Articles
Inspector
BJ by
BJ Kirby (a continuing series)
NACHI
Women by
Judy Kirby
Communication
and Home
Inspectors by
Bruce Kirby
NACHI
WOMEN by
Judy Kirby
You
say you are watching your inspection business grow; however, not as
fast as you would like. Could your business use a little boost? The
purpose of this article is to give the Women of NACHI (National
Association of Certified Home Inspectors) a few ideas or suggestions
on how they can contribute to the success of their Home Inspection
business. Of course, the “NACHI WOMEN” include, but is not
limited to; Certified Inspectors, wives of C.H.I.'s, office managers,
secretaries, etc., and does not necessarily exclude men. Some of
these tips may apply to them as well. In general I have geared this
to wives. Read on.
It
has
been said, “Behind every successful man, there is a strong,
supportive, encouraging, loving, helpful woman, with a pointed toe
shoe.” Some call this a “helpmate”.
Each
of us is born with unique qualities, talents, abilities and
personality traits. The first step is to define your strengths and
utilize them. For example; in the husband-wife business, one of you
is bound to be better at taking the phone calls and “closing the
sale”. That person should be the phone person whenever possible. If you
are equal in this area – lucky you! One of you may be
better at the meticulous paper work/reports/accounting/filing, etc.,
that person should do those tasks, and so on. If you are equally
talented in all areas, divide the work load. If you are both,
do-everything-yourself type people, do not take on more than you can
handle and take turns instead of getting burned out. Ladies, do
whatever it takes. Make the sacrifices today and play tomorrow.
Often
small sacrifices are needed and the gains (not always visible right
away – delayed gratification), are rewarding. Adjusting the
budget may fall into this area for some of us. Not always buying on
a whim and being willing to put profits back into the company are
important. Domestic duties is another delicate subject for some. I
find it works best to schedule in your domestic chores, but remain
flexible. Sometimes the dirty dished will just have to wait. (If
you are a cleaning and organizing fanatic, like I am, this can be
tough!) If you can convince your husband to share in those duties
they get accomplished faster leaving more free time for both of you.
Here
is a short list of tips or suggestions I think will be helpful;
Take
an Active Part
- This may not be possible for everyone. Many of us have a career
that will not afford the time for more responsibilities. However; if
you want to be involved, read on.
Make
a commitment to be a team. Do your part to pick up the slack.
Voice an opinion. (That does not include nagging.) Make
coffee on those late nights when two or more reports are in the
process and computers and software will not cooperate. If it is
feasible, go on the Home Inspection together.
Get
Educated – Read,
study and learn all you can about homes, home inspections,
marketing, NACHI, etc. The benefits of education are explosive and
can be fun, too. Adding to your knowledge base raises your self
esteem and self confidence with clients and Realtors, whether in
person and on the phone. You will find you can take part in
discussions pertaining to inspections in general and in your H.I.
Business. You do not have to be an expert! When you do not know
something make a note to research it. A side benefit to all of this
is the strengthened relationship you will find with your spouse.
Join
NACHI
– This step may seem like a bit too much for some women, but if it
is doable, get certified and join NACHI; It is not a difficult
process and can be an asset to your company. For example; market
your company with two Certified Home Inspectors.
Marketing
– There are many excellent classes, seminars and books on marketing
your business. Try to sign up, attend and read as many as can. Then
use what works for you. My focus for this article is on marketing
your spouse, (or C.H.I.), as well as your company, on an everyday
basis. You are “selling” your C.H.I. with all
communications whether by phone, email, message board, letter, fax,
or in-person conversations. When in-person, shake hands firmly with
everyone you meet and make sure your business card gets into their
hand. Use that confident professionalism you have been educating
yourself with. Try this method proudly at church socials, P.T.A.'s,
grocery store, health club, etc. No one will turn down your card and
many may even feel flattered that you thought them worthy of
receiving one.
Professionalism
- Always exude professionalism in your communications. The two
areas covered here are the phone and the message board.
Telephone:
Your recorded message should sound like a
business. Preferably
a big business. An example of a poor recorded message...
