Up here you can pull your head out of an attic and have snot-sicles hanging from your face. Well…maybe not in Toronto…lot a hot air there. 
:lol:
I was at the Denver Chapter meeting on Tuesday night and Jim Michael’s (the Chapter President) firm is doing 6 to 8 inspections a day and has been all year. All the www.moveincertified.com inspections he did in the first part of the year are now producing many buyer inspections. The system works… almost too well.
Nick,
You have top notch inspectors in large cities like my buddy Dale 
who couldn’t give one away for free. Why and how has this program been so successful in the Denver area?
Their marketing material is top of the line stuff, full-color, professionally printed, and all about how a sellers inspection HELPS THE SELLER SELL. Homes nowadays sit for months. Inspectors have a captive, motivated target to hit.
One might argue: “Well, I’m not willing to pay for the development and printing of $5 brochures as that is too much risk to land one seller inspection.”
But such an argument forgets the fact that multiple copies of your inspection report (the product you produce as a professional) will be available and picked-up by every agent and buyer that tours the home for sale. You’ve put an actual copy of the product you produce (the report) in the hands of dozens of buyers about to hire a home inspector in your market. Then of course, the seller will likely also hire you to inspect the home he/she is buying. So divide the $5 up by 10 inspections and your costs go to 50 cents. Then also consider that every buyer that walks through one of your www.moveincertified.com homes and sees that you’ve pre-inspected it might also have a home for sale to pre-inspect. Now your costs have dropped to 25 cents… and the whole thing explodes over time like a nuclear chain reaction.
Home Sellers
Advantages of selling a home that has been Move In Certified:
[ul]
[li]The seller can choose a certified InterNACHI inspector to inspect the home properly before the buyer’s inspector arrives.[/li][li]The seller can schedule the inspections at the seller’s convenience.[/li][li]It might alert the seller of any items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.[/li][li]The seller can assist the inspector during the inspection, something normally not done during a buyer’s inspection.[/li][li]The seller can have the inspector correct any misstatements in the inspection report before it is generated.[/li][li]The report can help the seller realistically price the home if problems exist.[/li][li]The report can help the seller substantiate a higher asking price if problems don’t exist or have been corrected.[/li][li]A seller inspection reveals problems ahead of time which:[/li][LIST]
[li]might make the home show better.[/li][li]gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.[/li][li]permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.[/li][li]removes over-inflated buyer procured estimates from the negotiation table.[/li][/ul]
[li]The report might alert the seller to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.[/li][li]The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.[/li][li]A seller inspection permits a clean home inspection report hosted on www.FetchReport.com to be used as a marketing tool.[/li][li]Move In Certified yard signs attract potential buyers.[/li][li]A seller inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.[/li][li]The report might relieve a prospective buyer’s unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.[/li][li]A seller inspection lightens negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.[/li][li]The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.[/li][li]The deal is less likely to fall apart the way they often do when a buyer’s inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem, last minute.[/li][li]The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.[/li][/LIST]
Very nice…
Have you not turn on public radio?? Better yet watch Cartoon Network, even the cartoon characters are on drugs.
I wasn’t trying to be funny. I honestly believe that a steady job is a type of slavery, designed to work you to death and leave you with nothing to show for it. It’s deadly.
Nick,
I agree nothing beats having your own business, but in my opinion this is not a good time for a new inspector to quit his steady paying job for an occasional inspection. This is the perfect market for a newbie to break in gradually.
I don’t think we’ll ever see a better time to capture abandoned markets than right now. But you can’t break in gradually, you have to kick the door in.
I don’t want you to think I’m just advising everyone to take the hill from the war room either… I’m practicing what I preach:
InterNACHI capitalized on this down market and launched more projects and added more membership benefits than any other year.
InterNACHI Education did similarly, releasing more courses and getting more approvals and accreditations than all the previous years combined: www.nachi.org/education.htm
NACHI.TV did similarly and produced more than twice the number of episode hours as in 2008.
On top of all that we completed some major projects including the WDI Field Guide, expanding into Asia, launching of InspectorPages II, holding the cross-continent success seminars, publishing a series of inspection books and inspection articles, overhauling our home page, helping launch our sister store InspectorOutlet and developing the massive inspection graphics library.
While other associations went under or cut positions, we hired more staff. I’m pretty confident in saying that InterNACHI is the only inspection association that got bigger and stronger in 2009.
The time to gain ground (market share) is when your opponents (competing inspectors) are weak or off-balance. It may be painful, but now is a great time to get up and attack.
Nick, it is always nice to here all the good stuff the Association is putting out to the members and how well it is doing, but to tell someone to quite his day job. Don’t know about that one.
We don’t all live in a place like Denver with a population of 557,917 people.
The whole Kenebec County which includes the state captol for maine only has 117,114 people and home sales last year reached a staggering 558 and that is down 20% this year.
Oh, and my day job don’t exist anymore now for 3 months and scrambling to market, my home inspection business, and also market my trade qualifications and abilities, and with the two combined, I am lucky to get 0 on some weeks.
