Customers talking to you during inspection.. distraction?

This is not true at all.

Remember, verbal is just that. Hearsay. In the end, the only thing that really matters is what’s documented in the report.

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It is always my preference that they attend. Especially 1st time buyers. It is their best opportunity to learn about the house. Questions can be answered on site, not a few days or more later, after you have performed several other inspections. What good is our knowledge of the house, it’s systems, proper construction and everything else about the house, if we don’t share that knowledge?
I ask my clients at the beginning if there are areas they have concerns or questions about and if they have questions about something, wait until we get to that area.
Having them there during the inspection also gives some point of reference to the report. A…“I remember that” effect for lack of better terms.
Yes, they can be distracting, especially with children or other family. But it is what it is. Learn to work around it and through it. I enjoy my clients, I enjoy interacting with them. Try to make it an enjoyable experience for them.

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I’m different I guess. I don’t want to interact with them during my fieldwork at the property. I’ll be friendly, but I want to stay focused on my job and not be distracted. I’ve seen posts on this forum about inspectors missing things because they were tailed by a chatty client. I probably have 6 or more things on my mind for further exploration during the inspection: The negative drainage or missing gutters I saw, what does the basement look like. The poor condition of the vent flashing on the roof - what will I see in the attic? Because of what I saw in the main electric panel, the garage panel should be a sub-panel when I open it.

The realtors I work with know my preference and are perfectly fine with it. I explain my reasons to my clients, “I don’t want to miss something during your inspection”. They are supportive of my preference and actually do ignore me. They don’t want me to miss something.

I tell them they can come when I’m working, but I’ll generally ignore them and do my work. They are welcome to measure rooms, walk through some more, etc.

I take time to meet with my client at the end of my inspection and go over my findings. Often the buyers realtor is there at the same time. I’ve never had any negative feedback with this protocol.

As a revision, sometimes during the walk through with the client, something small comes up that is not in my report. I can quickly click an image and make a comment. Keeps the credibility up!

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The vast majority of my clients that want to be there, usually say they are going to stay out of my way, look around and take measurements etc. Only a handful actually followed me. I don’t mind one bit, but I don’t do onsite reports. Lots of photos, editing and spend the time to make it thorough. Hovering over my shoulder doesn’t affect the final report.

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That’s what the report is for. Also, see my previous reply.

My confirmation email asks them to arrive 60 minutes after the start of the inspection. People usually understand.

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If they attend, one other important thing that allows- you to connect more personally with them. Which makes them much more likely to leave me a Google Review. Which leads to more work.

I ask for the Review at the end, after we’ve built (hopefully) some sort of rapport, and they’ve seen me work hard for them.

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Typically in our market a showing is only 1 hour. In the current market, at least here, some sellers agents are limiting the showings to 15 minutes. The buyer has to make a snap decision to put an offer in or the house is gone. So the inspection is really the first time your client gets to spend a significant amount of time in the house.

Remember they are your client treat them well and be courteous. Great service and a smile goes a long way.

Thankfully I haven’t had a client yet :crossed_fingers:, that has followed me through the whole inspection, but I try my best to set the expectations upfront.

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I appreciate this post/ comment, I just asked a question about clients trying to distract us inspectors and what kind of words or things we can use to tell them we need to stay focused! Thank You

Give them a clipboard and pen. The, tell them that you will answer their questions when you are near them but please do not interrupt me while I and writing or concentrating.
I will answer you question when I am near you but write down your questions and I will make sure you get your answer at the end of the inspection when I go over my findings with you.

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I want the client there. I find when they come a the end, they have way more questions, and in some cases, want a re-enactment of the inspection, which wastes even more time.

I want them to see the inspectors sweat. I also want them to see the house for themselves. A buyer has a legal obligation to investigate a purchase themselves.

A buyer should make a decision on their observations WITH an inspection, not solely rely on the inspection.

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Typically, they are not trying to distract, just get answers to questions they have regarding the largest purchase of their life. They are looking to you as the expert they hired, and their source of knowledge. We ask them to come about an hour or so after the inspection start as others have mentioned. We explain to them, we are going to look at the exterior, roof, attic, etc., and really don’t want to waste their precious time while we do so. Many times we get questions about something we have yet to look at. We see the question as a great opportunity to explain the flow of the inspection and assure them we have not looked at that yet but rest assured we will get there once we reach point XYZ in the inspection process. I love the company pen and clipboard/paper idea - going to have to give that a try.
Let’s face it, as inspectors, we would all love to inspect only vacant homes and be completely alone (at least I would). But, that’s just not how it works especially they are purchasing what they expect to be their dream home and they are relying on you to give assurance it’s not a disaster.

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I don’t care what they do. I’ve been doing this long enough that I’m never distracted.
I keep to my methodology and just keep moving on.

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