Home Inspections and Realtors

Why Partnering with a Trusted Home Inspection Company is Essential for Real Estate Success

In the fast-paced world of real estate, building trust and exceeding client expectations are paramount. As a realtor, you understand the importance of a smooth and successful transaction for both buyers and sellers. One crucial element in achieving this success is partnering with a reliable home inspection company like 45th Parallel.

Home inspections are usually a vital step in the real estate transaction process. They provide a quick snapshot of a property's condition, identifying potential issues that could impact a buyer's decision or a seller's asking price. By working with 45th Parallel Home Inspection, you ensure your clients have the information they need to make informed choices throughout the buying or selling process.

The Role of the Real Estate Agent: Facilitating a Smooth Inspection Process

As a realtor, your role is to guide your clients through the buying or selling process with expertise and care. This includes recommending reliable home inspection companies like 45th Parallel or others that you may have also worked with. We feel it is important to educate your clients about the importance of home inspections and the value they offer. We have seen many scenarios where buyers have passed on home inspections in a competitive market and later had large issues come up that they were not aware of during the buying process.

You can coordinate with 45th Parallel to schedule convenient inspection appointments for your buyers. We offer scheduling over the phone and online and even have a realtor dashboard where you can see all past inspections, see availability, and schedule future inspections. We even have a feature where a transaction coordinator can schedule an appointment with individual realtors within their office. Our goal is to be able to get to home inspections within two days of the time of request.

While not mandatory, attending the home inspection allows you to answer questions about the property and ensure clear communication between yourself, the home inspector, and our mutual customer. Once the inspection is complete, 45th Parallel will quickly provide a detailed report, full of photos, clear and concise communication about findings, and recommendations, all delivered usually the same day or the following morning. Sometimes, larger inspections or special circumstances may

Communication Skills Around The Home Inspection

As a realtor, you know the value of clear, concise, and compassionate communication to a home buyer or seller. Home buyers and sellers are in a stressful situation, with large sums of money at stake, so it is imperative to have really, really good communication skills. It is also critical to be empathetic to your customer's needs and take into account that the stress of a home transaction can skew even a normally calm and collected person’s emotions, actions, and communications.

From a home inspection company perspective, we spend large amounts of time crafting and honing our communication skills. This includes what and how we write content in our inspection reports, how we interact with customers during scheduling, what and how we verbally communicate on-site during the home inspection, and follow-on customer support and care of they have questions or further needs after the home inspection.

We have some high-priority goals that run through our company fabric around communications:

• Welcoming, easy, and fast scheduling process
• Clear, concise, and compassionate verbal communications on-site during the home inspection. We practice, hone, and continually strive for a good bedside manner delivered in calm and not understated, or overstated terms or tones.
• Completely unbiased inspection focusing on material defects (the big stuff), that are clearly communicated in the inspection report. We cannot fully think FOR customers, but we go to great lengths to try and highlight the most important considerations in our opinion to help them discern what are the bigger decision making priorities.
• Responsive follow-up on customer care in the event of questions or further customer needs. We strive to make our reports so simple, clear, and direct that no follow-on questions are needed, but in reality, quite a few people still have follow-on questions.

To summarize, we know you have many options when referring a trusted home inspection company to your clients. Many home inspectors do thorough inspections and write great reports. But we try and be the very best and make the most difference with our communication skills. A great inspection and report without great communication is less valuable than it could be for the customer and our realtor partners. That’s why we strive the be the very best communicators and make it such a high priority.

Benefits for Those Buying a Home

Peace of Mind: 45th Parallel Home Inspection reports offer buyers peace of mind by uncovering any major problems with a property, such as structural issues, electrical hazards, or plumbing defects. Knowing about these issues helps them avoid unexpected financial burdens or safety concerns after purchasing the home.

Informed Negotiations: Our home inspection report becomes a valuable tool for buyers and their agents when negotiating the purchase price. Identified issues can be used to request repairs or price adjustments, ensuring the buyer gets a fair deal.

Improved Overall Experience: A comprehensive home inspection fosters a positive experience for home buyers. They feel empowered by the knowledge gained and confident in their decision to move forward with the purchase.

Benefits for Sellers

Pre-Listing Advantage: A pre-listing home inspection by 45th Parallel allows sellers to identify and address any potential red flags before putting their property on the market. This proactive approach can prevent delays in the selling process and attract more serious buyers.

Transparency and Trust: By having a home inspection done upfront and presenting the report and associated repairs by licensed contractors to potential buyers, sellers demonstrate transparency and promote trust. This can lead to quicker offers and a smoother selling experience.

