Oh no, they're bringing the parents!

​​​You’re a Realtor and your buyers want to bring their parents to the home inspection. Not a terrible idea in itself… unless it’s the first time they’re seeing the house!

Parents who are providing a down payment or other financial support, want to make sure their kids aren’t making a bad decision. Now, if you’re down to the home inspection, it stands to reason the kids have already decided it’s right house for the money – errrr, their parents’ money. (sound of screeching tires)

The home inspection is not the right time for parents to hash out whether the price is right for the square footage or the neighbourhood, or whether the layout suits their kids’ needs. The push-pull of house selection at this juncture, can seriously compromise the home inspection – not just by muddying the waters, but also by taking away the young buyers’ opportunity to listen to their home inspector, and maybe even ask a question or two.

To avoid a potentially negative encounter, complete with mom criticizing the carpet and dad following the inspector around, arguing with everything he says – why not involve the parents earlier in the house buying process? If they are putting some money on the table, I’ll bet they’d like to have some say in where it goes.

And get out of the home inspection with your sanity intact!