09/30/2026
A Professional Note on Home Inspections, Client Advocacy, and Ethics
Over the years, I've noticed a recurring dynamic: some agents who hesitate to recommend me to their clients will routinely hire me when they purchase property themselves. While I appreciate the vote of confidence in my thoroughness, it highlights a disconnect when client advocacy takes a backseat to closing a deal.
More concerningly, it was recently brought to light that a buyer's inspection with my company was canceled because a listing agent refused to allow me specifically to perform the work
Let's be clear: interfering with a buyer's right to choose an independent, state-licensed home inspector is a direct violation of Kentucky real estate law and ethics.
Why Thorough Reports Protect Everyone
As inspectors, we walk a fine line. I intentionally format my reports (consolidating minor cosmetic items and prioritizing major structural or mechanical concerns) to give clients a clear, un-alarmist picture of a home's condition. My job is not to kill deals; it's to provide buyers with the factual due diligence they need to make the biggest investment of their lives safely.
The Legal Reality in Kentucky
Under Kentucky law and Kentucky Real Estate Commission (KREC) standards (KRS Chapter 324 and 201 KAR 11:121), real estate licensees are bound by strict fiduciary duties:
- Duty of Loyalty & Reasonable Care: Coercing a buyer into dropping a specific, licensed inspector to bypass uncovering defects is a direct breach of an agent’s duty to put their client's interests first.
-Prohibited Business Practices: Pressuring clients using misleading statements about an inspector's qualifications constitutes improper conduct.
-Tortious Interference: Maliciously interfering with a valid inspection contract or attempting to steer clients away to conceal property defects opens agents and brokerages to serious civil and regulatory liability.
Moving Forward with Clarity
I deeply respect the pressures agents face when transactions hit bumps. However, compromising a buyer's protection to push a deal across the finish line hurts our entire local real estate community.
To protect all parties from unnecessary legal exposure,including tortious interference claims and KREC disciplinary actions, it is vital that buyers are always allowed to exercise their legal right to an independent inspection of their choice. Let's keep our local market transparent, ethical, and built on protecting the consumer.
