So it is really AHW that you feel is the best 90 day warranty around since it was so great and not the other warranty?
You should obtain current copies of these warranties and read through them as there apparently have been many changes since you last have encountered/read them.
I think I have been pretty clear about when I used AHW. I’m retired now so I don’t have a monkey in this circus. Only stating what my experience was over a decade ago. I am familiar with Nathan’s product from when he was recruiting me a year ago. I didn’t go with him because I knew I was going to be retiring a few months down the road. If I were just starting out in business today, I’d sign up with Nathan lickety split.
Just to jump in here a quick second or two but my brain tells me Insurance is a profit for Investors in that Industry which means nothing is free.If Insurance is too cheap a premium than expected it is because the funds for it are coming from other means.
Now ask yourself what are the other means.
People make claims and the money to pay claims does not fall from anyone’s azz.
Insurance is like anything else in life. There are good anythings and there are bad anythings. Sometimes a bad anything acts good, and sometimes a good anything acts bad. I always shop around for my anythings.
The whole premise for any type of insurance, though—home, auto, health, dental, etc.—is that there will be profits in volume. As an example, in 43 years of driving, I have never had an auto claim. I could say that I’ve been ripped off for 43 years but the ability to drive down the road while rocking to The Beatles without thinking about what might happen if I were in an accident leads to peace of mind and good sleep at night without thinking about what driving hazards I’ll have to deal with tomorrow.
What is HomeTeam? Where can I find them? I would like to add a warranty to my inspections.
HomeTeam is The HomeTeam Inspection Service. You can’t add the warranty they use (if they still use one) unless you are a franchisee. I’m not in a position to evaluate all the 90-day warranties that are out there right now so I’ll have to leave that to you. Definitely check out American Home Warranty (that’s who HomeTeam used).
I never had them not pay a proper claim. They even paid claims, they should not have. We are not talking about Nat’s 90 day warranty. Just heard a buyer complain about his company yesterday.
Buyers complain about stuff all the time. Heck, I’ve been complaining to Honda and Toyota about my new Civic EX-L and my new Corolla LE PLUS since the day I bought them. The proof is in the pudding, though. Are there going to be isolated incidents? Sure. I tend to look at the overall rating, though, even if I’m one of the negative raters.
In Nathan’s case, if you heard a buyer complain about his company, and it’s not just jealousy (there are a lot of people jealous of someone who has so much going on), send them directly to Nathan. He’ll take care of them personally.
There is no jealousy involved, because the buyers have no idea who Nathan even is. I tried sending the first complaint to Nathan and he made nothing but excuses. I never got that with AHW.
Here is the place to go to find out about all the services Nathan offers for InterNACHI members: http://www.internachideals.com/
If I were just getting started today, and knowing what I do based on my past 15 years as a home inspector, the first things I would do for my new startup home inspection company:
1 - Hire a business attorney, on retainer, so I have access anytime I need it
2 - Hire a CPA
3 - Join InterNACHI
4 - Sign up for every one of Nathan’s services
5 - Market, market, market
Most of us just have a problem that he sells customers’ information, he makes the inspector sign an agreement saying if he is dissatisfied with his service that inspector cannot tell anybody, and that he sues fellow inspectors for leaving his services and purchases similar services from other vendors.
I’m not sure it’s “most of us,” but I do understand your concerns. I addressed those concerns a year ago when he was recruiting me and was satisfied with his answers and the documentation he provided me.
If everyone has the same USP, then it’s not a USP.
Which is why it’s useful to always know what the competition is up to, and then do more. That’s always been my MO, in every industry I’ve ever worked in.
Ok, wow i looked around and applied at AHW.
COST:
$11.95
Includes 90-day Limited Warranty (with all Traditional program benefits)
Buyer Email address required
Free no-obligation moving-related offers & discounts from AHW
Client who opts-out keeps warranty
Home owner info not sold to 3rd parties
Not bad for some coverage. People today will sue in a heartbeat. I’m considering it for sure…
If I were to do it, that’s the vendor I would choose. But according to an industry “Expert”, I don’t care about my clients.
Nick Gromicko himself has been quoted many, many times as saying all of those short term warranties are completely useless for the client. The only thing they are good for is for just another marketing tool for the inspector.
We try to market our shills, knowledge, intuition, experience etc… to our clients and leave all the useless gimmicks and widgets to snake oil salesmen and our completion who need them to help sell themselves.
Jim
However, if they are “another marketing tool for the inspector,” and the inspector never makes a mistake or has extremely good E&O insurance, then I’m failing to see why one would not use “another marketing tool” to get ahead.
In all my businesses in many industries, I have always used whatever marketing tools would help me succeed, both in my own goals and in the eyes of my customers.
Yes the only real and useful USP is making yourself more knowledgeable, a better Inspector, and more thorough than your competition. Many seem to think that these Widgets will propel themselves ahead of others and many think they can use them to limit their liability as well. That’s also the line of thinking the Widget Salesmen put in their heads to get them selling more Widgets and making the Widget Salesmen more money. To many this profession is more about marketing than actually performing a good job! Such a sad commentary on the profession!