The size of the mistake matters.  I 'think' I'd give a second chance.  

Of course, but it will depend on how the inspector handles the situation when the error is discovered.

I like to see things done and completed!  that being said I always will call and let someone fix or modify a report. It has only happened once on a home inspection in 16 years Michael! That's a lot of inspections done right!

Good morning Michael;

It depends on the mistake.

If they make the mistake (as one local home inspector did with me some years back) of telling me to my face that they do NOT want my buyers present because it will slow them down and they want to do two inspections in a day rather than one so they can make more money...then that person is one and done.

If we are on an inspection and the inspector is rude to my buyers, he is one and done.

If the inspector misses inspecting some component, and calls to tell me he did, then he gets another chance, provided he goes back out to the house to inspect the missing component.

I am fortunate in that I have an excellent inspector who used to be a licensed general contractor. 

He WANTS my buyers to be present. He is calming and reassuring. He takes the time to educate my buyers. And he is the most thorough inspector on the beach.

In short, I've never had a single problem with him.

My only problem is that I may outlast him - he might retire before me. And that would be a real nightmare scenario... 

Good morning Michael. No one can avoid making a mistake, as long as the person takes responsibility, I will always continue working with the person.

It depends on the degree of error and attitude toward it.  A home inspector looks at hundreds of things.  I doubt any two inspectors would write the same report and each one would probably find something the other missed.  

They might get a strike two depending on how big a mistake it was but never strike three.

Michael Thornton It depends on the rapport you have with the inspector. We don't live in a perfect world.

I have had inspectors miss something (never major) and I continued to use them unless they had a bad attitude.

One of my favorites was rude to my client and not willing to accomodate, so I dropped him.

Attitude is the determining factor.

Eve

I know we all make mistakes.  In this situation, it just depends on what the mistake is.  I have seen one home inspector basically just make the house sound like a tear down so he will get another job out of it.  If it is an honest mistake then yes, I give them another chance.  If they are just taking advantage of the client, then no.

It would depend on how serious the mistake was and what was done to correct it.. I just give names of many inspectors and the buyers choose. 

I had an inspection done of our new home.  I called a local guy I've used in the past.  One of the questions he asked was did I notice anything while I looked around.  I told him about a couple of issues that needed to be addressed.  When I received the report none of them were addressed.  He is one of those one and he's done.  Otherwise I would give them another chance.

Everyone deserves a second chance as long as they own up to any mistakes .

Of course!

I tell buyers to look online for an inspector, go to Angies List and also give them a list of 3 names.  They pick, they pay they live with it.

I'll give anyone another chance if I know them to usually be very good.  If it's a first opportunity, I likely won't give a second.

I had one Realtor not use me for several years because I didn't report water damage inside a wall below a window. Not Superman, and he has started calling us again.

We didn't write up some inoperable windows in a room where there were sleeping children during the inspection. The Realtor said she couldn't refer us any longer in good faith. The client said he would recommend us but we returned his fee since we had failed to note that we didn't check them out and mention what the limiting factor was.

In the largest town in our service area we are seldomed referred, we take too long to perform an inspection. This particular Realtor association mandates that the Realtor attend all inspections. I have always believed that a Realtor should be present to support their client and provide them valuable insight on the inspection results. Making it mandatory means that the majority of Realtors simple want it over so they can go. Anything over an hour to an hour and a half means you are unlikely to be called again. NAR used to say (and think still does) that a typical home inspection runs about 2 1/2 hours, but mentioning that is poison I have found.

I think it depends on the misttake.  If it's major and they should have known, then one and done.  If it is truly an accident or mistep that is uncharacteristic of the person, then they get another chance.  

Thorough is important but a house has many things that can be overlooked when one is distracted. I'm a pretty forgiving person as I always tell buyers 'know how many nails are in a house?' etc. Finding everything - is that really the goal?

Everyone does make mistakes.  I always give my service providers the benefit of the doubt.  Because they have price in their work (that is why I use them in the first place) they are thankful that I bring a mistake to their attention so they can correct it.  Where I draw the line is rudness.

