Ready to set sail and I need reassurance!

Helpful hints for New Inspectors.pdf (230.1 KB)
All the best to you…hope this helps.

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Many thanks Ted!!!

Kevin: Forget about the collapsable ladder. They are dangerous, without a doubt!

Cheers

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Welcome, Kevin! :smile:

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Look past being nervous.
Positive reviews will get ahead of negative reviews.
Know how to reply to negative reviews.
Now…Get out there and inspect homes.

1: Put your best foot forward.
2: Always smile.
3: Have a posative disposition dealing with adversity.
4: Don’t over sell yourself!
5: Take your time to reply to adverse situations. ><24 hours.
6: Know when to say. I’m sorry. I can not meet your expectations.

Now get out there. Have fun and put some mileage on.

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Look in here for Roy’s contact # : www.1stproinspection.com

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Amen to all that! Let’s roll!!!

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I spoke with Roy today!!! :beers:

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Roy’s The Best!

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There is some very, very good advice here for new Inspectors. I am going to reiterate, don’t be afraid to state your limitations! I have seen more than one newly minted Inspector get in trouble because he was afraid to state, in his report, what he wasn’t able to observe. It is up to you to mange their expectations. If parts of the roof couldn’t be observed, say so, and recommend they have it looked at by a professional roofing contractor. Get the monkey off your back! Same thing with parts of the house that were filled with stored materials, furniture, etc, sections of the crawl space that couldn’t be accessed (I have seen experienced inspectors get in trouble for this) and any components that were shut down and/or inoperative, and refer these to the appropriate licensed professional.

Send them the inspection contract as soon as you get the job scheduled, and follow up with a phone call to make sure it was received. If you use a service like ISN it can be done automatically. I also include a copy of the NC Standards of Practice along with the contract, and have my ISN set up so they cannot download the report until the contract is signed and payment is made. This is going to reduce your liability and mark you as a professional. The small fees involved are more than worth it.

Make friends with some experienced Inspectors who will let you do an occasional ride along, and that you can ask questions of. I am part of a couple of ad hoc groups where we can email the group and ask questions about how the others would report something. That, along with sites like this can be a huge help, and not just for the new guys.

Don’t try to deliver a report on site. Take the time to go home and refine your wording to make the report specific to the house. Lots of Inspectors start with a canned, electronic report form and fail to edit it to fit the area or type of homes you are looking at. Generalized, non specific reporting does NOT make you look like a professional. And that is really the key. Be (not just act like) a professional and do your job right and you won’t have to stay up nights worrying about a bad review.

Good luck!

TONS of great advice on this matter. You can setup your Google account so no one can leave reviews until you are ready and gain some experience. Keep in mind a crappy review from a Seller’s Agent (key words) means you did your job. Also be sure your client is on the same page as you before the inspection, offer next day reports so you have time to go over it several times before submitting to the client, and don’t worry about the reviews. Most clients won’t leave one anyway…

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