As a home inspector dealing with the day-in and day-out of performing inspections, it can be easy to lose sight of your customers’ motivation and expectations.
So let’s take a moment to review: What exactly does a homebuyer REALLY want when they commission a home inspection?
In our experience, homebuyers often fall into categories. This blog will focus on one such category: Nervous buyers.
Often times, when nervous homebuyers enter into a contract on a house, they’re carrying emotional baggage from a bad experience with a prior home. Other times, they may be first-time buyers who are nervous about making such a large financial commitment. In either case, they’re excited about the home, but they’re also petrified that they may be buying a “money pit” that could devastate them financially.
These buyers are anxiously looking to you, the home inspector, to deliver the information they need to either allay their fears or enable them to initiate negotiations with the seller for repairs or a credit.
Nervous buyers have a great deal of emotion involved in the transaction, and they’re likely to feel that a sizable piece of their future is in your hands as their home inspector. This usually translates into some special needs that should be considered, including:
- They need to sense that the inspector is deeply knowledgeable, trustworthy, and honest
- They need assurance that the inspector is truly on their side, rather than juggling alliances with the real estate people who are involved in the transaction
- They need detailed explanations of findings, preferably accompanied by a thorough walk-through
- They need help understanding which deficiencies are serious, and which are easily rectified
- They need to have some idea of how much it will cost to mitigate the deficiencies
Generally speaking, nervous buyers require a lot of patient hand-holding and emotional support.
It’s really a matter of perspective: For you, it’s just another home inspection. But for them, it’s a huge, potentially life-altering decision. They’re looking to you for assurance and peace-of-mind, which translates into extra pressure on you.
But if you can deliver those benefits to the nervous buyer successfully, you’ll earn their enduring appreciation, five-star reviews, and referrals for years to come.
Plus, when they’re satisfied customers, nervous buyers become prime prospects for a home maintenance inspection or any other ancillary services you may offer.
Have you found any techniques especially helpful for serving nervous buyers? Respond below with any of your thoughts or experiences.