Virtual Inspections

Is anybody considering offering a virtual option? With everyone getting well versed in zoom and other video chat platforms I would think it would be manageable to direct and guide a third party (the realtor…the buyer, etc) through a house so the inspector doesn’t have to be physically present. Obviously there are limitations, but I’m wondering if there is a place for this.

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Impossible.

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No surprise… another vendor suking the lifeblood out of the inspection industry!!

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John fix the spelling for a good impression

You can now rest easy and enjoy the ONLY service
the handles all the preventative tasks for you

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I can’t imagine trying to do that with an agent or buyer.

“Okay. you see that hatch in the ceiling? Push it up and get up in there. Or, you see that hatch in the closet? Pull it up and crawl down in there and let me see what you see. Or, you see the bow in that wall? Drop a plumb bob and tell me how far it is bowed.” :flushed:

I don’t think it would be manageable…one might as well inspect it from realtor.com .

Good thinking “out of the box” but no, not this, IMHO.

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I think that would be like herding a cat while looking through a straw. And what about insurance? Or (blanket) disclaimers?

Imagine talking a new inspector though an inspection, while being there with him, getting him to see what he just glanced over.

Now imagine everything he missed being hidden from you be because he controls your eyes, and is holding up Saran Wrap in front of you.

I’m positive that serious issues would be missed. Oh geez, I just imagined trying to walk him through getting the dead panel off… safely… while holding a phone up to it or worse, setting it down so you can’t see a thing during the most sketchy phase of opening that thing up.

Naw. I’m not a fan of that one.

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If we dropped our inspection fees to about $50, this might be feasible… After all, that’s about all they would be worth if we aren’t even attending the inspection.

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No, I would never consider offering such a service. Nor would I ride in a self-driving car.

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Thanks for catching that! Had to read it three times to see what you meant. When it’s in my head my eyes see what they want to see.

Blockquote No surprise… another vendor suking the lifeblood out of the inspection industry!!

What in the world are you talking about Jeffrey? I’m running a couple service companies in Iowa…became a CPI because the training Internachi offers is so good. Just wanted to pose a question…after all every industry is effected somehow by this pandemic. How is that sucking the lifeblood out of the inspection industry?

Throw this idea into the junk file. For an unlimited number of reasons it will never work.

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You want me to crawl where!?

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Might as well just give the buyer a checklist.

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Please tell me this is satire.:flushed:

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Based on my newsfeed it seems like it’s gaining a lot of traction in the world of code inspections. Meanwhile virtual showings are also exploding in popularity. I don’t have any skin in the game either way, I’d just be surprised if no one is trying it for home inspections. Another idea…maybe less crazy…is to live feed your own inspection using a body cam or something. Your hands would be free but you could still document everything you see and talk aloud about what it is. Not saying I’m going to do this but just throwing ideas out that may have a place in the digital age.

None of this is new. This has been brought up by many, several times over the years. So far it has went nowhere as far as a thorough home inspection. It would not confirm to any recognized SOP.
As far as code inspections, at least in my area, they’re doing that for occupancy permit inspections only because of the covid-19. But it’s basically a temporary inspection because they are still going to come back to the house once this is over with and make sure the video inspection was accurate.

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Never, do virtual inspection

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P.s sure insurance company would never cover it

It could be part of the “new normal” as we return to an active economy. Lenders are not sending appraisal inspectors to perform full physical inspections, because home owners do not want ‘estrangers’ walking inside their properties eligibly carrying Covid-19. Lenders are also, I learned last week, empowering virtual video Settlements from selected Pre-Certified Title companies. Yes! We may want to play rough and macho, but the market may drive this ‘new normal’ and we should be prepared to embrace it.

Now, pretty obvious, we can not replace our physical inspection, we have to “be there” to observe & note. We could remote virtually the customer and the realtor using 360 degree cameras and tools like ZOOM or simply a 3-way video Call on Skype, WhatsApp or FaceTime. The inspection may take a little longer to allow time to set up the call and cameras, tripods or what ever setup we choose, but it could be offered as an attractive option to those skeptics that may be afraid and want to keep their social distance.

I would like and appreciate to hear what our community has to say.

John, I have read some of the other responses and I want to make clear that it is my belief that “The Home Inspector must be on location to inspect”… “observe first hand, note and recommend”… the Realtor and our client, the Buyer can/could be there ‘virtually’, but not us. Therefore the suitable ‘option’ to be offered to be in tune with the “new normal” is to remote them. And to be realistic, to avoid entangling ourself in a ‘video production’ instead of concentrating in our Inspection task, we may consider adding to our service a ‘virtual remote summary’ after concluding the job to highlight any severe problem, if any. May be adding a video outside of the report, or a ZOOM conference upon returning to our offices to recap the findings of the site inspection. But definitely, we should prepare with adequate PPE personal protection equipment to walk into the war field.