"Integrity Through Honesty" is our slogan and they are words that we believe in and they describe how we conduct our business.  While experience, qualifications, certifications and proper training are all very important attributes of a good home inspector, integrity and honesty are just as important. 

CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN
REAL ESTATE AGENTS AND HOME INSPECTORS

As a home buyer you need to be aware of the inherent conflict of interest that can exist when an agent refers a home inspector to their client, especially when a large commission is at stake.

While a thorough and unbiased home inspection is important to the home buyer, some agents see it as a threat to their commission as there is potential for the buyer to walk away from the deal if an inspector uncovers any problems. 

Therefore, in an effort to control the outcome of the inspection and protect their commission some agents may pressure their clients to use their "preferred" home inspectors.

Knowing this, some home inspectors will downplay their findings or neglect to report certain deficiencies to win the favour of real estate agents in order to gain more referrals.  In our profession this is known as writing "soft reports".  These are the "preferred" home inspectors that some real estate agents will push on their clients, as an inspector who writes a soft report will likely protect an agents commission. 

How do I protect myself from this conflict of interest?

It is our opinion that as a consumer you are always better served by researching, finding and independently hiring your own home inspector.  We also believe that consumers should choose a home inspection firm, like Inside Out Home Inspections, that does not rely soley on referrals from real estate agents to stay in business. 

A good real estate agent wants what is best for their client and wants their client to be happy and satisfied with their purchase.  Therefore, a thorough and well done home inspection not only provides peace of mind for the home buyer but also provides peace of mind for the agent. 

We work  for a diverse group of clients, many find and hire us on their own while others are referred to us by real estate agents.  The real estate agents that do refer our services respect our inspection process.  They share our beliefs and genuinely want what is best for their clients.  They have developed a network of true professionals to assist their clients in the buying process.  These are the agents we choose to work with.

Our message here is that we want you to be an educated consumer and we want you to know of the confict of interest that does exist in our field. We also want you to know that 100% of our home inspections are conducted Conflict Free.  You can trust that Inside Out Home Inspections is truly working for you.