Negotiation Leverage: A clean home inspection report becomes a selling point for the property. Although no home is ever 100 percent perfect, a well-maintained home with no major issues can command a higher asking price or give sellers an advantage during negotiations in a competitive market.

What Sets 45th Parallel Apart?

45th Parallel understands the unique needs of real estate professionals and their clients. Here's what makes us the perfect partner for your home inspection needs:

• Experienced and Certified Inspectors: Our team comprises highly trained and certified home inspectors with extensive experience in various property types.
• Comprehensive Inspection Process: We conduct thorough, unbiased inspections, examining all major systems of the home, from the foundation and roof to plumbing and electrical systems.
• Detailed Written Reports: Our easy-to-understand reports provide a clear overview of the property's condition, including detailed descriptions of findings, photos, and recommendations.
• Excellent Communication Skills: Our entire staff knows the high value of great communications, and we strive to excel at it on every transaction, and in every phase of the transaction.
• Exceptional Customer Service: We are committed to providing exceptional customer service to both you and your clients. We are always available to answer questions and address concerns promptly.
• Technology Integration: We utilize state-of-the-art technology to ensure accurate and efficient inspections. This includes advanced tools and software for reporting, scheduling, and communication.
• Positive Working Relationships: We prioritize building strong, long-term, working relationships with our realtor partners. We are committed to clear communication, efficient scheduling, and timely delivery of reports in this fast-paced real estate environment.

FAQs About Realtors and Home Inspections

Do states require home inspections?
While not mandatory, home inspections are highly recommended for buyers and sellers. Some states may have specific requirements for disclosure of known defects, which a home inspection can help identify and clarify in greater detail. Often, a known issue is not as big of an issue as home buyers and sellers think it is.

Who pays for the home inspection?
Typically, whoever the customer is, buyer or seller, pays for the home inspection. Sometimes, we have parents or even trusts pay for home inspections. However, no matter who pays for the home inspection, the actual customer needs to sign the home inspection agreement.

Should a realtor be present at the home inspection?
Attending the inspection with your client offers several benefits. You can answer questions the inspector may have about the property history or modifications. Additionally, being present allows you to gain a first-hand understanding of the inspector's findings and potential concerns and be able to more clearly communicate with your client about items on the home inspection.

What happens if the inspection reveals major problems?
The presence of major issues doesn't necessarily derail the sale. Depending on the severity and negotiability, the buyer might request repairs from the seller, adjust their offer, or potentially walk away from the purchase. Your role as a realtor is to guide your client through these options and negotiate on their behalf. In our experience, the best course of action is to be patient, obtain reputable contractor bids for any major items, and then allow the client to ask questions and make a decision armed with knowledge.

How can I leverage a home inspection report during negotiations?
The home inspection report serves as a valuable tool for both buyers and sellers. Buyers can use documented issues to request repairs or price reductions. Sellers, on the other hand, can use a clean report to justify their asking price or counter lower offers or to fully inform buyers about issues found and repairs made so the likelihood of a failed sale goes down

What if my client disagrees with the inspector's findings?
Disagreements in opinion do happen occasionally. In such cases, your client should consult with a licensed contractor for a second opinion. It is very important to note that home inspectors are not specialists in any one area, and while they do make every effort to recognize and document deficiencies at an appropriate level of importance, a licensed contractor in a specific field is going to provide more and deeper expertise and be able to assist with repair cost estimates. As always, if we are wrong about anything at all, we want to know and learn from it so we can improve our knowledge base and our skills as inspectors.

What does a typical home inspection cost?
Prices can vary depending on the size and complexity of the property, the location, and the service add-ons chosen. 45th Parallel offers competitive rates and transparent pricing structures. We'll provide you with a clear quote upfront.

How can I schedule a home inspection with 45th Parallel?
Contacting us is easy! You can call us at (360) 230-1848, email us at info@45thparallel.com, or schedule an inspection through our website. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have, discuss your specific needs, and schedule a convenient inspection appointment for your clients.

Partner with 45th Parallel for a Seamless Home Inspection Experience

At 45th Parallel, we understand that a smooth and successful home inspection plays a crucial role in a positive real estate transaction. By partnering with us, you can provide your clients with peace of mind, valuable information, and the tools they need to make informed decisions.

Our commitment to excellence–from experienced inspectors and comprehensive reports to exceptional customer service–ensures a positive experience for both you and your clients. Let's work together to ensure a smooth and successful home buying or selling process for all involved. Reach out to learn more about our services and help your clients schedule their next home inspection.