A home inspection for a client is pretty useless without a report…it doesn’t document the condition of the home and what you say can be re- interpreted any which way they “feel”… and I’m pretty sure nachi requires a contract…It sounds like they’re just trying to save some money on a regular inspection. Don’t fall for this trick…what they’ll do is beg you to go out there to talk for a reduced fee of course…then later they’ll ask for a letter of some sort or you’ll be forced to document what happened that day even if it was just for your own records…because in three months they could say you said anything…also such people will want to waste your time talking to you on the phone forever too…In the long run your client is best served by a regular inspection with a report.
“I’m sorry, but my Company Policies prevent me from taking part in deceptive practices and game playing gimmicks. I would be more than happy to assist the client with a FULL inspection either before or after closing, as the case may be.”
I would suggest anyone doing a walk & talk to consider if your E&O coverage will cover you. In Canada, the coverage could be denied, so best check. Certainly “they” are not in conformance with meeting the SOP. Just saying - will this become the new norm - dictated by the realtors?
That’s the whole point. A walk and talk is not, could not, and must not, be seen as meeting the SOP. It’s a different product. If you try to do a mini-SOP you’re in deep trouble. So don’t. Walk, and talk.
Maybe one needs two lines of insurance, for each separate line of business?
Like Uncle Bob walking thru the house with the kids. No written report. Just “Walk & Talk”
NO INSPECTION … Just what I can see. No climbing on roof, into attic; No removal of electric panel, testing outlets, etc. $250 MAX of maybe 45 minutes onsite
I would be very cautious and check what your insurance policy states. When I have priced insurance with multiple companies, they all had a clause that contract must be signed prior, and a report generated, or I was not covered.
That sounds eerily like a four point inspection, with some addons.
Here in Florida, the insurance companies are requiring a 4 point inspection on every home older than 30 years (1992), which is a significant amount of properties I inspect.
So, I would reply, you are more than likely going to need a 4 point inspection so I can do that for $XXX.XX.
If they want me to observe a few other items, then that will be extra.
Less work than a home inspection and if you can add a wind mitigation inspection, you are getting somewhere near half the inspection fee… for a third of the work.
I don’t know what inspections are required in SC, but there is always a way to do what someone else wants, while still staying in the confines of your license requirements. You just have to find it.
I average two of these a weekend, for clients that managed to get the seller to accept a structural-assessment-only inspection. Now, I do have to walk through the entire house to do one, and walk the perimeter…
Don’t totally agree with the concept, but that’s the market we’re in right now.
Thanks for the feedback Darren. “Pivoting” with the times. Trying not to set a precedent that impacts us after the market comes back.
Interesting comparison - hadn’t thought about that. Yes, I agree its a bit like that. Definitely going to run this by EliteMGA (InterNACHI) to get their feedback.
Fee - $300 minimum or $150 per hour including the travel. Better than half an inspection fee.
InterNACHI Walk-Through Contract language includes:
2. We will perform a visual walk-through of the home/building and provide you with oral comments summarizing our observations. A WALK-THROUGH IS NOT A HOME INSPECTION OR A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY INSPECTION. We will NOT follow InterNACHI’s Standards of Practice or any state laws pertaining to home inspections. Our comments will be nothing more than a subjective summary of our initial observations during the walk-through. You may hire us to perform a home inspection or commercial property inspection by signing a separate agreement with us. You understand that InterNACHI is not a party to this Agreement, has no control over us, and does not employ or supervise us.
I would do a non report inspection or walk thru with the home buyer at a small reduced fee because i would not be spending as much time doling it . No report writing , no pictures , no contract etc. I don’t think that the home seller would have any objection because he is not the one requesting it but the home buyer is . I would probably use a check list when doing the walk thru so nothing is missed but it would not be given to anyone .
No one from Texas has chimed in here, so I’ll go first, in the 2022 update to Texas Legal and Ethics from the Texas Real Estate Commission, a “walk and talk” is verboten by a Licensed Real Estate Inspector. If you are in a licensing state, you might want to check with your regulatory agency as well as your insurance company.
Good to know. Thanks Jeff
You don’t do a damn thing without a contract!
In essence, you are uninsured, and unlicensed.
You end up in court; you took money from a customer and there is nothing to protect you from the clients perception of your hand-shake agreement. The court most often will go with your client, because your supposed to be the professional, operating unprofessionally…
So a bunch of Realtors can criminalize a legal contract between two parties to do something that does not constitute a Home Inspection IAW with the required procedures.
They tried that one on me because of HVAC issues I was addressing in a Real Estate transaction (Realtor Complaint). Review by the HI Legal Review Board, and it never got off the ground. I was not prohibited to do another type of inspection just because I am a licensed home inspector.
No report writing , no pictures , no contract etc.
When it is obvious your trying to skirt around the HI Rules like this, that is another story. So I would not recommend you travel down that path.
You are probably right but that is not an inspection , it is a walk thru .