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

Get More Exposure For Your Home Inspection Business

Wouldn't it be great if, while on an inspection, you could be marketing your services to all the passers by?  There is a very inexpensive way for you to do exactly that!  

 

Why not consider an inexpensive lawn sign that can be placed on the lawn of the home you are inspecting during your time on the property?  Once you arrive you put up your sign up for all passers by to see and take it down at the end of your inspection.  One place you can get a sign is from a company called Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com).  It's convenient because it's all done online and at a great price. You can chose from dozens of already set designs or upload your own design and/or logo.  Personalizing the sign with your own logo and look is always the best option.  It helps keep it consistent with all your other home inspection marketing materials and reinforces your brand.   When designing your lawn sign, you'll want to ensure you don't over load it with too much information.  It's important that the key information is easy to see from the street.  Your company name, phone number and website are the most critical.  You'd simply say something like "This home is being inspected today by ABC Inspections"  Then add your company name, phone number and website.

 

A lawn sign is a completely reusable form of marketing so once you make the small initial investment into the sign itself you can reuse it over and over and over again.  You just never know how many people could drive by during the course of your inspection that may be in need of an inspection themselves.   Time to implement this idea: a minute to put it up as soon as you arrive onsite and a minute to take it down when you are ready to leave.  So, even the time investment to try this marketing idea is minimal.

 

The other form of onsite marketing that many inspectors already use is advertising on their vehicle.  Your vehicle is parked outside the property you are inspecting for somewhere between 2-3 hrs on average.  Depending on the area, there could be many passers by during this time and having your company name and contact information on your vehicle, just like on a lawn sign, is a great way to market while you work.   However, some inspectors prefer not to advertise on their vehicle.  In some instances, the seller may be trying to keep a low profile and has decided to list their home for sale without placing a sign on the lawn.  In this instance, an inspector with an unmarked vehicle may be perferred.  If you are inspecting a home that does not have a realtor for sale sign, you may want to ask before putting up your own inspection sign.  This is because, it may be one of those times when the seller is trying to keep a low profile.

 

So, what do you think?  Is a lawn sign something you might be willing to try to get more exposure for your home inspection business?  Is a lawn sign something you are already using?  Leave us a comment below, we'd love to hear your feedback.

 

If you are looking for more marketing ideas, why not consider Home Inspection Marketing For Success.  Many inspectors have already used the information in Marketing For Success to create very profitable inspection businesses. 

 

Happy Inspecting, Everyone!

Canspec Home Publishing home of HomeReport, your detailed, client friendly reporting system. www.canspechomepublishing.com

Book More Home Inspections. Have Your Home Inspection Company Stand Out From The Pack!

Our competitor claims almost 80% of inspectors today use an online or electronic type reporting system.  If that's true, that's great news for our home inspector clients!!  The incredible reaction our clients get when they deliver HomeReport™ at the inspection is why over a million dollars in copies have been sold and why clients stay with HomeReport™ year after year!

We've seen a few of our home inspector clients that have left HomeReport™ to go the electronic route and some who have come right back to us!  Those inspectors have told us the main reason they came back was they lost the “WOW” effect HomeReport™ gave them at the home inspection.   These home inspectors also told us that while going the electronic route sounded like it would be the faster reporting route, it actually took more time when they factored in the online work they still needed to do after the inspection!

One of the ways to book more inspections and to grow your home inspection business is to stand out from the crowd.  If it's true 80% aren't delivering a detailed and comprehensive report onsite, one that is more that just a few pages in a flimsy folder, then inspectors that use HomeReport™ already stand out! HomeReport™ clients have no other work to complete when they get home.  When the inspection is over, so is the reporting.   These inspectors also don't leave their clients waiting to hear when their full report is finally ready for download.

Standing out "is" the result you’re after when you are marketing your home inspection services.  If you market the same as other inspectors and do everything the same as 80% of the pack, you can't stand out!  Our HomeReport™ clients make up part of the 20% of inspectors who offer the “Wow” effect at the inspection with a great onsite home inspection report.

It's kind of funny because our competitor must believe that doing the same as the rest of the pack must be a good thing.  If they didn’t believe this, why would they advertise 80% of inspectors do this, therefore, you should too? Reality is, it's doing the opposite of the pack that's going to get you noticed.  It's kind of like stocks, when everyone else is buying, smart investors are selling and when everyone else is selling, smart investors are angling for great buying opportunities.

If you want to book more inspections, take more market share and really see your business rise above the pack of other home inspectors out there, you have to market differently, report differently and deliver differently!   Building a great home inspection business isn't about doing what 80% of inspectors are doing.  It is about standing apart, above the crowd and creating a different experience, one that home buying clients will stand up and take notice of.

