Thursday, July 18, 2013

Home Inspectors Need A Website

4 Ways a Website Can Help Your Small Inspection Business

When was the last time you used the Yellow Pages to look up a business? When looking for a home inspection company to hire, most homeowners and realtors search the internet instead, and often judge whether or not to do business with your company based on your website or lack thereof.

If you are a small company, you may doubt the necessity of having a website, but even a simple 3 to 5 page site can help engage and convert interested business prospects. Consider the following benefits of having an online presence for your business.

1.      Potential new clients will be able to learn more about you. A website can be an easily accessible resource where referrals can learn more about your home inspection services. Rather than calling to follow up, leaving voicemails and playing phone tag, potential new clients will be able to simply search your business online.

Make sure to clearly state your name and the inspection services available on your website’s homepage. According to John Zhuang of Web-design and SEO-optimization firm Winning Interactive, a clear description will attract visitors’ attention within 2 to 3 seconds and encourage them to stay on your website longer.
 
2.      Find and connect with new clients. Many home inspection companies rely on word-of-mouth advertising from past clients to book new jobs. A website, however, can help expand your client base to realtors and homeowners searching for inspection services online. Through search engine optimization, your site will appear when a keyword related to your website is searched. 

Once they’ve landed on your website, make sure interested visitors know how to get in touch with you via phone or e-mail. The best place for contact information is the top left or right corner of your home page, according to Entrepreneur.com.  

3.      Making updates on a website is easier and less expensive. Advertising your services with a lawn sign, on your vehicle or through the mail are great ways to gain more exposure. However, updating the text or design of a marketing piece and then paying to print new material can add up. With software like Adobe Contribute, you can make simple edits to your website yourself for a much cheaper cost.  

Ron Wright, founder of business Web design and online marketing firm Accentix, suggests incorporating a regularly-updated blog or connecting in social media feeds to keep content from getting stale.  

4.      Your company will look professional and established, while extending your brand. A website can help your business make a positive first impression by letting visitors know you are stable enough to have a dedicated Web presence. If potential clients’ questions can be answered in an attractive, well-written, easy-to-use website, they are more likely to form a good opinion of your company.  

Customer testimonials will also help potential clients build trust in your brand, so ask those who have had a good experience with your company to write a review for your website. 

In 2013, your home inspection business simply can’t afford to be invisible online. Although a website will require extra time and money to create and maintain, you will soon find that having a good website is well worth the effort!

Sources:


The above article was written by guest blogger, Marie Bumbalough.  Marie Bumbalough is a home improvement content wrangler for Protect Your Home and covers topics from home security to heating and cooling. 

"Happy Inspecting"
Canspec Home Publishing
 

 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Protecting Our Property From Copyright Infringers

It seems my own clients aren’t the only ones who appreciate the great qualities of HomeReport®.  Some months ago, I hired a copyright lawyer to serve cease and desist letters to two separate large home inspection firms.  At this time, lawyers for those two firms are passing letters back and forth with my own lawyer and we are still hoping to come to a peaceful resolution. 


 
The documents in question pertain to the HomeReport® contract and page opposite entitled “What You Should Expect From Your Inspection”. We are now in our 12th edition of HomeReport®, but the publication dates back to the first edition which was written in 1999.

Let me be clear, I have never licensed my material to any third parties, ever.  So, if you are using a home inspection report that incorporates a “What You Should Expect From Your Inspection” page or such a page is near, or is referenced in, the body of your contract page, your report may contain material that has been misappropriated from HomeReport®. HomeReport® starts the What You Should Expect From Your Inspection Page off with the following wording: “A home inspection is part of the path to making a more informed home purchase decision.  It is intended to provide peace of mind by offering a technical review of the home.  This review usually entails a VISUAL INSPECTION of the major systems…..”  
 
Don’t be fooled by the pretenders, get the full benefits of HomeReport®, not the cut and paste imitations that are floating around the market.  We know why others want our material, it’s because it’s the best.  Our Contract and What You Should Expect From Your Inspection pages are invaluable portions of the industry leading HomeReport® Home Inspection Reporting System.
 
If you are in doubt, or at all concerned, about the validity of the contract or “What You Should Expect From Your Inspection” page in your inspection reports, you can contact myself, Sharon Purtill, founder of Canspec Home Publishing and co-author of HomeReport® for more information.   You can reach me through the website at www.canspechomepublishing.com or email me directly at sharon@canspechomepublishing.com

It is sad that anyone can just take copyrighted material and use it and it’s up to the owner of such material to pursue justice and have them cease and desist.  It can be a very draining and costly process protecting copyright, something the thieves don’t seem to care anything about.   Stolen copyrighted material should be no different than stealing a book right out of your house.  Theft is theft, or at least it should be.  However, the Canadian courts don’t see it that way.  They say we must fight for our rights to protect our material in civil court, not criminal court.   So, that is what I will do.  I believe in honesty, integrity and honour, but it seems not all businesses run on these principles. 
 
Sharon Purtill,
Owner, Canspec Home Publishing

 

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

An Important Decision For Home Inspectors

One of the most important decisions a professional home inspector makes is what type of inspection reporting system to use for his/her inspection business.   The inspection report you choose can have a major impact on whether you succeed or fail in the business. 
 
There are several types of inspection reporting systems on the market today, but basically they fall into two categories, electronic or written. 
 
With an electronic inspection report, the inspector usually delivers a memory stick also commonly referred to as a jump stick or a Internet website and access code.  With the memory stick, all the client's reporting information is stored on the stick and they leave the inspection with this in hand.  Once they have access to a computer, they can use the memory stick to access their inspection report.   When the inspector is using an Internet based inspection report, the client will receive the url address where they can go to enter their personal inspection report code.  This will give them online access to their inspection report.
 
With a written inspection report, like HomeReport, the client leaves the inspection with their full report in hand.  This makes it convenient and easy for home buyers to review their inspector's findings in detail so they can comfortably make their purchase decision within the confines of their purchase contract/agreement.  Not to mention the perceived value added by receiving a substantial physical report. 
 
There are also inspectors who choose different types of written reports or even do their own narrative written report following the inspection.  They write up the inspection report and then make arrangements to deliver it to the client, some 24-72 hours after the inspection.  The problem with not receiving the report at the inspection is that, often, clients must make purchase decisions before they actual have their report.
 
If you are new to the home inspection business, the choice of which way to go with regards to your reporting can be a bit confusing.   One of the main places that inspectors will get referrals is from Realtors because they are the ones working with home buyers on a regular basis.  We recently received some unsolicited feedback from a Realtor about home inspection reporting and we thought it was well worth sharing.
 
"With over 20 years in Real Estate, I have worked with many home inspectors. I have seen many different types of inspection reports but I had to contact you to tell you the reaction HomeReport received. My clients recently hired an inspector who delivered HomeReport to them at the inspection and I have to tell you their reaction to your report was amazing. They appreciated how well put together the inspection report was. They especially appreciated the value added sections on home maintenance, budgeting and even the envelopes in the back for keeping track of all their expenses. My clients were beaming when the inspector reviewed the report with them. I just don’t see this reaction from the inspectors I work with that hand over a jump stick or password to an electronic report. There is something about the value my clients see in your very detailed written reporting system. I will always try to refer inspectors who deliver HomeReport."
Sincerely JoAnne Muegge, RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd.
 
We want to close this post by saving again that we know you have a choice with what type of reporting system you use in your inspection business.  We just hope that, before you make a final decision, you check out HomeReport for yourself because we truly believe it's a system that has helped many inspectors build strong inspection businesses right from the start.

Wishing you continued success in all that you do,

Canspec Home Publishing