Where do I find the list of current nominees?
There are no marketing ideas for thorough inspectors. As a matter a fact here is my last FB comment.
"We are done touting our thorough inspections, detailed reports, and colored photos. That’s just the industry standard. You expect food at a grocery store don’t you? We aren’t even advertising the fact that we want to educate you and answer any questions you will have for as long as you own the home. That’s just the service you deserve.
A House on a Rock Home Inspections offers a free appliance recall check of all known fire hazards. You have lifetime support with this service.
A House on a Rock Home Inspections offers a 90-day warranty with all of our inspections.
A House on a Rock Home Inspections gives you a free home owners handbook that teaches you how to operate your home and save energy!
If that isn’t enough, A House on a Rock Home Inspections offers a 200% guarantee. If you aren’t happy with your home inspection, let us know. We won’t charge you and we will pay for you to have another inspector inspect your house.
Don’t just settle for the thorough home inspector who produces detailed reports with color photos and will answer your questions for life."
Two have been officially nominated by submitting the proper form and information. We are waiting to hear back from them if they accept the nomination…after Roy talks with them today or tomorrow.
If you submit someone that is a duplicate, it is no problem. Or submit a couple that you feel are worthy…however you would like to assist.
Thanks, Jeff.
Having listened to P. Nathan in Knoxville last night, I will put my money on Mr. Farsetta, and I have never met the man. I agree Mr. Thornberry appears to have some great products, but I’m not sure I agree with his approach to marketing. There was a pretty healthy discussion in Knoxville at the end of the session last night and Mr. Thornberry argued he knew the customer/client/agent atmosphere here better than one of the inspectors in the room. Again, I tend to side with the locals.
Just my opinion.
Jim Campbell
New inspector and new NACHI member trying to learn.
James by any chance (just guessing here) was the inspectors business not doing so well?
I am literally brand new. Just got my business cards printed, web site is up and starting to market. That’s why I went last night. So you’re correct in that I need help.
I’m not sure what the argument was all about, other than what I read here. I spent yesterday in a real estate office, marketing my business, and plan on going to visit several others. I recognize that real estate agents are necessary to the success of my business. The need for referrals from them are a fact of life. I moved 26 times in 28 years in the Navy, and almost every time I asked the real estate agent for recommendations on home inspectors. I think most people do. The people that don’t ask for, or take,recommendations are the ones that are going to search on their own, and the web will probably play and important part in that. I think I understand what the relationship should be. Unfortunately, you run into agents who think some inspectors are too “tough.” I have seen that from the other side of the equation (seller and buyer). It had little impact on me as a buyer/seller but I recognize how it could impact the inspector.
The point I didn’t make very well in my last post, was that the discussion last night hit on the same theme, and Nate had his ideas on how to improve that relationship, but my impression was that he was talking a lot but not listening to what the inspectors were trying to say. My impression is mine alone, but I did leave with the thought that the products Nate has were good, but I would rather hear about the products straight up. Just tell me what they can do, and not tout it as a great marketing tool to use. I think I am like a lot of other folks, that I would rather hear a sales pitch and tell me why you think it can benefit me and let me make a decision.
Full disclosure: Nate asked me why I was the best inspector in the room, I screwed up the response, and admitted I was new in the business. I had a few problems with Nate’s presentation and stayed late to give him some feedback. That feedback would have included comments about new guys like me and what the course could do to help us. That’s why I joined this group, because of the vast amount of information NACHI provides that I couldn’t get elsewhere. After several attemps to engage Nate I left, frustrated because I felt like he wasn’t interested in talking to me. So I admit I may not be completely objective.
Alright, I’m big enough to admit I may have been wrong. I got a PM from Nate and we have worked everything out. He is not the “snake oil salesman” I may have thought him to be. We probably agree on more than we disagree.
To make it clear, I think the REA is a critical piece of the marketing audience. You just have to learn to live without some that you disagree with. Painting all REAs with the same brush is as disatrous as saying all home inspectors are the same. There are people in the world you just can’t agree with. I think that was part of Nate’s point last night in recommending that the other partner in the company try contact. Personalities do make a difference.
My apologies to Nate for my previous comments. I should have contacted him personally vice on the open forum.
Maybe if I buy something from him he’ll forgive me!!!
Jim Campbell.
I attended the Chicago meeting. I had read Nathan’s book, previously (someone at NACHI sent me a copy, for some reason) and found some of his ideas interesting, and some that I was already employing in my business.
But…
Some of the ideas I found to be unethical, like the 90 day warranty. It was not designed to pay out, but to obvicate and delay. I already do the Recall Check, utilizing a program I wrote to access manufacturer’s and CPSC web sites. Alarm leads has already been tried by ADT and BRINKS in this area, and was a flop.
