Originally Posted By: rray This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I am a Jack-of-all-Trades from a large, poor family that specialized in making everyone Jacks-of-all-Trades. Unfortunately, that attitude hurt me in all my various jobs for other people. They wanted a specialist until they hired me. And then they wanted all my skills but weren’t willing to pay for them. I wound up doing everyone else’s work perfectly while they were out playing golf, going to *i**y bars, etc., and getting the credit and promotions.
This is my fifth business and the first that actually likes a Jack-of-all-Trades. I'm not a specialist and don't want to be a specialist. As I tell my Clients many times in many ways, "I am a home inspector. I know something about everything and everything about nothing." That applies to everything, which makes it easy to relate to my Clients because I truly do know something about everything.
Originally Posted By: rking This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi Russel,
I hear you. Having done framing and renovating and building log homes, my specialty is the structure, but as you know when you are building the structure you must account for all the other trades and work with them during the whole process, so I too like to think of myself in the same manner.
The two things I do not have a lot of experience in is heating and air conditioning, but having done a Home Study course from Carson, Dunlop & Associates (and still having the tech. books) has made the transition a lot easier.
You must do a good job inspecting with your experience!
-- Muskoka Home Inspections
"Wisdom is the Anticipation of the Consequences"
Steering Committee Member At Large
Originally Posted By: wcampbell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I did an inspection last Saturday, turned in the bill to the Title Co on Monday morning at 9am
Went straight to the agent to turn in the report.
The buyers terminated the contract.
I call the Title Co. on Wed. and ask about the payment, Was told that they were waiting on signatures to close the account.
On Thur. the Title Co. calls me and tells me that “they made a mistake and somehow the escrow was returned without paying my bill”
The lady that called me was “taking full responsibility” for the oversight and asked me to be patient and give them time to contact the buyer and let them know that I did not get paid.
I asked "what if the buyer says “oh well”?
She told me “we will cross that bridge when we get to it.”
I told my wife if I get burned on this that the ONLY WAY Iwill agree to payment on closing is by charging an extra $100 to the bill.
Originally Posted By: Russell Stephens This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I hate to hear that happened to you. I see it a learning curve for me and I hope everything goes good for you and you get paid. I will be joining NACHI this month I cant wait. I am excited about this business…
I just registered my domain name today but the site will be along time coming.
Originally Posted By: rray This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
We do have a few inspectors out here who charge to escrow, and they add anywhere from $50 to $175 to the bill. We used to have more, but a lot of them are now out of business. Gee, I wonder why. It’s difficult to pay the bills when one doesn’t get paid.
I
really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really really
like getting paid before I even do the job. It's wonderful and I have no intent of changing.
I have made probably four exceptions in two years, and all four came back to haunt me. I eventually collected, but only after hours, days, weeks, and months of hounding the Client about payment. If I had wanted to be a collection agency, I would have started a collection agency. Instead I chose a home inspection company.
Originally Posted By: ecrofutt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Will’s example is a perfect reason for obtaining payment right after the contract is signed and before the inspection is started.
It is also a generally accepted practice amongst most HI's and readily explainable as such.
As for on-site reports, I don't do them by choice.
Too many times in my life, I would have done something different or said something different if I just had a little time to think about it. I don't want one of those to end my HI business.
A lot of inspector's here in Kentucky do the on-site checklists. I don't and so don't several others.
It doesn't seem to be an issue. I've never lost an inspection because I don't do on-site reports.
I KNOW I've saved my bacon a few times after reviewing the pictures and my notes.
Originally Posted By: dbush This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have one real estate office I work with that 80% of my clients through there pay at closing. I had one that was delayed about 15 days because the house did not close and the buyer & seller are counter suing each other. Finally, the office manager said, who cares, pay Dave anyway without waiting for the signature releases from earnest money. Most of them close without problems & the title company just sends me the check.
Originally Posted By: rray This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Dave Bush wrote:
Most of them close without problems.
I definitely can't say that about San Diego real estate. When one is paying $350,000 for a 900 SF shack that really ought to be scaped off the lot and a new house built, everyone argues about everything. Buyers all think that $350,000 should be getting them a perfect house. And the first-time home buyers don't understand what regular homeowner monitoring and maintenance means, not to mention the fact that they want their first home to be perfect.
Sellers? Well, they are simply out for the money, as much money as they can get.
I had one buyer who took my report and gave it to the seller with instructions to fix everything in red. Everything in red was not fixable. Some of it was just safety and maintenance information.
The seller looked at the instructions and laughed. Escrow didn't close, seller kept the earnest money, buyer is suing, etc., etc., etc.
