I watched John's show for the second time tonight.

Really nice work John.

I watched it with one of my real estate broker friends to see her reaction. She’s making it required-watching for all her agents.

http://www.nachi.tv/episode33

It needs to be shown to every realtor and consumer in North America.

From a marketing sense, I can understand the concept of creating a need and filling it.

From a home inspection point of view, I think you guys are going about this bass ackwards.

What the consumer and (on occasion) his real estate salesman is looking for is a complete, accurate and objective home inspection report on the home or commercial property that one is looking to purchase.

There are a myriad of different tools, guages, meters…along with the five senses…and the schooling…and the experience…and the personal integrity of the person writing the report…that has equal or more to do with the outcome.

Again, if no one buys IR cameras, no one buys your training. It makes sense to promote the camera to inspectors…but it does not make sense (to me) to promote it over any other tool to the public who is less interested in what is in my toolbox than what is in my report.

An IR camera will be a standard tool in every HI’s bag before long. Those people who resist technology and change will find themselves behind thier competitors. After they realize that they need to get into IR to be competitive, it will be too late and they will be playing catch-up.

Infrared thchnology clearly offers advantages over inspectors who do not use or refuse to use the technology. That is evident from the many examples in the video and my own personal experience of finding defects or anomilies that I would have NOT found without IR.

You can’t say that one inspector is better than another based soley on owning and using an IR camera, but you have to admit the very obvious advantages it offers. Period.

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make the horse drink it.

Kevin

Perhaps your prediction of the future will come to pass.

So what? There will be nothing to stop any inspector who thinks he needs one to be competitive to get one. By then, they will be considerably less expensive, better made, and more convenient to use.

But even then…the SOP will be the SOP…and the need to report the conditions of the entire building in a complete, accurate and objective manner will be all that is required…and all that a consumer is paying for.

Those thoughts were back in the stone age totally wrong thinking from my point of view. I promoted the IR camera real heavy 3 days at a builders show and then went to another school for a week and had 12 calls for inspections and booked 10 of them while I was gone, all based on the camera people in general are fascinated with something new. If you have it flaunt it. In over 11 years in this business I have never had 12 calls in one week for inspections. Call it what you want but the camera is helping me and I am in a very rural area as compared to most.

We are not promoting a tool, but the results that come from that tool. The
consumer care about results.

That’s the bottom line. Isn’t that what we all want as consumers. When I buy a new vehicle, I want results. When I buy new power tools, I want results.

When I buy a service, I want results.

Some people are just resistant to change. JMO.

The world is flat…

All the more reason for IR in the future!

Any place you can see yellow/OSB/Vertical mulch in these pictures there is a problem!:twisted:

After the stucco and or fauxstone is applied how will the inspectors have a clue?:roll:

http://www.badstucco.com/improperprep/IMPROPERPREP.html

Where were the City Codes Officials?:twisted:

[quote=cbrown1]
[

Out fighting licensing? :p](“http://www.badstucco.com/improperprep/IMPROPERPREP.html”)

One of the big things IR cameras have going AGAINST them is that they are marketing tools.

There exists a large segment of our industry who believe that anything related to marketing is evil. They call meaninful yet achievable professional designations like CMI “marketing gimmicks.” They call InterNACHI “strong in marketing” as if to imply that InterNACHI can’t possibly also be strong in education. When shown www.nachi.org/inspectionexcellence.htm their facial expression becomes bewildered and they respond with comments like “but I thought InterNACHI did marketing for its members?”

If IR cameras weren’t such great marketing tools, in other words if they were solely technical tools… we’d probably all own one.

The problem with IR cameras is that many in our industry can’t fathom that some gadget can be a great technical tool… AND… a great marketing tool.

Dang, that was one of my better posts, I should have saved it and started its own thread with it. :cool:

I agree, Nick.

Thermal imaging is both a professional tool and a marketing tool.

BUT, if you have a camera and don’t know how to use it, have never had formal, professional training, you are simply a fool and setting yourself up for a BIG fall.

If you have a thermal imaging camera and have had the training and do not market it, you are also a fool. You won’t be sued, but you won’t get the business.

BOTH are necessary and will help you.

Help you to provide a better inspection AND help you to get more business.

The two go hand in hand. It is both a professional tool (used to better serve your client) and a marketing tool (used to better book inspections).

You must have formal training in the proper use of the tool AND have proper knowledge of how to market. But remember, you are not marketing the tool. You are marketing your proficiency and knowledge in using the tool.

Hope this helps;

Marketing is good.

Without it, no matter how good you are or how many bells and whistles you hang on your tool belt, you will fail.

No argument from me.

What I was addressing is your idea of marketing this tool to real estate salesmen. To me, that’s a bad idea.

First, we have yet to establish in the real estate salesmen market, what our present services are worth. Home inspectors who rely upon real estate referrals in my area, as many other areas, are the lowest paid “per inspection” inspectors. Agents often shop for the $200 guy for their clients, thinking they are doing them a favor.

From what I am reading on many of these threads, users of IR cameras are varied on how they price the use of their cameras. One fellow provided it “free” as a regular cost of a home inspection. Some offer it for more, but “how much more” is hardly consistent.

To take this to the real estate salesman at this point, IMO, will do little more than create a market for $200 IR camera home inspections.

It is new technology and, as was the beta video player and cassette, destined for change and pricing. Right now, guys paying $5000 and more for their cameras are expecting either higher inspection fees or more inspections at their regular fee.

When the cameras are available at the same price of a Delmhorst moisture meter, what then?

There is money to be made by trainers, but only if people buy the camera. Market the camera to home inspectors.

To the real estate salesmen, many of who are still thinking that the $195 home inspection is the best option for their clients, market the $400 home inspection and market it for the value of the report…not the camera.

Then, let the guy with the camera convince the real estate salesman why he is worth more than $400.

[quote=wdecker]
I agree, Nick.

Thermal imaging is both a professional tool and a marketing tool.

BUT, if you have a camera and don’t know how to use it, have never had formal, professional training, you are simply a fool and setting yourself up for a BIG fall.
**
Does John’s Class count as Formal **OR Professional Training?

***"Does John’s Class count as Formal *OR Professional Training?"

Nick? Will? John? Anybody???

Sure it does. Why would you think otherwise?

It’s a beginning level course for home inspectors using IR. It’s presented by professionals in a formal setting.

Kevin