Hello Fellow InterNACHI Home Inspectors,
I am working toward my license and Cert and looking to start my own company in Cape Coral, FL. I have been studying a while and just purchased several of my tools. For those in Florida, what is one tool you find extremely useful and one that tends to set you apart from the competition?
The quality of you inspection report is the most important thing that sets you apart from others. Your experience and the ability to apply what you learned sets your apart from others. Tools alone will never make you stand out in the crowd of inspectors. Ladders, flashlights, camera, a clean professional look in your uniform and vehicle plus a few miscellaneous tools is all you need to start.
An “ice vest”…LOL!..No, really!
School down:
Welcome to Florida, I can’t disagree with Randy or Larry but would add education. Knowledge is so powerful. Consider joining www.FABI.org and attending the conferences they hold every quarter( wish I was in St. Pete right now rubbing elbows with other inspectors), also the Home Inspector Association of South Florida holds monthly meetings in the Ft. Lauderdale area some of which are at the House of Horrors in Weston you may want to visit. When I first found out 10 years ago there was a home inspection industry, I thought “wow I have been preparing for this my entire life”. Thing is you don’t know what you don’t know until you know it. I continue to learn new stuff almost daily.
I appreciate this information, this helps a ton. I’m learning quite bit now. Have several trainings lined up and continue to take courses to get the required hours to take the state licensing exam along with my InterNACHI certification. Am I able to show up and take a class with the Association prior to having my CPI license?
Great idea
A marketing plan.
This is a service industry, not a retail business. Remember that!
No sales, discounts, coupons, cheaper than the other guy marketing.
You have only one thing that matters, it is your report! You can impress people, or piss them off with it. You can talk about building codes and other useless stuff, or you can produce a clear, easy to read report for “Everybody” involved in the purchase process. Reports get you referrals. Piss off sellers, agents, contractors, and you get the referral you don’t want.
This is not a “let’s see what I can find”, it’s about what your client wants you to find. If you don’t find it, they will sue you for not finding it. Even when it’s not your job to find it.
What do you need to find at this point? The stuff in your State SOP. Know it inside and out. How many times have you read it so far? Keep a copy of it in your back pocket till you have it memorized.
How to beat out the other guy: do a better job!
Word gets around. Your competition has experience. You do not.
They have connections to people that know and like them from past jobs, you have none.
There is no marketing scam out there that can do this for you.
There is no tool to convince the client that they need you because they don’t even know what they want. Just ask them, and you should! Why are they paying for a Home Inspection? 90% were told they needed one.
You’re not going to beat them out of a job. They will do that themselves. You just have to be the next best option when it happens.
The more work you do, the more work you get (if you do a good job).
Look up how long it takes a franchise to make money.
Do you have the cash and resources to get you through this amount of time?
Again, about the tools you’re looking for; I’m a Lvl III Thermographer. I have spent thousands of dollars in equipment and training. I have taken weeks off of work for that training. Clients perceive thermal imaging as the ability to see through the walls of your house. I have yet to have a home inspection client hire me because I have a thermal camera! No one will pay a decent wage for something they don’t think they want or think they need. You must have the ability to educate them of what they actually need before they will invest in a service. Now a product on the other hand, they can see something on TV or the internet that they perceive they want or think they need. Then what do they do? Go find the cheapest one they can find. Just like they will do with a home inspector. Buy into those marketing scams, and you will be joining the pack on the race to the bottom! Who can do it cheaper? That is all the clients look for.
I have retired my HI License many years ago, and I still get calls from past clients today. That is worth something. If you sell your HI company down the road, what is it worth? A box of tools?
My dentist retired last year. His partner bought him out. The parking lot is no longer packed. And he is busting his chops trying to keep their past client base. This is what determines your company worth. Again, this is a service business. Pay attention to that. Your report, and what is in it, is the only tangible thing you provide to your client. Focus on that.
Thanks a ton for responding. I hope to provide honest and solid service. I will work on giving a solid report that meets the needs of my client base. Thanks for the advice.
Appreciate the feed back. Good to know. Look forward to learning from the guys who have been doing this for a long time and have demonstrated that they do honest good inspections. My aim is to provide outstanding service that demonstrates integrity and God honoring work.
Hello Michael, have you done any ride alongs? I’m in Cape as well.
This is great advice for sure. I’m taking notes!
I have not but would be open to it. I am around 30 inspections in. Learning every day how to inspect better.