“residence of the Joe Schmo family, which includes Lisa, and
Billy, and little Katie, too.” An even worse recording is one by
your, adorable as they are, small children. Get the picture. Scenario;
The client calling this professional Home Inspector is
looking at a 1.5 million dollar home and what he hears in those
recordings might be; chewing gum, wet diapers, fingerprints, and so
on.
Yes
it is true that clients prefer a live voice and you should
answer your phone whenever possible. Never, never
allow small children to answer your business phone.
When
you are in the field forward you calls to your cellular phone.
(Remember, cell phones need the same professional recorded message).
Don't forget to check those messages and return all calls as soon as
possible. If you are at a Home Inspection you can excuse yourself to
take the call. It is a common practice and most clients are not
bothered by this. If you get their “permission” to answer
your phone before you start your inspection, (they always say yes),
they feel they are a part of the process. Your C.H.I. will not be
interrupted and your new client will get a live voice.
Lastly,
before you answer your phone – smile. “ABC Inspections,
this is Aimee, how may I help you?” is one of many styles of
greetings to use. However you answer your calls, be positive,
and under no circumstances be rude to potential clients or Realtors.
Never speak negative about competitors, be the expert on your
company not theirs. One badly handled conversation can be really
difficult to rectify later.
Message
Board:
The
message board is a new source of communication for many of you. It
is not complicated to use once you get the hang of it; however there
are protocols and certain etiquettes to follow. The main ones that
should concern a professional business person are;
a)
Always
write professionally on a public message board. This is part of your virtual
store front. We send our clients to the message
board
to check out NACHI. When clients comment that it appears to be a
place where a bunch of whining and complaining inspectors, combined
with unprofessional language and images, get together to play,
(having nothing better to do) it is embarrassing to have to make
excuses - “it must be a new guy..”. And hopefully, it is not a
veteran with 3000 posts.
b)
Never
break thread on purpose. There is a reason for this request.
Professionals do not have the time to sift through the garbage to
follow a thread. They are often looking for an answer. Be polite,
take a moment to start a new thread. If you don't know how to do
this someone will be glad to guide you through it. If you enjoy
distractions and have a short attention span, play somewhere else.
Positive
Attitude
- Negativity is a contagious enemy to your business. Once it starts
it is hard to stop. A positive attitude goes a long ways to getting
you through the tough places. Think positive - be positive. You
will schedule more inspections and build relationships.
Edify – You already know how to edify
your husband,
boss, C.H.I., etc. Don't forget to Edify NACHI! Use NACHI to grow
your business. That is one of it's purposes. Serve NACHI where you
can. Get on the message board. Give and take – do not babble. Use the
message board – don't confuse it! Join your local chapter. Start one if
there is none. Contribute.
Patience - If you are not. Work on it.
Don't be a
nag.
Investing versus Spending – Money invested
wisely will pay for itself. For example; software, books, tools,
conventions, etc. These are necessary items and are often tax
write-offs. (Check with your accountant.) Investing money is
necessary to grow your company and your C.H.I., not to mention your
income. Money spent is money gone. If not invested wisely,
it is spent, not recoupable, and may
eventually break you. If you can work from your home don't spend
money on the overhead of an office space, which if you are doing
inspections you won't be in anyway. Think before you invest.
Records - Treat you H.I. business as
any other
business – keep good records. Purchase accounting software or hire
a CPA or both. Save and label all receipts.
Advice – If you ask for advice and
receive it, from
a
successful person who has tried many methods and ideas, avoid saying “ya'
but, that won't work in the real world...” If you
haven't tried it, do not say it won't work. You only sound foolish.
Always consider the source of your advice and weigh things out.
Remember, one of the great things about advice is, you do not have to
take it. The final choice is always yours.
Communicate – Communication is vital.
Communicate
with your spouse, employee, client, Realtor and fellow NACHI members.
Do not be known as the one that “never answers emails” or “drops
the ball”. Always follow up on any issue you are
involved with.
