Who Should You Bring (or not) Along To Open Houses and Home Inspections?

House hunting can feel lonely and the pressure can add up easily when you're going to invest a significant amount of money into a property.

Usually, that means bringing someone along to help out - but are they helping or hurting the process? If you're wondering who to bring to an open house or home inspection, then sadly the answer isn't simple.

Let's go down some people most likely to tag along and see if they're a good fit.

Parents.

If this is your first home then having your parents along for the first visits can be a great idea. They can point out major issues that you're not familiar with or give you some insight about the cost that some repairs would take.

Still, suffocating parents exist. Many buyers, younger ones, happily take their parents along but they can make a crucial part of the home buying process harder than it has to be: the home inspection.

Between blowing up minor issues, prodding electrical outlets, and getting in the way of the home inspection process; parents can make everyone's job harder.

It's baked into parenthood to look out for every safety issue possible but that doesn't mean that they have valuable information when it comes to electrical issues or if a home has sufficient insulation.

They can also interfere with budgeting if they believe they can help you save on repair costs. It's almost always wiser to prioritize the home inspector's inspection report to be safe. A faulty water heater, structural issues, underlying problems with the HVAC system - these are all things that take a qualified home inspector to properly diagnose.

There's nothing wrong with a quick double-check or a parent asking to take a look at the home inspection checklist and it can give you some peace of mind but you still need to filter their input and not just accept it wholesale.

Friends.

It's not uncommon for potential buyers to bring their friends along to an open house, and more rarely a home inspection.

It's also not uncommon to have people tagging along speaking they work in home construction when they are actually a corporate IT executive or an adjunct professor somewhere. Different skill sets. It might be something you don't notice beforehand but some people really dive into their 'know-it-all' personality in the strangest moments.

Sometimes, you can even have a friend that tries to act like they are the buyer's agent. That can get frustrating quickly when your actual agent is trying to do their job. As long as you let your agent know in advance though, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Bringing friends along can work out great. If they know you well they can look at the property in a way that home inspectors cannot. We often forget things about ourselves or minimize issues - especially if we tend to be people-pleasers. Having a level-headed friend that knows you well can help you take a look at things like easy access for a pet.

If your friend recently worked with a real estate agent to buy or sell or property then they can be a huge asset. As a former home seller or buyer, their key takeaways from the whole process can give you an idea of what to expect.

While they won't be able to answer all your questions about carpenter ants hiding inside walls, foundation issues, or the electrical systems needing necessary repairs, they can help you understand if you can make the property a home. It's easier with friends compared to parents or children because you interact as peers.

Children.

Children.

Having children along for the home inspection is probably going to be very boring for them and distracting for you. When it comes to a private showing or an open house though, some buyers choose to have their children accompany them.

The biggest downside to bringing children along is reigning them in when needed. A few hours of looking around a new house might not seem like much to you but to kids - from kindergarten to high school - it could be torture. Usually, a buyer would bring their children along in the later stages, when the purchase agreement is in sight.

Obviously, you want your children to like the house but there are some other things that they are not the best at gauging.

So who should you absolutely bring along?

The seller's agent has one job, get the house sold. To help you make the right decision and pay the right amount for the house while being aware of all possible issues you need to bring in a home inspector.

Though sometimes getting the house might require waiving an inspection contingency this is only something you should do if you're concerned about the seller selecting another buyer and you don't have the budget to bump your offer up. It really depends on the market you're in but in real estate, home inspections are commonly seen as extremely important.

You can't substitute a home inspector with a friend or a parent. There are safety issues, problems with the plumbing system, damage to sewer lines, and roof damage that your loved ones are most likely not trained to see. Also, a home inspection allows the home inspector to get a close look at the electrical panel and air conditioning systems safely. No one wants to be liable for someone getting hurt during a home inspection.

A home inspection report will go into much more depth about the major and minor issues that you will run into. The cost of buying a house goes beyond securing a home loan and you should factor in the cost of repairs and more.

Your real estate agent should 100% be accompanying you on those home inspections as well. Not only can they advise for or against additional inspections but they definitely have some contacts with local contractors should you wish to request repairs.

The sum things up.

The worst people to bring at open houses are those who will nitpick and criticize everything. They can be really discouraging and make the process drag on. It's best to leave them at home and enjoy the house hunt with people who will be supportive and not overbearing.

No one knows your entourage better than yourself but it's perfectly reasonable to keep some distance from the people who are not helping the process. After all, they might visit but you'll be the one living in the house.

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