What famous line did Joe Namath say before Super Bowl III?

Why not the full year? A 30 day window is too small to calculate whether or not ALL real estate agents are referring ALL of the their clients. I’m sure you’ll agree … and your certainty of your assurances, that ALL agents will refer ALL of their clients, makes this no risk for you at all.

How about a year?

I don’t want to do a year because although I can refund the member all his/her money, I would still have to honor his/her guarantees for the consumers.

Furthermore, if you invite 10 agents (I wouldn’t do more than 1 or 2 agents per lunch) that have never referred you any inspection business to lunch… and explain this program to them (here is a press release: http://www.nachi.org/buy-back-guarantee-press-release.htm )… you are going to immediately learn their reaction to it. It won’t take a year, it will take 1/2 an hour. BTW: I’ve already presented it to dozens of agents.

And finally, before your lunch meeting, head over to the Men’s Warehouse and pickup a nice shirt. You can get 50% off using the InterNACHI-Men’s Warehouse discount card found near the bottom of www.nachi.org/benefits.htm The Men’s Warehouse is that men’s suit store that has the tagline *“You’re going to like the way I look… I warranty it.” :wink:
*

Actually, after a year, you would only be holding guarantees for those inspections that had been performed in the last 90 days. All the other 9 months worth of inspection are past the 90 day period.

Are we to believe that you have the capital to “guarantee” home inspections and buy back millions of dollars of homes from unhappy clients … but not the capital to “guarantee” your promise that all real estate agents will refer all of their clients to the home inspector for a year?

Joe Namath is laughing at you. :wink:

True. But I don’t want to refund an entire year when inviting 10 new agents to lunch to present this program is enough gauge their reaction immediately. You have nothing to lose because doing nothing guarantees the agent will continue to use his/her pet inspector, not you… and you have everything to gain.

But Nick … the initial response is not what you are “guaranteeing”.

A lunch with ten agents stuffing their mouths with your food and listening to your description of your gimmick might solicit some excited words of enthusiasm … but that is not what you are guaranteeing, is it?

You are guaranteeing “all” of these agents to provide “all” of their referrals to the inspector who pays you to use this gimmick. This will NOT happen at that luncheon. Since some agents only sell four or five houses per year, it may take you the whole year to know if you are really getting “all” of them to give you “all” of their referrals.

So are you really guaranteeing that “every” agent will respond to this gimmick by providing a referral for “every” client to the home inspector?

Or are you just guaranteeing that they will say “oh, boy” or “sounds good” when you buy them a lunch?

This by-back program sounds too good to be true. IMO, and that also of some of my REA clients.

Go with your gut. :wink:

Don’t take them to lunch then Jim. One-on-one luncheons is how I lined up my agent referral base, but use whatever method you think works for you. I think any agent that has a pet inspector will immediately promise to give you his/her referrals upon you presenting this program to them (at lunch or in their office or anywhere). If you don’t find that to be true, I’ll back you out of the program and refund every penny you paid in the last 30 days, that way you can go out and try to procure a few new agents with this tool, risk free.

No guarantee at all … but then, who can blame you?

Don’t you mean… No warranty? LOL. Life doesn’t offer any warranties… I mean guarantees.

Prior to CMI, an inspector couldn’t say “I charge about $100 more than my competitors because I’m only one of xx Certified Master Inspectors in the area.” Now they can.

Prior to this Buy Back Program, an inspector couldn’t say “We’re so confident in our service that if we miss anything, we’ll buy your home back from you if that is what you want.” Now they can.

It’s just another tool. Use it if you want to. More competitive advantages to add to www.nachi.org/benefits.htm in the pipeline. InterNACHI is the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet of competitive advantages. Pick what you like, eat all you want.

