Hiring a professional home inspector before purchasing a home is a

smart thing to do, but how does one find a non-biased inspector? At

least one state recognizes the potential conflict of interest when a

real estate agent selling a home also recommends a particular home

inspector to the prospective buyer. Massachusetts is the only state

that prohibits an agent selling a home from being involved in the

inspector selection process.

The General Laws of MA were

amended by inserting the following section: “At the time of the signing

of the first written contract to purchase, real estate brokers and

salesmen, or the seller if no broker or salesperson is involved in the

sale, shall distribute a brochure, published by the office of consumer

affairs and business regulations, educating consumers about the home

inspection process. Real estate brokers and salesmen shall not directly

recommend a specific home inspection company or home inspector but may,

upon request, provide a complete list of licensed home inspectors

prepared by the board. This prohibition shall not apply if there is a

written contractual agreement or a written agency disclosure between

the buyer and the real estate broker specifying that the real estate

broker is acting exclusively for the buyer as a buyer’s broker.?

Some

people may ask, “what’s wrong with the real estate agent recommending a

home inspector to a prospective buyer??The answer is: A selling real

estate agent works for their client (the seller.) A home inspector

works for the person who hires him/her (the prospective homebuyer.)

There have been many cases of unhappy buyers and at least one court

case involving agent referred home inspectors.

Only one home inspector association, the Independent Home Inspectors of North America,

advocates for the removal of real estate agents from the home inspector

selection process. This 150 inspector organization was started in an

effort to give prospective homebuyers a chance to obtain the services

of a non-bias professional home inspector. IHINA director, Dennis

Robitaille, admits membership is growing very slowly due to the

dependency many inspectors have with real estate agent referrals.

Dennis suggests if you can not find an independent inspector near you,

check with your attorney, friends or co-workers for a recommendation

and avoid using a recommendation from the real estate agent, unless

they are giving you a list of all the inspectors in the area.Submitted by Mark T Urso, Owner, Confident Home Real Estate Services
for more information, visit http://www.confidenthome.com