It depends on the error and the manner of the inspector. Did he 'rush' through the inspection? Seem genuinely interested in the buyer? Take time to explain issues and answer questions? Everyone has an off day.

I hand all of my buyers a list of home inspectors (20 or so) that our office put togeether.  I also give the buyers specific instructions on how to set up the inspection, and explain that the inspection is between them and the inspector, and it's my job to negotiate any repairs needed on my buyer's behalf.  I'll show up at the very end of the inspection to get an overview.  

I used to recommend 1-2 inspectors, but they started screwing up and caused problems for my buyers.  Now, I respectfully step back and let the buyer hire their own inspector.  

If it's an inspector I have worked with on a regular basis and has a good track record I will give another chance, maybe two. If it's someone new it's one and done. Of course, as others have said, it also depends on the size of the mistake.

I would give them a second chance if they owned up to the mistake and were polite about it.  Otherwise, there are plenty of inspectors to choose from.

I'm much more inclined to forgive a "mistake", if the inspector fesses up. Haven't met many of those around here. That's why I'm ridiculously loyal to the ones I prefer to work with. Obviously, it's the buyers choice regarding who they want to use, and I'll never tell a buyer they are making a mistake in who they chose, even if they've made a mistake previously. However, I'll certainly look very closely at the sections of the inspection in the area of the previous mistake...

I agree with Joe P.  My feeling is that if someone has never made a mistake...they haven't worked much. Ownership and honesty....

Here's the one mistake I'll forgive, but will cause me not to work with a vendor again: if a vendor unnecessarily alarms a client.   If that happens, I'm done.

It depends on their attitude. If they'll admit to it and try to make it right they get another chance. If they agrue, deny or try to cover up they're history. I once had an inspector write up a leaking dishwasher saying it needed a new seal. The repairman determined it didn't and that it just needed a new

deflector, which he replaced. The inspector refused to sign it off as repaired because the seal wasn't replaced, even after I showed him that it wasn't leaking anymore. He got quite nasty about it, yelling and cussing and saying it had to be fixed how he said. I ran into him three years later and he had the nerve to ask why I stopped using him for inspections.

It depends on the mistake, if it's because they were distracted (usually by buyers), they should get another chance. If they made a mistake because they didn't know what they were doing, it's a whole different ballgame.

It is always dependent on the nature of the mistake and how it is corrected.  I know all my pencils have erasers for a reason

If they acknowledge the error and make an honest attempt to resolve the issue, I would most likely give them another chance.

Hi Michael - of course, we are all human.  It would depend on how the inspector "owned up" to his/her/their responsibility.   I would never say there are no second chances depending on the response as well as the severity of the mistake.

It depends. We are all human. How we handle ourselves in these times are what makes or breaks us. If a inspector is arrogant And too full of themselves to admit a mistake that is not appealing to me.

It depends on what the mistake is! I had an inspector once that took longer than normal for inspections because he did the reports as he went along which allowed me to have the report emailed before I leave the inspection. The only problem and reason it took so long is because he talked entirely too much and that included non-inspection or real estate stuff. i know the home should be thoroughly checked and I shouldn't make the long length of time be the deciding factor but, who knows how many things he could have possibly overlooked while talking. I even had to tell him to just focus on the inspection but it worked for a while and then back to talking he went. So, of course, that was the first and last time for him!

This is a timely post as I have an active quandry I am dealing with --- in my case, the "mistake" was one that cost me time on a day I had little to waste.  I am reminded that to err is human so I will give him another shot. But in a business where getting to the finish line is so important, I think I will hold to Raymond's rule of thumb not to ever get to strike 3.

My last ex-inspector communicated changes made 'at corporate' mandated behavior that was unacceptable. After many years I had to cease using the very good inspector. 

There are many reasons an inspector can be 'one and done' however, when related to a mistake, the willingness of the inspector to step towards the one paying the bill typically results in a continued relationship.

It depends on the mistake. If I made a mistake on a home purchase than cost my buyers or sellers thousands of dollars I would not expect them to use me again.