Proper Dress – This area is a personal
pet peeve of
mine. Dressing professional when conducting business is not a new
concept. There have been hundreds of books and seminars directed
towards this subject. It makes a difference. By dressing
professionally you will be taken seriously, you will be remembered,
and treated as a business professional. This does not mean you must
wear a suit at all times; generally a shirt with company logo is
fine. A company or NACHI photo I.D. tag looks real professional.
Baseball caps are widely accepted across the country, but is is my
opinion that they are tacky and unprofessional. Don't let you
C.H.I's or your husband wear one to work or to meetings if you can
persuade them without too much strife. Bottom line – dress right. You
will feel different, act different and will be seen as a
professional.
Finally, ladies, some practical solutions to consider;
The Home Inspection Industry is a seasonal business in
most areas of
the country. That means you need to plan for the lean times. Plan
ahead. When the income is high put away money and food (non
perishable supplies) for the slow times. Buy your office supplies
wholesale when possible. Work out a system for budgeting that works
for you. There are many methods. Check with your accountant.
Here is a example of what it might look like;
Home
Inspection Income – Total from each inspection *
Tithe 10% * Savings
10% * Self 10%
* Rainy
Day 10% * Back into the
business 60%
These are all merely ideas and suggestions to aid you
in your
business success. They are not meant as a guarantee.
Happy inspections!
©
2005 BJ Kirby
Communication
and Home
Inspectors by Bruce Kirby
Good
communication is both a necessity and a responsibility. Accurate and
rapid communication is more readily available than ever before in
history. We have computers, email, instant messenger, phones, cell
phones, satellite phones, 2-way radio, television, the list goes on.
These are all methods or channels of communication.
I believe
the only way to be successful in the Home Inspection industry is to
be a good communicator. That is a two-fold process.
First of
all, you must use the methods at your disposal to physically
get your message to others. I know a handful of individuals good in
this area. Lorne Steiner and Nick Gromicko, being two of them. We
use email to communicate quickly back and forth. Another useful tool
is one of the instant messenger programs
available. They are quick and easy to use. Do not forget about the
phone. People appreciate hearing a real voice on occasion.
Have you
ever sent an email and received no response? Real annoying, is it
not? I realize there is a lot of spam out there and we all use a lot
of filters to stop spam from reaching our inbox, but this also stops
legitimate messages from coming through. I have encountered clients,
realtors, friends, and business associates - I had to phone and tell
them to shut off their filters. Seems like a waste. I keep my
filters at a minimum so I do not miss the important emails. People
prefer to get some type of response (even if it is automated). This
is the same reason why voice mail has become so popular.
If you
expect your business to grow you need to be in communication with
your customers. Years ago, before we started our company, we called
every inspector we could find. Only one answered their phone. Out
of all the messages we left with the others, (those that had voice
mail or children answering their phone), only one responded. I knew
then, we could be successful. When we are not at the office, we
transfer our calls to our cell phone. Our message lets people know
it is a cellular phone and we may be in a dead zone, (of which there
are many in our area), and we immediately return calls when service
is re-established.
The second
aspect of good communication is getting the message across. This
gets problematic. We all have different life experiences and do not
see things the same. Each of us perceive things differently based on
our past experiences. As an example, to some, a one mile run is
unimaginably long. I have completed a fifty mile run and many
marathons. I can not fathom the shortness of a one mile run.
To
communicate effectively you need to care about what you are saying
and take the time to think about what meaning is being conveyed.
Children are especially poor at this, often blurting out the first
thought that rambles across their mind. The old cliché “think
before you speak” is sound advice for all of us.
Many
problems (often lawsuits) arise from difference in viewpoint between
the Home Inspector, Realtor and their clients. Every client is
different and we need to communicate in a way they can understand. Let
me give you an example of this. My company inspected a cabin one
time, which was being purchased for rental purposes. The present
owner was a contractor. Almost all of the outlets had open-grounds,
some had reversed polarity and none of the GFI's worked. The buyer
was extremely concerned since it was to be a rental and these are
safety issues. The current owner was present during the inspection
and shocked to find this out, but knew he could fix the situation. A
few hours after the inspection, the owner had everything electrical
fixed. Everyone was happy and THE DEAL WAS SEALED!
