From the Editor Building Your Business

By Kendra Budd, Editor

The warmer months are fast approaching! We tend to see a pickup in business as we get into the Spring and Summer months, which is good news for inspectors. After experiencing an incredibly slow November and December 2022, we are beginning to see a steady increase in pending home sales as we move into the Summer.

While a number of home inspectors have “thrown in the towel” due to the slowdown, where there is a will, there’s a way.

Many home inspectors are using their downtime to (1) step up their marketing, (2) build deeper relationships with real estate agents, and (3) learn new skills and build additional services into their business. These slow months are serving as an opportunity for inspectors to plan for the future. As the old adage by William Shakespeare goes, “Better to be three hours too soon, than a minute too late.”

Here are ways you can continue growing your business—come rain or shine. First, while traditional inspections might be slower in 2023, environmental testing is a rapidly expanding market and many home inspectors are building out that section of their business. In this issue, Working RE sat down with Ethan Thornberry, Director of Product Development at DiscoverBreeze to discuss the benefits of offering mold testing as an ancillary service alongside your inspection as well as building a stand-alone business segment in the environmental testing space. Opportunities abound in this field—helping many home inspectors diversify and grow their businesses. To learn more, read Mold Testing: A Winning Strategy for Inspectors on pg. 6.

While many home inspectors focus on the number of home inspections, Peter Hopkins argues that the value per transaction is a better metric in his article Realize How to Monetize on pg. 16. The sky is the limit, Hopkins reminds us, in terms of the value that inspectors can bring to their clients with infrared, sewer scoping, chimney scans, specialized pool and spa inspections, and so much more! There are so many specializations and “value-add” services inspectors can embrace that will not only set them apart from their competitors, but allow them to both diversify their revenue and earn more for every job. Hopkin’s target inspection fee is $1,000 per job!

Finally, for a peek into the future, check out AI and Its Impact on Home Inspections (pg. 38), where Sanjay Maharaj gives us insight into what the future of home inspection might look like as technology continues to develop.

Remember, we can’t control the market, but we can control how we respond to it. Here’s to your success! WRE

Inspecting in a Slowing Market

You may want to revisit the “take a Realtor® to lunch” idea. In Oregon (and I presume other states) it is a conflict of interest and not legal to buy anything for Realtors®. You might be suggesting something that could get home inspectors in hot water with their regulating body. — Jay H.

Top 20 Home Inspection Mistakes I've Made

There is a fundamental flaw with #6. When testing a GFCI outlet by only pushing the button you cannot determine if the line and load wires are reversed. If reversed the outlet will not trip as expected at the GFCI tested. —

Richard Cacopardo

Home Inspector Sued By the Seller

In reply to H. Barnett.

We keep our lawn mower in the garage and it is one that folds and stands upright to save space. This guy said the dirt on the wall next to the lawnmower was mold. We also had an old sheet of plywood thrown up in the attic. Guy said that the roof was leaking because of how that piece looked. Never mind the fact the wood 2 feet above it still looked brand new and the roof was redone 3 months ago. —

P.H WRE