On a personal note, after taking a break from the business for a few years to pursue other interests, like trying his hand at house flipping, my husband is retuning to his first love, home inspections.  Well, to be honest, he never really completely took his nose out of the game.  He has and will continue to help support my HomeReport™ clients.  He even set up and continues to act as moderator of our tech talk forum which is an informative and educational resource, exclusive to HomeReport™ users.  This forum helps inspectors connect with other inspectors, get questions answered, offer each other valuable support and industry specific information that is often difficult to obtain on your own.

He'll be stepping out again in the coming weeks after his website is up and marketing material is printed. We are located in a completely different service area than we were when he last built up a single inspector firm to a six inspector firm.  He did that rapidly by taking more and more market share through always delivering the wow effect!  You can be sure he won’t be marketing the same as the other inspectors in this area, nor will he be using an electronic reporting system and handing just a few pages to the clients at the inspection.

There was no thought given towards any other inspection reporting system.  He'll be setting himself apart from the crowd again as he steps out with HomeReport™ from his very first inspection.   I look forward to sharing how it all goes with you as he once again builds an inspection company from scratch.   His last company is still going strong to this day because he sold it to one of the very capable senior inspectors that was on his team.

This time around, He will be in a similar boat to many new home inspectors out there, trying to break into a new service area.  An area where there are already many established home inspectors, most who have been serving this area for many years. 

To ensure he brings the "wow effect", he'll be putting all the marketing tips and suggestions I make in my Home Inspection Marketing For Success CD's to work.  He will implement the strategies on how to successfully market a new inspection company and then continue to market with consistency, just like I teach on the CDs.   This will put him on his way to booking more, and more, inspections and growing a viable home inspection company from scratch.

If you would like to learn more about marketing your home inspection company or wish to check out our report, please visit www.canspechomepublishing.com.   You might even be surprised to see some of the celebrity personalities good marketing can reach :) Wishing you success in all that you do, sincerely Sharon Purtill, owner Canspec Home Publishing.

Home Inspection as a Career

I was recently interviewed by onlinecollege.org and thought I would share the interview with you.   I hope that if you are considering Home Inspection as a Career Choice, you will find the following information helpful.  Sincerely, Sharon Purtill

Sharon Purtill, owns a company with her husband, Tim Purtill, and took the time out of her day to help answer the following questions from her husband's perspective as she personally is not a home inspector. Their company is http://www.canspechomepublishing.com/ and they both are delighted to be able to serve the home inspection industry through their company.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
With a background as a licensed electrician and building experience it seemed a good fit. I think those that look at home inspection as a career and have some type of building, construction or related trade as a background do have an advantage over those that come from unrelated backgrounds.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
There are formal courses for home inspectors that vary by province or state. Someone interested in this training should start by contacting their Provincial or State Association for more information on when and where courses are available. Most education will lead to some kind of formal certification or license.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?

A related background may allow you to write a challenge exam, for example an electrician can usually write a challenge exam and, with a pass, be able to skip the formal electrical training course, which was our case. Mentoring was critical, and no amount of class training can prepare you to be dropped in front of a house and told "Go. Inspect it".

How did your education help you in your career?
If what you mean is, how did my inspection education help, then I say….There are many good inspection courses out there and you can benefit greatly from those that offer real examples of real defects and gain a much greater understanding of the building envelope as a whole. Many courses will also take inspectors into the field which is even more beneficial. The education will also teach inspectors how to properly prepare written reports for clients and ensure that inspectors understand the legal risks involved with the profession. If what you mean, how did my prior education help, then in my case (electrical) the apprenticeship education was invaluable in thoroughly understanding the electrical system and how it relates to the rest of the house.

What was your career path like in this field? 
Very rewarding! We went from working with another inspection company to branching out on our own as a single inspector firm doing 3 inspections in our first week to becoming a multi-inspector firm performing over 1000 inspections a year in a very short time. It really boils down to the amount of work you are prepared to put in and the overall value of the services you can offer. While working for the other inspector firm in the beginning was not very financially rewarding, looking back, the apprenticeship was invaluable.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
Unfortunately, in many areas, there is absolutely no formal training required. In some areas, one can decide to become a home inspector and hang out his business shingle the same day. But this is very scary! A home is the largest investment most people will ever make and stepping into a position of advisor without any formal education is only asking for a lawsuit. Having said that, a home inspector absolutely must have a thorough overall understanding of all the systems in a house and how they relate and impact each other. On top of that, an inspector must also have excellent communication skills in order to properly educate the client regarding the condition of the home.

What do you do on a typical work day?
As a property inspector, a typical work day includes always monitoring your phones, or having someone who can do this for you as we believe it is rude to take calls when on an inspection with clients present. You can be doing two to three inspections in a typical day and writing and delivering a full report onsite for each of those inspection clients. At the end of the day, your inspection and client information is usually entered into a client database. You may visit offices of realtors or mortgage brokers while in your travels to drop off marketing material to help promote your business. Of course, home inspectors are generally small business owners, so there is all the administrative upkeep for running the business as well..