©
2005 by BJ Kirby
ETHICS: In Home
Inspections by
Bruce Kirby
It is okay to buy a lemon as long as you
know it is a lemon (you can always make lemonade). It is not okay to
buy a lemon if you believe the house is perfect. I decided to get into
the inspection industry to help people in finding the kind of house
they would like. Some want mansions - some want
fixer-uppers. Whatever kind of house you desire is what you
should get and it is vitally important to know what you are getting.
For most people, a home is the biggest purchase they will ever make.
We all know that
no house is perfect, but like with any major purchase our emotions tend
get the best of us and we become enamored with a home. Often it
is love at first sight.
The average buyer
is mainly looking at the cosmetic and convenience issues of the
home. Style, view, closeness to work, schools, shopping or
whatever interests them. Our job, as Home Inspectors is to be an
objective observer.
In days gone by -
you brought your dad, uncle, big brother, or someone else, who’s
knowledge, experience, and opinion you trusted along with you to look
at the home. Everyone was a handyman of sorts and construction
was a whole lot less complicated. In this day and age you can not
possibly learn and be aware of all the systems and components that go
into a safe and comfortable home. Today you put your trust in a
Home Inspector to be that objective and knowledgeable person. The
professional Home Inspector spends countless hours studying and keeping
abreast of past, present, and future methods of construction and home
maintenance. It is a full time job.
I have read about
many inspectors, some people considered to be too picky. I
wrestled with how aggressive to be when inspecting a house and how much
to report. I decided, if it were my future home, I would want
everything possible checked and would want to know every little
detail. I would then be able to judge the importance of each item
for myself.
We as Home
Inspectors have a responsibility to our clients similar to that of a
surgeon to his patients. Obviously, we are not cutting into their
flesh; however, if we do a poor job it can cost the home owner to be
stuck with a “money pit”, or even worse, an unsafe home that could
destroy their health or the health of their family. It could ruin
their financial future or even break up their family.
Do you
remember the movie “The Money Pit” starring Tom Hanks? Now there
was a house in need of a Home Inspection. Mr. Hanks' remark
is classic – “Why would somebody sell a million dollar house for
200,000?” The house turns out to be a disaster and almost
destroys their relationship. Another movie you may be familiar
with is “Moving”. Here is a good example of doing something legal
that is just plain wrong. As main character, Arlo Pear and his
family are walking through the house they intend to purchase, the
seller keeps saying, in response to their exclamations of admiration of
the unique features of the house - “But we’re taking it with us”;
which they do. What a shock when the family arrives at their new
home only to find the swimming pool, front door, stairs, etc.
gone. Both of these movies give us an idea of the importance of
knowing what you are purchasing. Remember - “It is okay to buy a
lemon, as long as you know it is a lemon”.
As a Home
Inspector there have been times I have been pressured - ever so
politely - to overlook items or report items in a subjective manner
rather than an objective manner. The carrot of increased business
or the implied threat of decreased business was used to try to coerce
me. The words which come to mind when this situation occurs are
from the famous philosopher Popeye, “I’ve had all I canst stands and I
canst stands no more.” It makes my blood boil! When the
bills are due and it is near the end of the month it would be a whole
lot easier to give in to their desires and do what I am told.
There was a group, back a number of years ago, who just did what they
were told. Their statements at the Nuremberg trials - “I was just
following orders” still makes us shudder.
There is something
called social pressure. We have all experienced it. Peer
pressure in our teen years is a good example. Back in the early
1950's, Solomon Asch, a psychologist, conducted a classic experiment in
conformity. Nine people look at lines of different lengths.
Eight people are in on the test and, when asked, give the wrong answer
as to the comparative lengths of the lines. The ninth person goes
along with the group 75% of the time. I don’t want to be part of
that 75% - I want to be part of the 25% that says “excuse me” -
you are wrong, or are you blind? I have said “excuse me” many
times. It has cost me friendships and forced me to give up or
refuse work. As Certified Home Inspectors we need to be in that
25% group and not conform to lower standards.
