Interview Your Client

Interview Your Client

 

Prior to every home inspection it has been my practice, for many years now, to ask home inspection clients a few questions about themselves.  Have they owned a home before? Where do they live now?  Do they have, or plan to have children?  Etc.  It gives me a feel for them, it tells me if they are experienced homeowners or don’t have a clue.  It allows an opportunity to get to know them better, so I understand how I need to report what I find to them as individuals.

If my client is an experienced contractor, I will report in a manner which is comfortable to someone who is familiar with ‘tradesman’ terminology.  For an inexperienced client I need to tailor my report and inspection language so that it can be easily understood by any layman. 

The home inspection is the same; but the information about what I find during an inspection is presented in a way that suits the client. In my opinion this is the most important part of our job; reporting in a way that is clear and useful to each client as an individual.

Technical terminology is only a small example of suiting a report to a client.  Being sure to emphasize what issues and defects are most important and serious, and what issues you are just pointing out as areas in need of repair is critical and often challenging.  A horizontal, displaced crack in a foundation wall should be reported as a possibly serious problem that should have immediate further investigation before any more moves (purchases) are made. Reporting this to a tradesman will likely mean just pointing it out and writing it up in the report, for they will be aware of what that type of crack can mean.  A new homeowner should be walked through what a crack like this could mean and the importance of getting further evaluation in no uncertain terms.

Likewise, as inspectors, we cannot be so eager to find that ‘home-run defect’ that we overstate something that may be minor.  Efflorescence found on a basement wall should be reported as a sign of water infiltration, but the inspector cannot yell, “Wet basement! Get out of this deal with your lives!”  It may be a clogged gutter causing the problem. You don’t want to chase people away from a house that may be perfect for them by over-reporting any issue.

 

We are not overdramatizing things or hitting any panic buttons, but we are calmly, and with all due seriousness, reporting our findings. 

 

Even though we are not panic stricken and madly waving red flags does not mean we are cavalier about serious defects either.  Not reporting in a tone that properly alerts the client to action is more problematic and unprofessional than ‘blowing up’ a deal over a minor defect.  Presumably no one will die from getting out of a deal on a house; no matter how well suited that house might have been.  However, if there is a safety issue that you, as a professional home inspector, do not report with the proper amount of serious concern, there can be grave consequences. 

 

You know that your client loves a neighborhood because of the schools, and is blinded to the problems in the house, like the lack of egress in the finished basement. This means you have to work extra hard to get them to really see the problem.  If they do nothing, despite your report, and later someone is trapped in that basement during a fire, you want to be sure you did everything you could to inform them of that danger.

 

At the site prior to the start of the inspection, part of my conversation with the client is to ask them, “How many times have they been to the house?” and if they, “…have seen anything that causes them alarm, or that they are concerned about?”  I always ask these questions, and I ask for one reason - and one reason only; I want to find out what their ‘hot button’ is.  Most people will tell you what they think about the house if you ask.  As they give their take on the house they will tell you what they are most concerned about or what is on their mind.  Some may have heard about the dangers of mold, or what the condition of the roof is, others want enough water pressure.  No matter how big or small or totally irrelevant the concern, I need to put it on my priority list to address what is important to them.

 

It doesn’t matter if I address their issue right away, or whether I address it as I get to that section of my inspection.  What matters is that I address it directly and thoroughly.  If I don’t, they will always have some lingering doubts about that issue and probably my entire inspection. If anything goes wrong in the future you will hear from them immediately. 

 

On one occasion my client told me he was concerned about the basements bilco door.  There were some water stains on the floor in front and he was concerned about how bad the water intrusion would be during a heavy storm.  When I got to that part of my inspection, I pulled out my moisture meter and together we made moisture readings on the concrete slab in front of the door and on the wood around the frame.   Everything was dry. There were a few stains along a crack in front of the door but it did not come back with any moisture levels that were out of line. I explained to him everything I could about what I thought about it, and explained to him what the meter was showing.  I finished by telling him that it was moist in that spot, and it probably did get wet, but not excessively.  He saw what I was doing and understood my thinking. 

Of course, as it turned out, it becomes one of the Great Lakes every time it rains.  He called me.  But he wasn’t upset with me; he just wanted the name of a contractor who could address the repair. 

 

I believe he did not blame me or get upset because he saw how I addressed his concern and he understood what my opinion was based upon because at the time of the inspection I included him and he participated with me.  He helped me measure with the meter, he saw what I saw. 

The bottom line is - get to know your clients. Involve them in your inspection, be thorough and communicate in a way that gets through to them. Be sure as you can be that you have fully alerted them to serious problems. Address their specific concerns. Once they see how you inspect they will be less likely to hold you responsible for the unforeseeable problems that invariably come up.