There’s something they never tell you when you start a business in the real estate industry:
If you tell the truth too clearly, too consistently, or too unapologetically, you’ll pay for it.
I’m not talking about mistakes. I’m not talking about being wrong. I’m talking about the price of being right, and saying it out loud.
I’m a home inspector. That means my job is to uncover what others can’t see—or won’t admit.
Over the last 12+ years, I’ve learned something hard and undeniable: This industry doesn’t reward thoroughness. It punishes it.
I Didn’t Lose Business Because I Was Incompetent. I Lost It Because I Told the Truth.
Let’s call this what it is: a culture of suppression. Not openly, not in writing, but in real time and in subtle sabotage.
I’ve been boycotted. I’ve had agents throw away my marketing the moment I walked out the door. I’ve had gatekeepers block me at front desks. I’ve had agents smile at my face, take my cards, and never once use me, not because of my quality, but because I was too “picky.”
You know what “picky” really means?
It means I caught something they didn’t want to deal with. It means I told the truth before they had a chance to spin it. It means I didn’t let a broken HVAC or a cracked foundation slide just to keep a deal moving.
And for that, I became a threat.
The Gatekeepers and Their Gatekeepers
This industry doesn’t just have one level of protection. It has layers.
The receptionist who throws your cards away. The agent who keeps you off their “preferred list.” The broker who sets up pay-to-play relationships.
I’ve been told, implicitly and explicitly: if you want consistent referrals, you better play the game.
Smile more. Write less. Say it gently. Don’t be so clear. Don’t disrupt the sale.
But if I have to water down the truth to be accepted, I’m not interested in playing.
I was raised differently. My grandmother taught me to treat people right, no matter their color, income, lifestyle, or circumstance.
You know what treating people right looks like in real estate? Telling them the whole truth before they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on what might be a trap.
But the system doesn’t want that.
It wants illusion. Smooth closings. Fast commissions. No questions.
The Ethical Mask
The real estate industry wears ethics like a badge. But I’ve called the state before. I’ve asked, “Is this legal? Is this right?”
And every time the answer came back:
Well, based on the wording… it checks out.
Wording.
Not character. Not conscience. Not truth.
Just words arranged to look like integrity.
Meanwhile, the buyer is under pressure. The seller is confused. And the inspector is standing in the middle, holding the only truth that nobody wants to hear.
And sometimes that truth gets you sued. Or threatened. Or cut out.
All for doing the job they hired you to do.
These Aren’t Hypotheticals. These Are My Stories.
Some inspectors wouldn’t dare say this out loud—because honestly, this could be career suicide.
One time, we were hired for an inspection. The buyer did everything right: researched us, scheduled, and confirmed. We sent the standard notice to both agents, letting them know we’d be on-site, and to please make sure we had access to the crawlspace, attic, and panel.
Then we got a call from the buyer: confused, frustrated. The listing agent had said the seller refused to allow me—specifically—to inspect the property.
But the seller didn’t know me. They had no contact from us. The only possible source of that information? The listing agent. And this wasn’t the first time this agent had done this.
I took it to the state. Because buyers are supposed to have freedom to choose their inspector. But in that moment, the truth wasn’t allowed in. And I lost the job.
Another time, after conducting an inspection, the seller (or their agent) called us, angry. They wanted to know why we said such “bad things that weren’t true” about their home.
But it’s not their report. It belongs to the buyer. Legally and ethically, we can’t discuss anything unless the buyer gives us permission.
I calmly explained that. They pushed. They demanded. They threatened. I refused.
I got a one-star review for doing the right thing.
Another scenario? We finish an inspection, the buyer walks away, and a new potential buyer comes through their agent asking if they can have the report.
Again no permission, no sharing. The law is clear. But I’ve watched inspectors across the country break that rule under pressure—and set themselves up for lawsuits just to stay in the good graces of an agent.
This system makes it easy to do the wrong thing. It punishes you when you don’t.
So I stopped playing. I kept inspecting. I kept telling the truth.
And if that means being boycotted?
Let them.
Because I’d rather be boycotted for telling the truth than celebrated for protecting a lie.
And if you’ve ever been punished for doing the right thing, know this: you’re not alone either.
Coming Soon in Part 6: The Good Faith Test. When Truth Becomes the Advantage!