Oops...shouldn't have done that!

[Robert M. Delre]

Morning Everyone!
I again thank you all for the insight to the questions that I ask. I saved some of the links that some have provided and I write notes of the advice given. It all had been extremely insightful.

I have another question...What are some of the mistakes as an HI that you realized were mistakes only after you became more experienced?

It really doesn't matter to me what area of the mistake occurred. Actually, the more variety of responses to this question, the better.

A wise man learns from others mistakes. Again, I am here to learn, learn, learn!

oh yeah, please explain your remedy if in fact you did rectify it.
Bob

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by Robert M. Delre

Morning Everyone!
I again thank you all for the insight to the questions that I ask. I saved some of the links that some have provided and I write notes of the advice given. It all had been extremely insightful.

I have another question...What are some of the mistakes as an HI that you realized were mistakes only after you became more experienced?

It really doesn't matter to me what area of the mistake occurred. Actually, the more variety of responses to this question, the better.

A wise man learns from others mistakes. Again, I am here to learn, learn, learn!

oh yeah, please explain your remedy if in fact you did rectify it.
Bob

Bob,
There are many, many traps that you can fall into and mistakes that you can make that will lead to early bankruptcy/failure as a home inspector.

Some of the most common are;
1. Joining a "Diploma Mill National Association" that will suck every penny out of you while demanding more $$ along the line and giving you next to nothing in return.


2. And joining that same "Diploma Mill National Association" that condones an inexperienced untrained and uneducated associate inspector conducting 250 home inspections on the unsuspecting public before they even have to take any type of home inspector’s course or pass any type of test whatsoever!
Talk about a sure fired way to get sued!


3. Joining a small and dying discredited so called "National Association" whose name is similar to NACHI. This is the same discredited "National Association" who let their members/inspectors run around "finding defects" and then socking it to their customers by "repairing" these defects!


4. Buying a sure fire and get rich quick "marketing programs" from self proclaimed marketing gurus who just regurgitate secondhand information and try to pass it off as their own.
{For a real and viable marketing program I suggest that you contact Robert Humphries whose information is available on this bulletin board.}

The list is long and varied! I suggest that you start by taking advantage of all of the free educational programs offered by NACHI.

Good luck!

[Robert M. Delre]

Thanks Frank. I would like to discuss this in more depth sometime. But, I have to go to work now. Keep'm com'n guys!

[rhumphries]

Originally Posted by fcarrio

{For a real and viable marketing program I suggest that you contact Robert Humphries whose information is available on this bulletin board.}

Thanks for the "plug", Mr. Carrio - made my day!

Mr. Delre,

Please, don't hesitate to call me at your convenience. I'll be more than happy to answer your questions. In the meantime, explore the new subscriber site I'm building at http://welcome.homesavvymagazine.com. It will answer just about every question you have about HSM.

Best,

Robert

[Robert M. Delre]

Come on guys.

[dharris]

Originally Posted by Robert M. Delre

Come on guys.

You may have to go to another inspector chat board to get a straight answer on your question.
You will soon figure out that many of the self proclaimed pros, [wanntbe ASHI members, or wannbe be Certified Master Inspectors], here performed 10 or less inspections, most of them were on their friends homes for free, any story you get will be from the same home ..
</IMG>

[dharris]

Mr Crayola is back in full form
Guess you gave me too many reddies,
this one was grey and didn't count.


**** YOU, you ASHI loving scumbag mother ******! Go **** yourself! Don't forget to brush your teeth! Signed Love Mom

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by dharris

Mr Crayola is back in full form
Guess you gave me too many reddies,
this one was grey and didn't count.


**** YOU, you ASHI loving scumbag mother ******! Go **** yourself! Don't forget to brush your teeth! Signed Love Mom

Oh ...that is so funny! I always knew that your mother was an astute judge of your lack of character!

[klott]

Originally Posted by dharris

You will soon figure out that many of the selfless pros, [the don't wannabe ASHI members] the CMI's here performed 10,000 or more inspections, many of them were on veterans homes for free, any stories you hear will be true, no exaggerations! InterNachi is truly the best!
</IMG>

Thanks for the plug Dan, I'm glad you are big enough to promote a competing association, good job. Ken

[Joe Farsetta]

Robert,

The other message boards do have some experienced inspectors on them. Problem is that no newbie in their right mind would dare ask the questions you posed on THIS board. While there are a lot of good guys "over there", many are high on their horses. If pontiffication is what you desire, ask away on the other two boards. But, dont be surprised at the answers, or the NACHI bashing.

As to Danny-Boy, he was thrown out of this org long ago. Funny how he is obsessed with the writings over here. He never mentions the many threads that exist where inspection related ideas and information is bandied about. Lots of helpful information over here. Free courses. Lots of benefits. But, Dan-theMan just never has a good thing to say, which speaks volumes to his character, or lack thereof.

