Why Contractors Should Stop Throwing Home Inspectors Under the Bus — And Why It Hurts Everyone Involved
If you’ve been in the real estate industry for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard a contractor walk into a home after an inspection and say something like:
“Wow, I can’t believe the inspector missed that.”
Or:
“Your home inspector should have caught this.”
Home inspectors hear these lines constantly. And homeowners or buyers—who don’t fully understand the differences between these two professions—often take the contractor’s word as gospel. Unfortunately, this kind of careless criticism creates unnecessary conflict, damages trust, and misleads the client.
As a home inspector, I can tell you this with confidence: home inspectors and contractors have completely different jobs, scopes, tools, and responsibilities. But too often, contractors use inspectors as an easy scapegoat to make themselves look like heroes.
It’s unprofessional, unnecessary, and it undermines the very industry that feeds contractors a massive amount of revenue every year.
Let’s break down why this happens—and why it needs to stop.
1. Inspectors and Contractors Have Two Completely Different Jobs
A home inspector’s job is to perform a visual, non-invasive evaluation of the home’s major systems and components. We examine roughly 1,000 to 1,500 items in a typical home inspection, depending on the standard of practice.
We do all of this in just a few hours, often while:
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Buyers hover over us
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Buyers' dads hover over us
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Real estate agents hover over us
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Sellers ask questions
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Contractors or handymen walk through
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Everyone wants immediate answers
It’s a high-pressure environment that requires extreme focus and attention.
A contractor, on the other hand, usually shows up after the inspection with one job:
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Look at one specific thing.
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Diagnose that one specific thing.
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Suggest repairs for that one specific thing.
Inspectors don’t have the luxury of zooming in on a single concern. We are generalists with a broad overview. Contractors are specialists with narrow, focused expertise.
Of course a contractor will see more detail when they’re looking at a single issue. That doesn’t mean the inspector “missed something”—it means the contractor had a totally different scope.
2. Contractors Benefit Tremendously From Home Inspectors
This is the part contractors rarely mention:
Home inspectors send contractors BILLIONS of dollars in work every single year across the United States.
Every time a home inspector recommends:
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A plumber
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Electrician
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Roofer
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Foundation specialist
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HVAC tech
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Mold remediation company
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Pest control service
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Chimney sweep
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Structural engineer
…that’s money directly flowing to the contractor’s industry.
Throwing home inspectors under the bus is not only unprofessional—it’s biting the very hand that feeds them.
3. The “I Can’t Believe They Missed That” Line Is Usually Wrong
Let’s talk honestly about what inspectors “miss.”
Most of the time, the supposed “miss” is one of the following:
A. The item wasn’t visible at the time of inspection.
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Stored items blocked access
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Weather prevented evaluation
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The seller covered or concealed something
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The area was unsafe to enter
Home inspectors are legally and ethically required to avoid moving personal property, opening sealed surfaces, or accessing unsafe areas.
Contractors, on the other hand, can tear things apart freely.
B. The issue developed after the inspection.
This happens more than people think. Homes continue aging every day. A small drip can grow. A motor can fail. A breaker can go bad.
Contractors often assume the issue existed during the inspection—but that’s not always true.
C. The contractor didn’t understand inspection standards.
Plenty of contractors think inspectors should:
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Cut open drywall
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Move furniture
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Open sealed panels
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Disassemble HVAC systems
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Perform code enforcement
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Diagnose engineering-level problems
Those things are beyond the scope of every home inspector on earth.
D. The contractor is exaggerating the issue to win the customer.
This is… common.
Some contractors instinctively position themselves as the “expert hero” by subtly making the previous professional look incompetent.
It’s a marketing trick—not a factual evaluation.
4. Hovering Buyers and Family Members Make the Job Harder
Here’s an industry reality most people don’t understand:
When buyers hover over the inspector nonstop, it increases the chance that something gets overlooked.
Inspectors need to:
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Test outlets
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Open panels
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Examine roofs
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Evaluate structure
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Document defects
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Take dozens or hundreds of photos
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Work in attics and crawlspaces
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Review codes and standards
All while answering:
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“What does that mean?”
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“Is this normal?”
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“How much will that cost?”
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“Can I still buy the house?”
When buyers or buyers’ dads follow the inspector around talking the entire time, it pulls attention away from the inspection itself.
Contractors don’t deal with this. They walk in privately, look at one thing, and offer an opinion in peace and quiet. That’s a very different environment.
5. Contractor Criticism Hurts the Client Most of All
When a contractor tries to undermine the home inspector, it creates unnecessary doubt and fear for the homeowner.
It can lead to:
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Confusion
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Distrust
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Misinformation
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Overblown repair estimates
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Unneeded negotiations
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False alarm
A good contractor should cooperate with inspectors—not compete with them.
Clients benefit when professionals respect each other’s expertise.
6. Inspectors and Contractors Should Work as a Team, Not Rivals
The truth is simple:
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Inspectors identify issues.
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Contractors diagnose and repair issues.
It’s a perfect partnership. Inspectors create the need for contractor services, and contractors solve the problems inspectors find.
When both professions work together with professionalism and respect, the homeowner wins.
7. The Bottom Line: Throwing Inspectors Under the Bus Helps No One
The home inspection industry is a massive engine driving work toward:
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Roofers
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HVAC companies
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Electricians
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Plumbers
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Foundation experts
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Pest control
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Mold remediators
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Exterior contractors
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Handymen
Contractors should not be tearing down the people who send them business every single day—it’s short-sighted and unprofessional.
More importantly, it confuses and misleads the homeowner, which is the opposite of what ethical professionals should do.
A better approach is collaboration, communication, and respect.
Home inspectors and contractors are both essential to the health, safety, and longevity of a home. When we work together, everyone wins—especially the client.
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