10/26/2026
A Little Story Timeā¦ š”
Just because youāre buying a house doesnāt mean itās yours yet.
A while back, I showed up to a home inspection that turned into one of the most awkward situations Iāve experienced as a home inspector.
Now, we generally ask buyers to limit who attends an inspection. We also discourage bringing contractors to general home inspections. New construction is a little different, but for a typical home purchase, thereās a time and place for all of that.
Well, apparently nobody got that memo. š
I pull up to the house, and thereās the buyer, his wife, their three kids, structural engineers, landscapers, and a handful of other people.
Weāre talking about eight adults and three kids.
Now, hereās where things get interesting.
The seller still lived in this house. He worked from home, collected fine art, and had expensive glass sculptures and collectibles throughout the property.
As Iām walking toward the house, the seller comes outside, and he is absolutely furious.
And after hearing him out, I couldnāt really blame him.
He agreed to have his house inspected. What he didnāt agree to was having a bunch of contractors come through to discuss renovations, additions, and give estimates on what everything would cost.
His concern was that if the buyers didnāt like those estimates, they might decide to walk away from the purchase. And in his eyes, that wasnāt what he had agreed to when he approved the inspection.
On top of that, he now had three young children coming into a house full of expensive, breakable things.
And listen, I have kids. Kids are going to be kids. Theyāre curious, they want to explore, and sitting quietly in a strangerās house for four hours isnāt exactly their idea of a good time.
But home inspections arenāt necessarily safe places for children, either. Weāve got electrical panels open, crawl space hatches removed, ladders set up, and equipment being used throughout the property.
So now Iāve got an angry seller, uncomfortable buyers, confused contractors, three kids caught in the middle, and Iām standing there just trying to figure out how Iām going to inspect this house.
I call the buyerās agent. No answer.
I call the listing agent. No answer.
Wonderful. š
Eventually, we get things sorted out. The contractors leave, the kids leave, and weāre down to just me and the buyer.
Problem solved, right?
Not quite.
Turns out the buyer had a construction background himself and wanted to do some investigating of his own.
He starts walking around taking measurements, using different tools, and checking things throughout the house.
Normally, I have no problem with buyers wanting to learn more about a property. In fact, I encourage it.
But hereās the issue.
The seller had already made it very clear that he wasnāt comfortable with people walking around his occupied home unattended.
And I understood that.
Think about it. If Iām outside inspecting the roof, siding, or foundation, and the buyer is inside walking through your bedrooms, opening doors, and looking around, thatās someone you donāt know wandering through your personal space.
Iām not suggesting anybody has bad intentions. But that doesnāt mean a homeowner should automatically feel comfortable with it.
Thatās also why I always encourage buyers to have their real estate agent present if theyāre going to be walking through the property during an inspection.
So now, instead of completing the inspection I was there to perform, Iām having to stop what Iām doing and follow the buyer around while he completes his own evaluation.
And the whole situation just became unnecessarily complicated.
Hereās the thing.
I absolutely believe buyers should have every opportunity to understand what theyāre purchasing.
Want a structural engineer to evaluate something? Great.
Want estimates for renovations? Absolutely.
Want to bring your family through and figure out where the furniture is going to go? I get it.
But those are things that should be coordinated with your real estate agent and scheduled appropriately, rather than turning a home inspection into an open house.
And I think thatās where people sometimes lose perspective.
When youāre buying a house, youāre making one of the biggest purchases of your life. But when someone is selling their house, theyāre also allowing strangers into one of the most personal places in their life.
Itās where they sleep, raise their families, keep their belongings, and live their everyday lives.
And while that house might become yours in a few weeks, right now, itās still theirs.
I think both sides deserve a little understanding.
Because at the end of the day, buying a house is a business transaction.
But until the keys change hands, itās still somebodyās home.
And thatās your little story time for today. š”
