It's generally fine to let your agent refer an inspector, as long as the final choice stays with you. An experienced agent has watched dozens of inspections and knows who is thorough. The concern you've heard about, an agent steering you toward a "friendly" inspector who soft-pedals problems to keep the deal alive, is worth naming, and the fix is simple: a good agent offers a name and hands you the decision rather than insisting. Jeb's own arrangement with his inspector is blunt. If the inspector finds something serious enough that a client shouldn't buy the home, he's expected to say so plainly. And in about 20 years, the number of inspections that surfaced a truly deal-killing issue has been small. You don't have to take anyone's word for it, though. Read the inspector's Google reviews, ask how they're regarded locally, and if you'd rather use someone with no connection to the transaction at all, do that. The report is yours, so make sure it's written by someone you trust to tell you the truth.