It is an effective gimmick, I agree. What better gimmick is available to any vendor anywhere to get himself a $5.00 cut of every inspection fee being charged … simply by stating … but NOT guaranteeing … his promise that “every” real estate agent will refer “every” client to the inspector? :wink:

I don’t agree with your plan to lie to the press, though. Telling them that “the home inspector” bought the house back will certainly backfire, IMO. Not only is it false … but it makes the inspector look like an idiot who chose to solve a $12 GFCI problem with a $250,000 solution. You need to take the discredit for this off the inspector and place it upon yourself, should you ever actually buy a house back.

We’d do what the participating member wants. But I don’t foresee anyone ever selling us back their home over a $12 defective GFCI.

It’s a marketing tool, not insurance. Essentially a legitimate way of saying something that sounds awesome and to have a logo that causes homebuyers to choose you.

Certified Master Inspector is the perfect answer to the question: “Is this inspector qualified to do a good job for me?”
Buy Your Home Back Guarantee is the perfect answer to the question: “Will this inspector do a good job for me?”

Yes, I am the man for the job! But just in case I am so damn incompetent, and the home you spent months searching for, spent $1,000 of dollars on, spent time moving into and in case you want to move out due to a horrible inspection. I will buy your house back…

Great marketing! I think it’s a huge hit! I hope everyone in my area uses it…I would just tell the clients, have them prove that they CAN buy the house back? Not only are they incompetent, they are dishonest as well. If that is the type of inspector your looking for, then they are the right company for you.

That’s not how Guarantees are perceived, in any industry for anything. Guarantees are perceived as a positive statement, a promise of quality.

I hate to keep pointing to Certified Master Inspector as the ultimate example of a stand alone phrase that says it all… but “Guaranteed” is a lot like that. “It’s Guaranteed.” “It comes with a Guarantee.” “Were so sure, we’ll guarantee…” “You’re going to like the way you look… I guarantee it.”

Anyway, InterNACHI is an armory for InterNACHI members where they can pick and choose the weapon(s) they think will work best for them. As long as the armory is open to members and closed to non-members… we’ll continue to win the wars.

I don’t think you have to go through the trouble.

Any home owner with more than one active brain cell will expect the home inspector to buy him a new (GFCI, heat pump, water heater, garage door, etc…) before expecting him to buy the house.

Offering to buy the house back for $500,000.00 … while, at the same time, disclaiming his liability for future failure of the $600 water heater … sends up more red flags than anyone can count.

Frankly, in comparison, this gimmick makes a Thornberry 90-day warranty look legitimate. Yes, you heard that from me.

How the public feels about certain words changes over time. Yes, it’s possible that tomorrow morning at 7:20 AM the public will think that the word “Guarantee” is a bad thing. If that happens (and I’m not setting my alarm clock for 7:15 AM to watch it happen)… we’ll just change the name of the program.

If the U.S. Department of War can do it can do it (because of the public feeling about a word) on September 18, 1947, we can do it at 7:21 AM, June 10, 2014.

Nick I must ask this honest question why are you debating someone that is not even a home inspector and the truth of the matter never has been. From a reliable source in his area I was informed this wanta be somebody only performed 150 inspection in 5 years good lord that is only 30 a year most home inspectors average 30 a month there is something wrong with this picture are you debating this sheep herder for the clicks he draws from people that believe his nonsense or do you have another reason for not sending him to the thornberry grave yard. Oh I understand you keep him around for chuckles and clicks:roll:

My point had nothing to do with how the public might perceive the word … “guarantee” but, rather, what it is you are pretending to “guarantee” … but then, you knew that.:wink:

You will fool a few inspectors with this — and I think your projection of having around 250 home inspectors at any given time paying you $5 out of each inspection during the time they experiment with this, is probably accurate. I give the public much more credit than you do, though, and I don’t think it will result in “every” real estate agent providing “every” referral to the home inspector who pays you to use it.

It will support the opinion of those who believe that home inspectors are unhealthily interested in future referrals from real estate sales agents, though.

It is a gimmick that will be of much value to you and I fully understand your desire to sell it. I also understand why you don’t want to provide a real guarantee to the inspectors who use it.