A home inspection report is the key product or deliverable that clients pay for when they hire an inspector. But reading the inspection report with care has in general not been a high priority. I'm used to customers glancing through the summary and ignoring the body of the report altogether, probably intending to come back to it later. Obviously buyers feel pressure from within and without to make a decision about the inspection contingency. They don't want the house to go away, the agent wants a closing, and moving day may be fast approaching. These are all strong motivators for quick decisions.

Lately, however, the inspection report seems to be gaining in importance. Buyers still have to act relatively quickly after they receive it, but in today's market the pressure is gone. Competition is scarce and there is a much higher perceived risk. Now I get the sense that clients scour my report almost looking for an excuse not to buy. They are much pickier and more willing to walk away. Is this a trend or blip? My belief is that homebuyers are going to be much more careful hereon out. My report is still the same, but their attitude toward it is changing, and that means its quality is becoming more significant.

Historically, the inspection services trade has gotten a poor reputation. People often denigrate inspection services because of bad past experiences. My sense is that this perception is not confined to Washington State but widespread.

What did inspection services do to cause such sour dispositions or even, in too many cases, litigation? The comments I have heard tend to cite inspectors that were just not that conscientious. The inspector seemed to be more interested in pleasing the agent than the customer, and consequently was too quick, overlooked issues, and produced shoddy reports.