[tres]

and the inspector is financially responsible for exactly the cost of the inspection.

No more.

I think you've really hit the nail on the head here. There's a built-in conflict of interest for the agent in every transaction.

They are rewarded by moving inventory, not serving their client.

[StillBored]

I've forgone the home inspection during the most recent transaction. In the previous few houses, I've found things immediately after the sale, which the home inspector didn't find. OTOH, they find tons of trivial things that frequently don't matter (or are just plain wrong).

And of course, while they might be able to tell you if they find termites, or foundation problems, they aren't actually doing a deep analysis, so they will themselves tell you to get an engineer or termite inspector if your concerned about those things. AC/mechanical problems are in the same boat. The inspector will tell you something like "the AC is 15 years old, but has a 15 degree drop" (something you can discover yourself in 30 seconds with a picture of the nameplate) and a thermometer. Actually measuring the subcool/superheat, no way. The latter will actually give you a good idea about the state of the machine.

Making the seller pay for a home guarantee for the first year is probably a far more effective way to spend money. Although again, don't use them until you know whats going on. Your AC gets warm, they are just as likely to send a guy that looks the other way, pumps a 1/2 lb in the system and kicks the problem down the road a few months.

[rhizome]

The Principal-Agent Problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_proble...

[smileysteve]

> and the inspector is financially responsible for exactly the > cost of the inspection. > No more.

And gets more business the more time he stamps yes for the realtor.

(also true of the broker and appraiser)