Make your own decision as to which way to go as far as message boards and associations, as I did long ago.

[Robert M. Delre]

Originally Posted by jfarsetta

Robert,

The other message boards do have some experienced inspectors on them. Problem is that no newbie in their right mind would dare ask the questions you posed on THIS board. While there are a lot of good guys "over there", many are high on their horses. If pontiffication is what you desire, ask away on the other two boards. But, dont be surprised at the answers, or the NACHI bashing.

As to Danny-Boy, he was thrown out of this org long ago. Funny how he is obsessed with the writings over here. He never mentions the many threads that exist where inspection related ideas and information is bandied about. Lots of helpful information over here. Free courses. Lots of benefits. But, Dan-theMan just never has a good thing to say, which speaks volumes to his character, or lack thereof.

Make your own decision as to which way to go as far as message boards and associations, as I did long ago.

I guess I can see some seeing it as taboo. Too bad.

[Joe Farsetta]

We (NACHI) do not see it as a taboo.

[jmichalski]

Robert, the biggest problems I encountered in starting up were that I followed some bad advice regarding pricing. You will hear lots of different opinions on this - all I can give you is my own experience.

I set my prices slightly above the average inspection price in the area when starting. That immediately threw me into competition with a pool of inspectors who could talk the game better than I could (naturally - they each had at least 3 years in the business). I had a good pitch, but not good enough, and I hadn't done enough inspections to be flawless in my delivery. It was very slow going.

Then, I thought about what the potential clients I got were asking me the most: "How Much?" In thinking about it, I realized that there is a sizable number of people who price shop. The number of price shoppers is huge compared to the "boutique" shoppers who innately equate price with quality.

Guerrilla Marketing recently used a stat that 17% of all people will buy the lowest priced anything, based solely on price if all other aspects seem comparable. The number who will purchase the highest priced whatever (equating price with quality) was less than 1%. So, I set an aggressive price point in the lower end of typical pricing for my area (throwing out the lowballers - guys who were WAY below the norm, the $199 crowd).

Business steadily grew each and every month.

You will see (from the flames that are about to be posted) that pricing is a passionate and personal choice. The most typical counter to this approach is "you get what you pay for" or "you charge what you are worth."

Both are false, and guilty of standard flaws in logic. The first would indicate that you must always pay more to get more. This is clearly not true. You don't go to the most expensive gas station in town, do you? When products are equivilent, the lower priced one will be purchased more frequently and represents the better value. (Everyone says they do "the best" job, and you have a limited time to make tyour pitch on the phone, so unless you can identify specific add-ons like Thermal Imaging that a competitor is offering as part of a standard inspection, they are all likley to be deemed equivilent).

The second response (charge what you are worth) is nice rhetoric, but ignores that you are in a competitive market, and starting at a disadvantage. If you can't sell experience like the more established guys, you need a hook to build market presence. Price can be a bigger and more effective hook than experience. Each inspection you perform introduces you to 4 potnetial sources of future business: The buyer, the seller, the buyer's Agent, and the listin Agent. Each of these are now people who can send business your way if they are impressed by your work. Every inspection you perform geometrically grows your potential for future business. So, for those who "won't start their truck for less than $XXX" they not only earn $0 for the day (instead of $25 less than they inisist they are worth), they lose out on 4 potnetial referral sources.

Pricing is powerful stuff. Research it. Evaluate your costs so you know what you need to make. And set your prices where you think they will best serve your business.

[Bob Elliott]

Joe you remind me of the rock band BTO.
They were three cord wonders.
Unfortunatly you keep playing the same note.
Please give it a rest.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by jmichalski

The most typical counter to this approach is "you get what you pay for" or "you charge what you are worth."

Both are false, and guilty of standard flaws in logic. The first would indicate that you must always pay more to get more. This is clearly not true. You don't go to the most expensive gas station in town, do you?

You do charge what you are worth. To say that such a statement is "false" is simply denial.

As this poster said, he started at a higher price but could get no takers. When he lowered his price, he found people willing to hire him. Thus, he found the price he was worth...and charged it.

Certainly, a home inspector who could command and receive a $500 fee would not feel compelled to lower his fees.

The $175 guy is doing the same thing. He is worth $175, so he charges it. He would go for the higher price if he could get it, naturally. He can't...so he doesn't.

Charge what you are worth...and remember, your higher charging competitor will be pointing that out to people who call. As this poster has pointed out, there is a world full of WalMart shoppers out there looking for the cheapest they can find. If this is your niche...go for it.

Consider, though, that being the lowest priced guy in your area.....and watching the guys with the higher fees still getting the calls and bookings that you are not receiving....can have its drawbacks. Will you consider that you should lower your prices even more than you have? Perhaps, if you paid people to hire you....would that work?