In a locale with a bunch of licensing you would be treading very muddy waters performing/maintaining all those services/components unless you held a license in many different fields (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc…). You would also need to maintain a heavy duty EO insurance because you would be the “last man” out for many of the systems maintained. When something major fails, or the house burns down or gets flooded, they always look for the “last man” out. I hope the OP realizes this.
Jacob, I see your point. The fundamental difference is that my clients are buying a bundled service…the exact scope of maintenance is spelled out before hand, including various items that are regularly inspected. What I’m not doing is inspecting the home, finding deficiencies, and pushing a maintenance sale as a result of the inspection. That would be a violation of the code of ethics (I think because it is a conflict of interest and would call into question the neutrality of the original inspection). My service is akin to a planned preventative maintenance schedule an apartment owner would have their handyman do…except it’s available to single family homeowners. If I were doing home inspections as all of you are, I would simply have to run a check on my database to make sure any new subscribers were not in homes I had inspected in the last 12 months. I ran this through with Ben G about a year ago and he agreed.
Simon, you bring up some really good points. I did run my entire maintenance checklist through a number of departments at the state level in Iowa to make sure I had all the required licensing (which was actually almost none for these services). I also have a good insurance policy and a decent contract/disclaimer. You can never be too safe when claiming to keep someone’s home safe and efficient! While running service businesses for 11 years I’ve met a few pretty unreasonable people along the way…not to mention I’ve made a few mistakes myself.
It would never work like that in New York. Many trades are licensed at county/town level, not state. For example, you mention things like winterization, you cannot do that here without a license. You also cannot touch the electrical system of others unless you’re licensed. Not exactly sure how far you can go with HVAC without a license. I hope you realize that you are basically telling people “you have a working & safe” system after you leave their house because you’re telling them “if you hired 9 professionals, your bill for the same service would be X amount higher” so don’t hire them, hire me – I will do the same for less. You could be giving some people “false” impression or hope. Most people do not understand what a properly trained and experienced tech will check and notice compared to someone who “merely maintains” a few components that often a homeowner could do themselves. All I’m saying is that I don’t see how you could offer the service in a place like New York without 10 different licenses.
If you haveta do such things …Then you ain’t a home inspector…
If you target your audience with good and concise inspections…You will not need to venture farther to make a very good ROI…
When I see post like this I see an inspector drowning without a life preserver… Gasping for air.
Just keep your FOCUS on inspections and it will happen. It may not happen today, this week or in the months to come… Just keep dredging through it … IT will happen.
And remember this…
Persistence breaks down resistance…Always…Yep!
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Simon, wow, running a business sounds like quite a headache in New York. Iowa is pretty small business friendly. I’m curious if you would agree that basic electrical maintenance is quite limited (the only things on my checklist are cycling gfci’s, looking for overloaded circuits, and plugging in heat tape before winter).
How will you look for overloaded circuits, John?
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Roy, that’s a fair perspective. I would agree many home inspectors would do well to stay in their lane. I’ve seen how contractors can lose their momentum when they spread themselves too thin. Nevertheless, I have met a few inspectors who wanted something steady to supplement the cycles of the real estate market. I’ve even wondered if going back the same house 6 times a year and doing maintenance could lend valuable experience and make someone a better inspector in the long run.
“Just keep your FOCUS on inspections and it will happen.”
I’m assuming the “it” you’re referring to is profitability…though there are many standards people use to measure success. I suppose you’re not wrong…though my particular lane isn’t in home inspections… Your comment reminds me of a great book I just listened to called The Pumpkin Plan. He talks about cutting off customers (and services) that aren’t clear winners and focusing all your “watering” on the real big pumpkins.
Gorilla Marketing …
Try Atlas Shrugged if you are looking for enlightenment for success…
Who is John Galt?
Followed by the Fountain Head…
Not necessarily … I prefer to use the term success.
Larry, my method for looking for overloaded circuits as follows…I’d be all ears if you had a way to improve this:
- Look for devices that are known to have a high amp draw. Confirm they are on an adequately sized breaker.
- Look for receptacles that have multiple devices plugged in, especially with power strips, splitters, and extension cords. Add up the wattage if readily available. Confirm breaker is adequately sized.
I’ve been thinking I should add the following:
- Ask client if they have any breakers that have tripped since my last visit. Investigate cause.
I do consider myself something of a libertarian so I should probably read some Ayn Rand someday. Are you referring to a specific book about Guerilla Marketing or just the concept of guerilla marketing in general?
That is cardinal knowledge Mr. Burdine on my part.
However, It will fall on deft ears as a home inspector…
It isn’t necessary in this occupation. .
Sad, but true.
Yes ! To both… It is my way of life.
Why reinvent the wheel when major corporations have blazed the path for you?
Sounds good, John.
You might try opening the dead front and observing if there are any loose, scorched, discolored or melted conductors, too. 
Also, would you use an infrared imager?
That right there is the first nail in the coffin for new thermographers.
I don’t have level anything, but what I do have is experience…
After years of doing it I have been able to understand what I see “most” of the time .
Not very often do I include an IR images in my reports…Nope!
I investigate further to find the actual cause. Then that will go into the report.
I really love giving my ride alongs my E8 and have them scan the service panels…
I let them scan the whole flippin’ place…It gets them outta my hair for a short while.
But at the panels is where the rubber hits the road with them…
AFCI breakers throw them for a flip…The AFCI’s shine like the Angel on top of a Christmas tree…
I wait until we are back in the truck before I pop their bubble…
Gotcha, Roy!
I wasn’t sure if John had an imager, #1, and #2, I didn’t know if he had any education to decipher what was shown in the image.
John, I think this is a terrific idea!!!