Yes. Realtors do go to inspections, and in most transactions the buyer’s agent is there from start to finish. Listing agents attend less consistently but often show up, especially when the seller wants someone present for access or security. Neither role is legally required to be there in most states, but skipping the appointment is a shortcut that tends to cost clients money later.
What the Buyer’s Agent Does On Site
The buyer’s agent handles the logistics of getting everyone in the door. That means coordinating with the listing side for lockbox codes or keys and confirming the time works for the inspector. Once inside, the agent follows the inspector through the property, watching each system get evaluated and asking questions when something looks off.
Being physically present gives the agent context a written report can’t provide. An inspector might note “evidence of past moisture intrusion in the basement,” but an agent who watched the inspector point to efflorescence along the foundation, explain how water likely enters during heavy rain, and suggest the exterior grading needs correction walks away with a much sharper read on how serious the problem is. That firsthand knowledge becomes the foundation for the negotiations that follow.
Agents also make sure the inspector covers anything the buyer flagged during earlier showings. If you noticed a ceiling stain or a door that wouldn’t close, a good agent gets those specific concerns onto the inspector’s checklist. The inspector works independently, but the agent acts as your memory in the room.
What the Listing Agent Does On Site
Listing agents attend primarily to protect the seller’s property and provide context. They can answer questions about maintenance history, share receipts for recent work, or explain when the furnace or water heater was last serviced. That information sometimes prevents minor confusion from snowballing into unnecessary repair demands.
The listing agent also functions as a property manager during the appointment. After the session wraps, they walk through to confirm windows and doors are locked, the thermostat is reset, and nothing has been left out of place. This matters more than it sounds. Inspections can run two to four hours, and inspectors move through attics, crawl spaces, and utility areas homeowners rarely access. Making sure everything is secured afterward protects the seller from liability.
Most agents recommend that the sellers themselves leave during the inspection. Sellers who hover tend to get defensive when the inspector flags problems, and their presence can make buyers uncomfortable asking honest questions. The listing agent can handle anything that comes up without the seller in the room.
Should the Buyer Attend Too
Your agent’s presence doesn’t replace your own. Most real estate professionals recommend that buyers attend personally, because it’s the best chance to ask the inspector how the home’s major systems work, what maintenance to expect, and which issues are cosmetic versus structural. Reading a report later conveys the facts but misses the back-and-forth that helps you understand your future home.
If you can’t be there in person, you still have options. Ask your inspector for a phone or video call afterward to walk through the findings. Request photos or video of anything significant. And review the full report with your agent before making any decisions about repairs or credits. None of these substitutes matches being there, but they beat relying on a summary.
Where the Agent’s Role Ends
One thing agents cannot do during an inspection is play engineer. Real estate agents are not licensed to evaluate the safety of an electrical panel, the structural integrity of a foundation, or whether a crack in a basement wall is cosmetic or a sign of ongoing movement. Offering those opinions opens the agent to liability if the call turns out to be wrong, and state real estate commissions can impose fines or license discipline for practicing outside the scope of a real estate license.
The same boundary runs in the other direction for inspectors. Under the American Society of Home Inspectors’ standards of practice, inspectors evaluate only what is readily accessible and visually observable, and they are not required to probe surfaces that would be damaged or perform destructive testing.1American Society of Home Inspectors. Standard of Practice If an inspector wants to cut into drywall or pull up flooring, that requires separate written permission from the seller. A good listing agent will intervene if an inspector starts going beyond the agreed scope.
For the buyer, this means the inspection report is the authoritative document on the home’s condition, not casual remarks from your agent during the walkthrough. Your agent’s expertise is in knowing what the findings mean for your negotiating position, not in diagnosing the problem itself.
What the Agent Does After the Inspection
The inspection is just the starting gun. What matters financially is what happens next. After the report comes back, the buyer’s agent reviews the findings and helps you decide which items to negotiate. The typical approach is drafting a repair addendum, sometimes called a notice of items disapproved, which formally requests the seller either fix specific problems, offer a price reduction, or provide a credit at closing.
Wording matters more than most buyers realize. Vague language like “fix the roof” gives the seller room to do the cheapest possible patch. Specific language like “replace damaged shingles on the north-facing slope using materials matching the existing roof” gives you much better protection. Agents who attended the inspection and saw the damage firsthand write sharper, more effective repair requests than agents working from the report alone. For larger items, experienced agents gather contractor bids before submitting the addendum. Walking in with a $12,000 estimate for foundation repair carries more weight than writing “foundation needs work.”
The deadline is the other thing your agent is tracking. Most purchase contracts include an inspection contingency period, commonly seven to ten days after the seller accepts the offer.2Rocket Mortgage. What Is a Home Inspection Contingency? Everything has to happen inside that window: the inspection, any specialized tests, the repair addendum, and the seller’s response. Miss the deadline without acting and you generally lose your negotiating leverage, are treated as accepting the property in its current condition, and risk forfeiting your earnest money if you try to back out.
Attendance carries through to closing. When the seller agrees to make repairs, the transaction isn’t finished until someone confirms the work was actually done. That verification happens at the final walkthrough, typically a day or two before closing, and your agent should walk the property with you and check each agreed-upon repair against the addendum.3Zillow. Final Walk-Through Checklist Before Closing on a Home Ask for receipts, warranties, and the contact information for whoever did the work. Document everything with photos. If repairs are incomplete or look substandard, your agent can request that a portion of the seller’s proceeds be held in escrow until the work meets the agreed standard.
What the Inspection Itself Costs
A typical home inspection for a single-family residence runs roughly $300 to $425, with the national average around $340. Larger homes cost more, usually about $25 extra for every additional 500 square feet beyond around 2,000. Specialized add-on tests raise the total. Professional radon testing typically runs $150 to $200 on its own, and sewer scope inspections, mold testing, and lead paint assessments each carry separate fees. A standard inspection covers structure, roof, plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, insulation, and interior finishes, but it doesn’t test for radon, mold, lead paint, asbestos, or sewer line condition, which is why your agent should flag which specialists make sense based on the home’s age and location.4NAR.realtor. Consumer Guide: Home Inspections
The buyer pays for the inspection. Treat the fee as insurance against buying a money pit: a $400 inspection that surfaces a $15,000 foundation issue is the best return you’ll see in the entire home-buying process, and it’s the appointment where having your agent in the room pays for itself.