HOME BUYING
From Listings to Living
The buyer's inspector is booked for Saturday at 9 a.m. On Thursday the listing agent texts you: the buyers' agent is asking whether you will be out of the house. You work from home, the dog hates strangers, and you would honestly like to hear what the inspector says about the roof you replaced two years ago.
So should the seller be present at the home inspection? In most deals the seller is allowed to stay, because the standard contracts we reviewed grant the buyer access to the house without saying the owner has to leave. In practice, most sellers are better off stepping out. The inspection belongs to the buyer, who is paying for an inspector accountable to them, and a seller in the room tends to slow it down, color the conversation and hear findings that may matter later. The useful middle ground is to leave, stay reachable by phone, and set the house up so the inspector can reach everything.
This guide covers what the contract actually says, who attends, seller etiquette if you do stay, the preparation checklist, and the extra steps when the home is a condo.
Leevli Editorial Team
Start with your purchase contract, because that is where access comes from. Two state-promulgated forms are public and easy to check, and neither addresses whether the seller stays.
In the Texas Real Estate Commission's resale contract, TREC No. 20-19, paragraph 7A says the seller "shall permit Buyer and Buyer's agents access to the Property at reasonable times." The buyer may use inspectors the buyer selects, licensed by TREC or otherwise permitted by law. Any hydrostatic testing, a plumbing pressure test, needs the seller's separate written authorization. The seller must also turn on existing utilities at the seller's expense and keep them on while the contract is in effect. The form says nothing about whether the seller stays home. A seller in Austin can therefore stay in the house, but cannot block reasonable access or leave the gas off.
Colorado's mandatory residential contract, the Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate (Residential) in use since January 1, 2026, gives the buyer the right to inspections "by one or more third parties, personally or both," at the buyer's expense. Section 10.4 makes the buyer responsible for paying for any damage the inspections cause and for indemnifying the seller. Like the Texas form, it is silent on whether the seller attends. For a seller in Denver's Lincoln Park, the protection against a cracked tile is that indemnity clause, not standing guard.
Because the forms are silent, any home inspection seller policy you want has to be agreed between the agents or written into the deal. If you need to stay home for a reason that matters to you, such as a newborn, a health condition or an anxious pet, say so when the appointment is set and offer to stay in one room. If you are the buyer and want the seller out, ask before you book the inspector, not on the doorstep. Other states use other forms, and many contracts are drafted from scratch, so read the access clause in yours and ask your agent or a real estate attorney if it is unclear.
Neither form lists who may come. The home inspection attendance rules are whatever the contract and the agents agree, plus common sense about who the inspection serves.
| Person | Attends? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Inspector | Always | Hired by and accountable to the buyer |
| Buyer | Strongly recommended | The CFPB says attend if you can; seeing findings makes the report easier to read |
| Buyer's agent | Often | Hears findings firsthand before drafting a repair request |
| Listing agent | Sometimes | Opens the house and represents the seller's interests |
| Seller | Optional, usually better not to | It is still the seller's home, but the inspection is the buyer's |
| Specialists | If booked | Sewer scope, radon, pest or roof add-ons scheduled the same day |
| Tenant | If the home is rented | The tenant lives there, and landlord entry rules set the notice |
| Association or manager | Condos, for shared areas | Controls access to roofs, mechanical rooms and other common elements |
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau tells buyers to "attend the home inspection if you can" and says being present "makes it easier to interpret the inspection report." The InterNACHI home inspection FAQ goes further: "You should attend the inspection, and you should reconsider hiring an inspector who doesn't allow this." A tenant-occupied house adds the tenant's rights to the schedule; how much notice a landlord owes depends on the state, as explained in renters rights.
Yes, under the forms above, the seller can be at the home inspection. Whether it helps the seller is another question, and the answer is usually no, for four practical reasons.
The better route for sharing what you know is paper. Leave permits, repair invoices, warranties and the ages of the roof, water heater and HVAC on the kitchen counter, labeled, with your phone number for anything the inspector cannot find.
Sometimes staying is unavoidable. If you agreed to be home, a few habits keep it from costing you:
Preparation matters more than presence. The current ASHI Standard of Practice says inspectors are not required to "move personal property, furniture, equipment, plants, soil, snow, ice, and debris." Anything blocked usually goes in the report as not inspected, which reads like a reason for doubt and can mean a return visit.
Sellers sometimes worry the inspector will open walls or pry up flooring. Standard inspections are visual, and the standards do not call for opening walls or destructive testing; the limits are laid out in what home inspectors are not allowed to do. In Texas, the standard form requires your written authorization before any hydrostatic test, and as owner you decide whether anything else invasive happens.
For buyers the question runs the other way, and the answer is simpler: go. Following the inspector shows you where the shutoffs are, what "monitor" means for that crack, and which items the inspector could not reach. Bring the system list from our home inspection checklist and tick off what was inspected.