My main disagreement with Nathan, and it is not a personal one, is that he says he is a home inspector, but would not tell us when he last did a home inspection.
His mistake is believing that the industry is the same all accross the country. It is not. In the Chicago area, and a few other places in the country, they use RE lawyers for the closing, but most of the country does not. In Illinois, HIs have a fiduciary duty, but courts have upheld limitation of liability clauses. Weird.
So,wish him luck, but believe he will be more successful if he were less of a snake oil salesman. Offer what you have, Nathan, but be more upfront about it.
Hope this helps;
William do you have someone to testify to his program delaying or obviating? I’m not asking rhetorically. If its true, I think we would all like to know.
Nathen clearly stated, at the Chicago event, that the warranty was meaningless. Just a way to pass off the inspector’s liability to operators, who delay and make the complaint go away.
No actuarial rules or the like, just a phone bank.
I never recommend or use any service or person that I have not checked out and gotten to know. Getting to know what Nathan is “selling”, I would never use it.
Again, is Nathan an HI, or is he a vendor, trying to sell to us? I say the latter.
Nuff Said!
James, being brand new you, you have a lot to learn. Just what marketing experience do you have?
Put some sauce on your foot while you are sucking on it, fool!
My comments are my own and reflect only my experience and knowledge. Nathen seemed to be a nice guy, but he was definately into selling. Many times, I tried to explain certain conditions that apply in this area, but he seemed uninterested in hearing new information and more intererested in explaining to me why I was wrong.
Again, I would posit that Nathen has not been doing any actual inspecting recently, but merely trying to capitalize on those of us who actually do inspections for a living.
I have no problem with people who provide a service and make money for it. I do have a problem with one who misrepresents the service and, because the product is not what it is purported to be, makes me look bad for offering it. I never recommend anyone (tradesmen, insurance people, etc) unless I know them, have seen their work and have checked their history. I got burned, once, and do not wish to have that happen again.
Just my opinion and you are responsible to check it out for yourselves.
Hope this helps;
Nathan is abrasive and no he doesn’t listen well. But he doesn’t have to. He knows a system that works and he doesn’t care if you disagree. He does say some things that are off the wall, but if you open your mind and listen (he has a lot to say), you will definitely learn something. I have talked on the phone with him several times now. He can probably talk forever. I disagree with a few things but the longer I let him talk, the more I learn. I am going through a total revamp of my company and he has been helping me along the way.
You don’t have to use his services but for the sake of your company, stop being just a thorough inspector who writes detailed reports and educates their clients. You are going to get left in the dust.
Will ,I do not have time to make this a political type debate today however would like to in a sense defend Nathan a bit.
You make legitimate points about him being here to sell us something and that is why I also keep eyes wide open as I’m one of the most suspicious of fraud members of NACHI.
Heck when I first joined you spent time talking about Nick and Russel Ray in the same vain but did it from a point of admiration.
**What is different here ?
**
Now if you wish to point out they are not selling us something you are way off base because Nick and RR were selling something and that still is themselves.
Nathan may not be 6’8" like you with a booming voice or be old man river however he does have a great product in RecallCheck and if you tell me that the Dishwasher your claimed software invention looks up and notifies you of future recalls and emails or calls the client 2 years after the inspection I will believe you
Does it ?
Nathan is a vendor here to market…Is this a shocker ?
Dom is a vendor ,John Onfry is a vender,Nick is a vendor**,heck most of your posts are announcing your newest blog to the world to help you gain personal SEO are they not ?**
So now that this is established we can look back and confirm Nathan is young…check Nathan is a vendor …check…Nathan is here to sell us something…check.
May we move on past personality conflicts much as you and myself have done in the past and look strictly at the products.
90 day alarm program I do not care for either and like you still have a bad taste in my mouth from the Brinks fiasco which I never cared for because they wanted my clients personal information each and every inspection or I would be pulled from the program however Nathan says his is not anything like that so let him tell it as I am not involved.
Recall Chek is an actual 100% cool product that so far has helped me personally as well as reading his book which is very “Snake oil salesman” like but has a strong message.
The message is to not see Agents as the enemy…there no need to read it now.
I have decided to increase my business growth at a faster rate this year with methods beyond simply having a couple cool websites and Nathan through his book and Recall Check product are helping me do that so…is it all bad ?
Russel Ray teaches everyone to sell “drive by” inspections for $99 yet you admire him…Go Figure 
Now Nathan about your beyond SOP stuff …that is another subject.
Let me finish by saying Nathan might not be a working home Inspector but I never heard him say he was.
Has he admitted yet that his percentage of the heat exchanger thing was just a stupid idea? How about the generator thing?
:twisted::mrgreen:
I am still on his a-s for that Juan.
Perhaps Nathan can make a video showing how he does it.