My company
inspected a house once, we believe lost us some business. We
could very well be wrong (you know how us humans are always thinking
the world revolves around us). The person owning the house has
quite an amount of influence, with a Real Estate agency, we used
to do quite a bit of business with. This house was being sold as
a “fixer upper” to some unsuspecting potential victims, from out of
state. The house was more of a “bulldozer-downer”. The
things right with it were too few to mention and the things wrong made
for too long of a report. This house would have been a disaster
for the buyer. The owner should have obtained an inspection
before they purchased it as an investment. Needless to say, the
present owner was none too happy with the report and calls from that
agency have slowed down considerably.
We all want to
make a living, but money should not be your only reason for being a
Home Inspector. Being a Home Inspector is a responsibility, not a
way to get rich quick. If you want to get rich quick. There
are a lot MLMs out there to choose from.
We as Home
Inspectors owe it to our clients to constantly study and educate
ourselves so we can perform our job to the best of our abilities.
I believe one of our most important abilities as Home Inspectors is
curiosity. I am always scratching my head and wondering
why. We look for clues to issues. Water stains,
misalignment, strange odors. Joseph Campbell calls this
“Technology of Intuition” - a nagging feeling, a suspicion, a gut
feeling, a hunch, a persistent thought. Our computers, our tools,
our machines, are not enough. We need that healthy human
curiosity.
Our goal as Home
Inspectors should be to make every inspection our best inspection to
date. If you are not willing to commit to that, then don’t become
a Home Inspector or if you are a Home Inspector - get out of the
business. You can always be a contractor. I hear in some
states all you need is a hammer, a dog, and a pickup truck. Don’t
be a Home Inspector to make friends, show off your knowledge, or become
famous. Do it because it is the right thing to do for your
clients. A Home Inspector needs to understand they are working
for the buyer (or the seller in the case of a pre-listing inspection).
I have heard from
a number of people in the industry - they know of a few folks
dabbling in the Home Inspection business. I believe it is
important enough - to give it your all and it should be your main
business. I believe further there are certain businesses it is
extremely hard to be involved in and be a Home Inspector.
Examples of this are contractors and mitigators. It is rather
hard to remain objective when the bills are due and the funds are
low. It would be quite easy to say, “This and this are wrong with
the house - but I can fix them.” I am not saying it is impossible
to remain objective and have only your clients best interests in mind -
just real difficult (if you are human).
Honesty, ethics,
and moral values were taught in the classrooms of all major business
schools in days past. Professors placed strong emphasis on a
company’s responsibility toward its employees, customers, and
creditors. Now it is not an uncommon practice (sometimes even
policy) to mislead, deceive, outright lie, or even worse, just to make
a profit. Frivolous lawsuits come to mind as I say this.
Often it is not about what is right, but about what is
profitable. Jesus summed it up succinctly; “For what is a man
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
When you cheat,
lie, steal, or deceive - you are actually doing those things to
yourself. Here is a scenario – Have you ever gotten back the
wrong change? If it is not in your favor, you demand your money
back don't you? If it is in your favor - did you give the excess
money back? Did you keep it? How did you feel
afterward? It has been, said if you feel the need to justify an
action - maybe it is the wrong action to take.
The best part of
operating a business of your own is you are constantly faced with
choices/challenges to do the right or wrong thing. And you get to
learn from your mistakes. The difficult thing is when you are
unsure or don’t have enough information.
There is an age
old question. How do you sleep at night? Supposedly the
honest/ethical person sleeps very restfully. One may say this,
but is it always so? I know I have had restless nights where I
wrestled with all the issues trying to decide, which was the right
course of action to take. Sometimes I was not even sure if I made
the right choice and sometimes I never found out. My goal - my
company’s goal - and should be your goal, is to do the best with the
information available at the time. Vince Lombardi said it well;
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their
commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
Ethics encompasses
morals and values. As a discipline it studies the differences
between right and wrong. Our company motto is, “Do the
right thing, no matter the cost”. That means often we have to
make difficult choices. Sometimes there is a course of action
that is perfectly legal, but just not the right thing to do.
