Why We DON’T Work For Real Estate Agents

Why we will never work for real estate agents

I have never seen so much misleading sales tactics and dishonesty in a profession in my life! And I have been working with the industry over 30 years, having first hand experience in doing repairs for the agents through my partners repair and termite company years ago I was exposed first hand to the underlying issues in the real estate industry. My business partner warned me when we started this company that I simply could not work with or solicit agents for business, just to prove it he gave me several of his top agents to work with for the first 6 months and I can honestly say I was amazed at the things they both said and did.

Many agents still today do not change the sellers disclosure after an issue is reported saying “that was the inspectors opinion”.. to be ethical they need to have these issues evaluated and either professionally cleared or confirmed.

That leads right into the next MAJOR issue.. agents often use unqualified or insincere people to give opinions that are flat out obviously wrong and using an agents referral for a Structural Engineer often leads to you getting stuck with the repair. They seem to say everything is typical and will not likely move any more, then it becomes an issue for you to deal with. No Engineer ANYWHERE can look at a house and honestly say it will not likely move anymore without core drilling and other calculations, which they NEVER do because it is cost prohibitive for most people.

There have got to be more than a few good agents out there who really want their buyer to know everything they possibly can about the home they are buying without worrying that it will kill the deal.. unfortunately I just haven’t met very many. That is the main reason we do not solicit real estate agents.

I have done thousands of Home Inspections over the last 16 years and met a great number of real estate agents and mostly get less than professional communication and attitudes from many; my clients often tell me they tried to get them to use somebody else.

Agents are often upset they have to open the home for inspection as we refuse to join the Louisville Association of Realtors to pay for a key to open homes making life easier for the agent, we feel they should be the one with the added liability opening homes for their clients home inspection and that they should attend so they can know first hand what the issues are, unfortunately most do not feeling it adds liability on them with many even saying their Broker tells them NOT to attend.

Often the agents do not have homes ready for inspection by advising their clients the attic and crawlspace accesses need to be cleared and ready for entry and all mechanicals unblocked, seldom do we ever see the disclosure required by law to be changed to known issues after the inspection which were discovered or obvious during the home inspection. There are other issues when you set your mind not to work with agents such as them steering work away from your company every chance they get but I thank God I can rest with a good conscience and be confident and proud of my relationship with my clients who often times refer me to their friends and family for years to come.

Here is a copy of an email an agent sends everyone trying to use me, and by the way we have never in 16 years been accused of ever damaging anything, have a perfect Better Business Bureau record AND have never had a claim with our insurance company.

Aimee,
I am sorry, but Kenny Martin may not inspect this home.  He has damaged many properties in the past.  I have only 2 people in 15 years that have caused as many problems as he has.
I have a special addendum with his name on it.  Being out of town, I forget to ask Melissa to send that with the counter.
Please see what you can do to gracefully advise your client of the many wonderful and well qualified people out there.  If you can not change the course,  we will need to talk.
Thanks
Natalie
Here is another one received recently after a new agent referred us from a list then got angry because I wrote up numerous major issues and called them just that..
“Bethany referred you to her clients as I said earlier this is her first Transaction and she was asking you questions because she’s trying to learn. (In my defense she was not asking about but questioning my reporting saying I was not qualified to say these things were issues) Obviously you were offended and rather than try and help the hand that feeds you you decide to bite it off. I will be sure and to everything I can to make sure as you stated that you NEVER work with the real estate agents who have the clients who need a home inspector. Without agents you would not have clients! “
Little did this Broker know we have been in business for 16 years and never relied on agents for anything.. so before you trust an agents referral think again, chances are you will get exactly “what they want” and not what’s best for you and your family.