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field? 
At this point we feel we have advanced in that we are no longer doing inspections. We are now a company that services the inspection industry by providing marketing help, business consulting and a wonderful home inspection reporting system called HomeReport, which is now in its 11th edition. We sold the inspection side of our business to one of our senior inspectors following more than a decade performing home and small commercial inspections.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
As much as this is a technical job with technical training, it really is a people job and having a good personality and being able to connect with your clients is a huge part of what makes for a successful home inspector. So, while it's important to have the technical background and training, I think the best inspectors are the ones that can build rapport quickly and easily with their clients and have a good use of language so that they are able to explain things in a way that clients can understand and appreciate.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Know going in that it is a tough industry to break into because there are many good established inspectors out there. Problem for the new inspector is that people don't want to work with the new inspector. It would be great if you could befriend a seasoned inspector and get some time training in the field under this inspector prior to going it alone. Working for an established company for a while first might help you get some inspections under your belt before you go it alone. With some experience, it will be easier to convince clients they should hire you. You will need to market yourself aggressively. You should price yourself in line with the experienced inspectors in your area so as not to send up a red flag that you are new, which is often taken as inexperienced, something people don't want when being advised on their largest investment. Be sure to market value, not in price but in the full service that you offer. You need to offer more and be more than the competitor. If a home inspection career is really what you want, don't give up! It is a fun and rewarding career that can have good financial benefits as well.

If you would like information on how to Market Your Inspection Business for Success, please visit our website and check out "Marketing For Success"  
Happy Inspecting!
Sharon Purtill, Canspec Home Publishing

Home Inspectors Can Save Money With Email Money Transfer!

A great way to offer convenience and save the small business owner money at the same time.

Are you looking for another way to take payment from your Home Inspection clients but are hoping to avoid the high costs associated with accepting credit cards?  Email money transfer may be the solution you are looking for.   If you and your client are both set up for online banking, you can transfer money via email.  It's safe and neither party needs to share any of their banking information.  

It's super convenient!  May inspectors and their clients carry smartphones now which means you have instant access to log in to your online banking right at the inspection.   Client forget their cheque?  No problem.  If you both have smart phones, the client just logs into their online banking service, selects the option "send money by email"  and then enters the email address they wish to send the money to (this would be the inspectors email address) and the amount they wish to transfer.   They select the account they wish the money to be transferred out of and enter a security question that you (the receiver) will need to answer to receive the money.  This could be as simple as the contract number or the street the inspection was done on.   Then hit send.  

Within minutes, you will receive an email notifying you that someone has sent you money.   In the email, there will be a link that will open up a window allowing you to select the bank you bank with.  From there, you will be able to log into your own online banking account.   You will then be asked what the answer is to the the sender's security question.  If you correctly answer this question, you will be asked which account you would like the money deposited to.   Then, bam! - the money is now in your account.

If you know the client or you don't carry a smart phone with Internet access you could even have the client pre-pay so this transfer is complete ahead of your arrival at the home inspection.

So easy!  So convenient!  The cost of the service varies and is based on the sender's bank's rate for the service, but at most major banks, the cost ranges between $1.00-$1.50 per transfer.   This is paid by the sender.  

So, save hundreds on credit card merchant fees and, instead of accepting credit cards, suggest all your clients pay you by email money transfer!

I hope this article was helpful.    I wish you continued success in the home inspection business.

Happy Inspecting,

Sharon Purtill
Canspec Home Publishing

Marketing Your Inspection Company Through Email

While we're big believers in marketing through direct mail, at least a few times a year, we know marketing by email can also be very effective for home inspectors, if done correctly.  

First things first, every time you market your services to your target audience, the information you send MUST have value.   It's not enough to say "hi, here I am, you should hire us for your inspection needs".  You need to give them something that they find valuable.   Choose a topic that you are knowledgeable in, write a piece about it and send it to your target audience.  Some good examples of topics home inspectors may choose would be:  Pro and Cons of Energy Efficiency, Dating a Home, Insurance Issues, Basement Dampness, Protecting Your Investment, New Home Warranty, Termites, Radon, Thermography, Electrical, Plumbing, Older homes etc. etc. etc.   You get the idea.

You should also include a link to your website and contact information in your marketing piece.

It's helpful to design the piece you write in such a way that your target audience can easily share it with others they feel would benefit.  For example, if you are emailing your piece to Realtors, you should let them know it is ok to share the information with their clients.   This leverages the value of the information you send out and can result in increased referrals.

You'll want the overall look and feel of your piece to be consistent, polished and professional looking with minimal effort on your part.   One of the ways to accomplish this is to use a service that can offer you design templates, help you track your results and easily communicate with as many people as you need to and do it all efficiently.

Here's a link to a company that can help you do this.   The best part is you can try the service for the first month for only $1.00.   This removes the risk and gives you the opportunity to see the features and benefits of the service.       www.marketingforsuccess.aweber.com

Hope you have found this to be useful information you can benefit from.

Your friends at Canspec Home Publishing