Sometimes it means making less money or even not doing an inspection.
If doing the right
thing causes unhappiness to others, it may be that their ethics are in
question - not yours. I personally know a number of Realtors that
really want everything about a house brought out into the open.
One Realtor always says to me, “If the sale is meant to go through it
will.” I have seen Realtors give up thousands in commissions just
to make sure they did the right thing. I applaud them.
My company was
called to inspect a house we had inspected many months earlier,
including a mold test. The fee for this inspection was
considerable and the funds were just what our company budget needed at
that moment. This house had, what some would say, a serious mold
issue, including a basement with no ventilation, a history of flooding,
etc. The property had been on the market for a long time. I
made the erroneous assumption the problem had been dealt with.
After doing our exterior inspection we proceeded to the basement with
the prospective buyer at our side. I was aghast to see nothing
had changed. At that point, I realized it would be wrong to
continue the inspection without informing my client about the mold
issue. I decided to inform them and give them the choice of
finishing the inspection or stopping and refunding half of their
fee. They chose to stop the inspection at that point and
requested further exploration into the mold issue culminating in
remediation.
To make a long
story short. The sale did not go through, $10,000 was spent on
remediation, and the inspection was never completed. After all
was said and done the Realtors and owner were glad to have avoided
litigation.
I believe as
professionals we are obligated to be ethical in our business
practices. This includes furthering our abilities through
education and training and realizing we are not perfect and do not know
everything. This brings to mind my own definition for
professional verses amateur. “The only difference between a
professional and a amateur is; the professional gets paid - the amateur
does not.” Let’s set some professional standards. So
professional can once again mean - done with pride, quality, attention
to detail, training, knowledge, experience, ethics, and knowing when to
say, “I don’t know”.
Remember the old
superhero cartoons. The villain is hanging over a cliff by his
finger tips. The superhero reaches down and gives him a hand
up. The villain says, “Why did you save me? I would have
let you die.” The superhero says, “If I didn’t help you - I would
be just like you. I had to do the right thing.”
To sum it
up. We want our clients to get a house of their choosing at a
fair price and to have the real estate transaction be accomplished in
an honest and profitable manner. I believe the way to do this is
to have a Home Inspection, to aid in a complete understanding of the
condition of the home, by a qualified Home Inspector whose priority is
the client – not the money.
© 2004
BJ Kirby
What Really Matters
Buying a home? The process can
be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind,
but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of
information in a short time. This often includes a written report,
checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector
himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller's
disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more
overwhelming. What should you do?
Relax. Most of your inspection
will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor
imperfections. These are nice to know about. However, the issues that
really matter will fall into four categories:
1. Major defects. An
example of this would be a structural failure.
2. Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak,
for example.
3. Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or
insure the home.
3. Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric
panel.
Anything in these categories
should be addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected
inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in
categories 2 and 4).
Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects
uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no
obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is
perfect. Keep things in perspective. Don't kill your deal over things
that don't matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address
deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's
disclosure, or nit-picky items.
The above is an excerpt from Sell Your Home For More by
Nick Gromicko.
Copyright (C) 1997 Nick Gromicko
Pre-listing
Inspections
Having your home inspected by a NACHI
inspector before you list is the recommendation found in the
new edition of the book, Sell Your Home For More by Nick
Gromicko.
Eventually your buyers are going to conduct an inspection. You
may
as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. The
author points out that having an inspection performed ahead of time
helps in many other ways:
- It allows you to see your home through the eyes of a
critical third-party.
- It helps you to price your home realistically.
- It permits you to make repairs ahead of time so that ...
- Defects won't become negotiating stumbling blocks later.
- There is no delay in obtaining the Use and Occupancy
permit.
- You have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or
make the repairs yourself, if qualified.
- It may encourage the buyer to waive the inspection
contingency.
- It may alert you of items of immediate personal concern,
such as radon gas or active termite infestation.
- It may relieve prospect's concerns and suspicions.
- It reduces your liability by adding professional supporting
documentation to your disclosure statement.
- Alerting you to immediate safety issues before agents and
visitors tour your home.
