There are two types of inspection outcomes our clients generally expect: first, an overall report of building conditions that reassures that there are no landmines or sleeping giants that will awaken a few days after closing; second, where the client has already seen ugly conditions and needs verification in a written report that can be used to go back to the seller for RETRADE: lowering the acquisition price to reflect the work that needs to be done to bring the property up to snuff.
Our best clients call us first, but truthfully, many of our clients call us after they have a vague uneasiness reading through a report that feels whitewashed. There are any number o f stories, many of which are in our blog, about disasters real and averted. Our intention is to advocate for the building(s) under consideration, much as a guardian ad litem advocates for the interests of the children in a divorce.
Most of the time, we are contacted by people who are buying property, but some of our more forward thinking clients contact us before listing their property for sale so that they will catch conditions that a buyer will make them correct anyway, or suffer them to reduce their price or which will kill the sale.