After more than four decades in the construction and real estate fields, it is clear what the most critical qualities of a home inspector should be: after integrity, communication skills are most important. By definition, communication skills are much more about "caring" than about "codes."

A home inspector who cannot and does not have empathy and understanding for the needs of his client, and the related parties, is sure to leave behind sour feelings. What this means to his/her business, if it occurs, is ominous.

I've discovered that every buyer, seller, and agent has the same basic needs and the same basic fears⁽¹⁾ that a professional home inspector should address:

• The buyers are afraid that the home inspector will miss something and that they are going to "Buy a Lemon!"

• The sellers are afraid that the home inspector is going to "Tear the Property to Pieces!"

• The agents are afraid that the home inspector is going to "Kill the Deal!"

How to address these fears is the key to success as a home inspector, and the key to a satisfied client. I can assure you that it has absolutely nothing to do with the inspector's knowledge of the building code books, or how to calculate the size of plumbing pipes or electrical loads.

That's why I recommend that every home buyer plan to meet their home inspector on the property near the conclusion of the inspection. If your prospective home inspector will not, or is not enthusiastic about such a meeting, find another inspector.

In order to be prepared to meet the buyer and go over the condition of the components in the home, it will take a good inspector 2.5 to 4 hours to complete his/her checklist. After that, it is my experience that the meeting with the buyer (and agent and seller -- if they are available) takes another hour. That totals 3.5 to 4.5 hours for a thorough and complete home inspection.

During the meeting on site, the seasoned home inspector will point out all of the components that are visible in a walk-about meeting with the buyer. As this dialogue progresses, most inspectors share photos from their digital camera to illustrate components on the roof or in the attic and other places that are not easily visible to the buyer.

By taking this time to communicate his/her findings, a home inspector assures the buyer about the purchase. By definition, therefore, any home inspector who tries to complete a home inspection in 90 minutes is making a concerted effort to avoid the aforementioned meeting -- and, although their total fee may be less, the likely satisfaction of the buyer is also lower.

Having trained more than 400 home inspectors⁽²⁾, I believe that the buyer's perception of a home inspector as "professional" is judged by his/her communication skills and the willingness to invest the time to use them.

⁽¹⁾ The "3-Fears a Home Inspector Addresses" is a copyrighted summary of Bill Ball's Marketing Seminar for Home Inspectors^TM, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2004.

⁽²⁾ For a courtesy referral to a home inspector in your area e-mail Bill at: AskBillBall@aol.com.

Published: April 6, 2004

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Bill Ball is a skilled and inspirational instructor, author, columnist, and call-in talk-radio host. Bill has over 35 years experience in all phases of construction and real estate with experience in the construction of more than 1,800 custom homes including architectural design, construction, financing, marketing, and inspection. For the last 15 years he has focused on the field and is proud to call himself a Home Inspector. Bill is publisher of the UNIFORM HOME INSPECTOR’S CODE BOOKTM. Contact him at - AskBillBall@aol.com