Some areas of this Country right now is not the time to start a business.
There is just not enough spending occurring. 
I hear ya. I just generally think it’s best for our profession if the part-timers go one way (quit) or the other (full time) without taking too much time in limbo (part time).
Also, life is short. Take some risks. Fear of failure is a great self-motivator.
I’m motivated by fear to an extent. I keep worrying that any day, ASHI will come out with its first membership benefit (other than that $4 magazine subscription discount) ;-).
Nick is right.
No one is served by a part time home inspector.
Ever wonder how that guy can make ends meet who is doing $125 inspections across town from you? Easy. His full time job pays his bills. He inspects for beer money. The public doesn’t know that his isn’t really a home inspector. They think they are getting your level of expertise at his low fee.
There are a lot of guys who come on this message board and talk a big game…but have yet to do their third home inspection…and have their name before yours on the inspectorseek database.
Becoming a successful, self-employed and full time home inspector is a decision…not something that just automatically happens to you.
We have too many guys hanging around here thinking that, someday, they are going to steal second base but who are too afraid to step off of first. Like Nick says…do it, or quit. They are no good to anyone until they do one or the other.
I almost feel like some of those statements were pointed at me for some reason James.
That might be true in some occurrences James, but not in my case.
Building Construction Residential and Commercial for me is my life and a passion.
Home Inspections is something I got into to better serve some of the public in the area, and preparedness for any future changes and retirement work at a later date.
I charge more than many in this area and do fewer do to the price I charge and the shopping around.
I will not leave the house for less than $350, so there, I am not relying on my full time position to pay for home inspections. They pay for themselves.
So I think some of your statements are pointed and do not reflect a true picture for all. Some, but not all.
I assure you, they were not. I was not aware of your individual status. If you published it, I missed it (I do more skimming than actual “reading” unless it is a technical thread).
If I said anything to offend you, I apologize. If I said anything to motivate you to tackle this wonderful profession and commit to it, full time, …then…you’re welcome.
Thank you James, and I hope that this economy will soon turn so all of us Americans and our Canadian friends can all prosper in the Home Inspection Business.
Like most all and any trade out in this economy, they are all suffering right now and being a free Country, I can not downgrade anyone attempting to start a new business career. As always, some are a lot better than others. That applies to any type of service out there.
Jumping into a new career and leaving a full time job is not always as easy as described.
When a person has the money to start a new career, he usually does not have the time and when you have the time, you usually do not have the money.
I have been out of my full time job for three months, and although I have the money to pursue something else, one has to be careful in the expenditures.
There are a lot of variables in one’s personal live that will either help or place limitations as to whether or not he is capable of changing careers.
Some will gamble against the odds, and not make it in this type of economy.
But, on the other hand, some are more aggressive, and might.
Quitting one’s day job may not work for all, that is all I am saying.
I just hope that we all stick together as an Association and help when we can to hurdle these tough times.
Thanks:)
Again…Nick has given you guys nuggets of gold in advice.
Do you think that, when things begin to improve in the economy and more and more competitors decide to go full time, is the best time to make that commitment?
I had dinner with some friends in real estate a few weeks ago and the main topic of conversation was how the industry, today, reflects the true professionals. Right now, the fly-by-nights and the charlatans have been forced out by the bad economy. What is left are the pros…be they realtors, inspectors, lenders etc…
When times get better, those of us who weathered the storm will know who we are and know who we want to do business with.
Like Nick says…your market share is here for the taking. Bold and skilled inspectors will build their canals now, during the drought, to have them filled to the brim when the rains finally come. The rest of you will wonder why you cannot have the same degree of success…
There is a lot of truth to that James and that is why I started Marketing in a manner that I am comfortable with.
Having Dominic design me a Website, getting a Domain name, marketing to real estate offices, word of mouth.
Every little thing helps and Inachi is right there to help us. Thank you.
When one has been out of the picture for 40 years in the residential market, switching to a new career is not as easy as pumpkin pie.
The biggest thing is realizing that most full timers are going out of business due the economy and I am just waiting as a part timer to jump in.
I don’t feel bad in being called a part-timer. Just not enough here in this area to support my needs. Plus, I can do both.
How many Inspections have you done this year James? Hey, I am on my third one. ha. ha. How many Inspections constitutes a Part-Timer?
Well, considering that there are over 60 home inspectors available in my county and only 528 homes were sold and that is down 28% this year, I feel I am full time. We just don’t have the volume to survive on this one trade.
Referrals is what I get, all the ads are just trying to sell yourself in a different Zone.
Dan,
Do you have a rainy day fund?
I hope so, because it will absolutely rain on your parade! Just like any new business, the 1st year (or two) will be very rough. It may take you anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to even get to the point where you’re bringing in a comfortable steady income.
Many Home Inspectors came into this business by doing home inspections on the side or on a part time basis. That is the exact approach I would advise any new inspector to take. Don’t quit your day job just yet!
…just understand that the months or years spent as a part timer do not count toward that 1 to 2 year struggle to make it…you are not on your way to second base while your foot is still on first base.