the end of its life. In Russ Motyko's experience, that client is far less likely to call months later saying it was missed. Things said in person tend to stick.

Having the client follow you through every room is not the best way to run it. While you inspect, your attention belongs on looking, recording, and seeing patterns across the house. Explaining as you go breaks that focus. It also means describing a finding before you know how it fits with the rest of the house.

Ask clients to arrive near the end for a walkthrough of what you found. That way the work runs without a break. And when the client walks in, there is a clear picture to show. Put the plan in the booking confirmation:

• About how long you will be on site
• When to arrive, near the end
• That you will call or text if the timing shifts
• Which areas they will see through photos instead of in person
• When the report will arrive

Most clients like knowing this up front, and it spares them taking a whole morning off work.

The walkthrough is not a second inspection. It is a short tour of the findings that matter most, in order of priority.

Open with the big picture: how the house compares with others of its age and type. Then take the major findings one at a time. Show a photo on your phone or tablet, explain it in plain words, and say what kind of professional should look at it next. For help with the wording, see how to explain findings without scaring clients.

Leave real time for questions, even on a late day. The questions show what the client cares about, and answering them well is where referrals start.

Anything you say at the walkthrough still belongs in the written report, which the client will reread long after the visit. ASHI's 2014 standard spells out what goes in it: deficiencies, recommendations to correct or monitor them, and anything present but not inspected, with the reason.

Buyers react in different ways. An anxious one hears every item as a reason to walk away. One who has already fallen for the house waves everything off as minor. Both get the same facts.

Draw the line out loud if it helps. Your job is to say what you found and what it means. The decision belongs to the client and their agent. For clients who push past that line, see how to handle a difficult client.

Agents at the inspection are normal, and experienced ones rarely get in the way. Once in a while an agent will play down a finding during the walkthrough, and the client hears a mixed message. Stay steady. Present the finding, stick to what you saw, and let the client draw their own conclusion.

Sellers sometimes stay home too. They might explain a condition, push back, or follow you around. Take what they say as context, record what you see, and move on without a debate.

The results belong to the client. The ASHI Code of Ethics, rule 2.3, says inspectors shall not disclose inspection results or client information without client approval. The InterNACHI Code of Ethics, item 1.7, bars releasing information about the inspection or the client to a third party. Its exceptions are safety, the law, or the client's explicit, prior written consent.

Clients stay off roofs. Crawlspaces and attics with little headroom are usually no place for them either. The exception is a client who asks to see something in a space that is safe to reach.

The report covers those areas instead. ASHI's 2014 standard has the inspector describe the methods used to inspect the roof, crawlspaces, and attics. Your photos carry the rest. For what each standard requires, see the standards of practice compared.