Timing also matters to the buyer. The inspection happens while the listing typically shows as under contract and the contingency clock is running; pending vs under contract explains what each status means for your right to walk away. If the seller accepted your offer with a home-sale contingency, they may have kept a kick-out clause, so showings to other buyers can continue around your inspection. A lender that skips its appraisal changes none of this; the property inspection waiver guide explains why the buyer's own inspection still matters.
In a condo, the inspection has a narrower scope and more people with keys. ASHI's standard excludes "common elements and common areas in multiunit housing, such as condominium properties and cooperative housing." Florida's licensing law defines the "home" an inspector inspects to exclude the common areas of condominiums and cooperatives, in Florida Statutes 468.8311. Which pipes and walls belong to the unit is set by the declaration, explained in what a condo is.
So the seller of a condo has two jobs. Inside the unit, the checklist above applies. For anything shared, such as a roof access door, the mechanical room or a storage cage, the seller or listing agent has to ask the association or its manager in advance, because the association decides who gets into those spaces and when. Our guide to HOA and property management explains who to call for what. Picture an illustrative lakefront unit in Chicago's Edgewater Beach: the inspector can check the unit's electrical panel and the stains under the window, but the building's boiler and roof belong to the association. Sellers preparing the rest of the condo sale will find the paperwork side in how to sell a condo.
This article explains general practice, not legal advice. For a question about your contract's access terms, ask your agent or a real estate attorney in your state. To hear how inspections actually went in a specific building, ask current owners on Ask a Resident, or compare buildings on Leevli's listings.
Neighbors who sold or bought recently know how inspections actually run in their building or on their street, including the access problems that never show up in a contract.
Listings show the property, but they rarely explain the lived reality around it. On Leevli, a mover can explore the city, review neighborhood and building information, and ask a verified resident the specific questions that remain unanswered. That human layer helps readers know what to investigate before signing a lease, making an offer, or choosing between two addresses.
Usually not, though it is generally allowed. The Texas and Colorado standard contracts give the buyer access for inspections without requiring the seller to leave. Sellers who stay tend to hear findings meant for the buyer and slow the walkthrough. Leave documents, keys and a phone number, and agree on any reason to stay home before inspection day.
If the contract is silent, the house is still the seller's until closing, so the buyer cannot simply order the seller out. The fix is negotiation: ask through the agents, and if it matters, put an attendance term in the contract or an addendum. A seller who agrees early also avoids an awkward standoff at the front door on inspection day.
The inspector and, ideally, the buyer, who the CFPB encourages to attend. Agents often come, the buyer's to hear findings and the listing agent to open the house. Specialists join if booked. The seller is optional. In a rental, the tenant may be home, and in a condo the association or manager may need to open shared areas.
Stay in one room or outside, keep pets secured, and answer only the inspector's factual questions, such as where a shutoff is. Do not follow the inspector, argue findings or quote repair prices, and skip the buyer's walkthrough. Avoid running laundry, the dishwasher or showers during the visit, since the inspector may be testing water and drains.
Attendance is mostly set by contract, and the Texas TREC resale form and Colorado's residential contract are both silent on it. State law does change the edges: Texas requires the seller to keep utilities on under its form and bars inspectors from sharing results without client approval, and tenant entry notice rules vary by state when the home is rented.
Plan for a morning or an afternoon. InterNACHI says a general inspection may last up to three hours, and large homes, add-on tests such as a sewer scope or radon setup, and the buyer's walkthrough can add time. Ask the buyer's agent for a start time and an estimated finish, and keep your phone on in case the inspector needs a key.
Check the contract. Colorado's residential form makes the buyer pay for damage caused by inspections and indemnify the seller. Other forms and custom-drafted contracts handle it differently, and some inspectors carry insurance for it. Document the condition of fragile items before the visit, and report any damage to your agent the same day so it can be raised in writing.
Keep all utilities on, clear space in front of the electrical panel, water heater and furnace, open the attic hatch and crawl space route, and unlock the garage, sheds and gates. Put permits, receipts and warranties on the counter. Secure pets and plan to leave. Anything blocked is likely to be written up as not inspected.
Often, yes, if the buyer's side agrees. The listing agent can open the house, answer access questions and represent the seller's interests without the seller in the room. The listing agent still works for the seller, so buyers may prefer to save their most candid questions for the walkthrough with their own agent and inspector.
Leaving the house hard to inspect. A locked garage, boxes stacked in front of the panel, a jammed attic hatch or utilities shut off in a vacant home turn into "not inspected" lines, a return trip, and a nervous buyer. Hovering and arguing with the inspector come a close second, because they rarely change the report.
This article is informational and does not constitute legal, financial, tax or insurance advice.
