While the home inspection process can cause homebuying deals to wobble, it doesn’t have to tank them altogether. Cassie Walker Johnson shares strategies to add clarity and calm.
In my last article, Guiding homebuyers through the offer’s fine print: Step 5, I explained how to guide buyers through the fine print of contracts without overwhelming them. Now comes Step 6, the home inspection, one of the most nerve-wracking steps for buyers, and one of the most important opportunities for you to demonstrate your value. In this article, we’ll look at how to guide buyers through a home inspection without adding to their stress.
TAKE THE INMAN INTEL SURVEY FOR SEPTEMBER
If writing the offer was the exam, the inspection is like getting your graded test back. Even the best-prepared buyers can feel anxious when the red marks appear. Your role? To prepare them, support them and keep the deal moving forward with confidence.
Why guiding buyers through a home inspection is tricky
Even in the smoothest transactions, inspections uncover issues. And for first-time buyers especially, even minor problems can feel catastrophic. A leaky faucet? Suddenly, it feels like the house is falling apart. An older water heater? They’re imagining thousands of dollars down the drain.
Without your guidance, small problems look unmanageable, and big problems feel insurmountable. With it, buyers learn how to separate cosmetic quirks from structural concerns, and to understand that every home, even the brand-new ones, has issues.
How to add value during a home inspection
A great agent doesn’t just show up for inspection; they show up prepared and intentional. Knowing how to guide buyers through a home inspection is one of the most significant ways to demonstrate your value as an agent.
- Set expectations: Before inspection day, explain the likely outcomes: We’ll find small things, we may find big things and together we’ll decide what matters most. This heads off surprises and helps buyers stay calm when the report inevitably lists more than they expected.
- Prep the buyers: Provide them with an inspection day kit including snacks, water, a notepad, a tape measure and wipes. It seems small, but these little touches help them stay focused on the home rather than their growling stomachs or sticky hands.
- Guide the review: If you’re working with a seller-provided inspection report, don’t just forward it along. Walk your buyers through the findings, and if they have specific questions, connect them directly with the inspector. Context matters. If further expertise is needed, help them line up the right service professionals to review concerns, explain options, and evaluate what it will take to fix the issues. Your role is to guide, not to diagnose, ensuring your clients have access to trusted resources gives them confidence in their decisions.
- Normalize it: Remind them that every house has issues. The goal is not a “perfect report” but clarity on what’s manageable versus what’s a true deal-breaker.
The professional touch
This is the moment to show you’re more than a door-opener; you’re a trusted advisor. Inspection day can be emotional, but your calm presence and clear communication set the tone.
Buyers take their cues from you. If you act alarmed at every item, they will, too. But if you present issues with perspective — such as “This is common for homes of this age. Here’s what it means, and here’s how it can be addressed” — you reinforce your expertise and their confidence.
And just like in school, when a tough grade comes back, the teacher who helps you understand what went wrong and how to fix it is the one you trust the most. That’s your role here: Not hiding the problems, but helping your buyers understand them and move forward with clarity, not fear.
How Step 6 connects to the rest
Inspection doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The clarity buyers gained from earlier steps helps keep them grounded now: Because of the financing step, they know what repairs or credits they can realistically afford. Because of the compensation discussion, there are no surprises about your paycheck getting tangled in negotiations. Because of Education Day, they’ve already sorted out what matters most to them so inspection decisions feel more straightforward.
This step, while stressful, becomes manageable because of the foundation you’ve already built.
The big takeaway
Inspections are often where deals wobble, but they don’t have to fall apart. By preparing your buyers ahead of time, guiding them through the findings, and normalizing the process, you protect both their confidence and the transaction. Your job isn’t to sugarcoat the issues; it’s to give buyers the perspective and support they need to make smart, informed choices. By mastering how to guide buyers through a home inspection, you protect your client’s confidence and keep deals moving forward.
Coming up next
In two weeks, we’ll cover Step 7: The escrow process and learn how to stay visible and valuable when the transaction moves into the hands of others. Missed Step 5? Catch up here.
Inman’s most popular theme month is back, Back to Basics. All September, real estate professionals from across the country share what’s working for them right now, how they’ve evolved their systems and tools, and where they’re investing personally and professionally to drive growth in 2025 and beyond.
Cassie Walker Johnson is a real estate agent at Windermere Real Estate in Seattle, WA. Connect with on Instagram and at CWJMarketing.
