standard questions

[Robin N. Byrd]

I just got a phone call from someone claiming to want to ask some "standard" questions.....these seemed quite "rehearsed" to me & make me wonder of the validity of this call.
The caller asked about our licensing/certification.....if we offer repairs....how long we've been in business.......what we inspect.....and if I, specifically, would be helping with the inspection? This comes after the HUGE debate since my husband is WV licensed & I am not. This just seems like a set up to me.
Does this seem odd to anyone else? OR, did he just see these questions on the internet & he's a very informed caller?

I'm getting a feeling this is a bogus call. What do you think? He's made excuses & says he'll call back...so, I guess I'll just wait & see. I just wondered what you thought. What does the voice of experience say?

[phinsperger]

If your gut says the call was not legit, you are probably right. A set up? maybe. Could also just be someone entering the market and scoping out the competition. Did you attempt to trace back the phone number?

[Robin N. Byrd]

I tried the reverse number look up online, but it was a cell phone number & it comes up listed "available", so that didn't help much.

Yea, I'm wondering about how legit the call was. The guy says he'll call back Monday. So, we'll see.

[Kevin M. Kenny]

What are standard questions? If it isn't "how much?", inspector's qualifications or possibly what an inspection entails, there are no "standard" questions.

Kevin

[Robin N. Byrd]

It took him several questions to even get to the price question....and then he never even asked about the report. When he gets it or what he gets?
That seemed odd to me as well. Just seems not right for some reason. But I hate to turn down legit work if he's just a "well informed" consumer who found questions online or something.

[Kevin M. Kenny]

Originally Posted by rbyrd

It took him several questions to even get to the price question....

In my experience, if not the 1st question it always the 2nd question. If the client is buying a house, money is always an issue.

[JLilly]

Wasn't me I had one cancel today and another person fishing. Maybe it was the same person. No one ever asked me price first.

[William Warner]

Originally Posted by rbyrd

I just got a phone call from someone claiming to want to ask some "standard" questions.....these seemed quite "rehearsed" to me & make me wonder of the validity of this call.
The caller asked about our licensing/certification.....if we offer repairs....how long we've been in business.......what we inspect.....and if I, specifically, would be helping with the inspection? This comes after the HUGE debate since my husband is WV licensed & I am not. This just seems like a set up to me.
Does this seem odd to anyone else? OR, did he just see these questions on the internet & he's a very informed caller?

I'm getting a feeling this is a bogus call. What do you think? He's made excuses & says he'll call back...so, I guess I'll just wait & see. I just wondered what you thought. What does the voice of experience say?

There is someone in between our service areas fishing for info. I recieved almost the exact same call about a month ago (his will overlap both our areas). I have an idea who it is. I bet I could give you the phone number and it would be the same. Said his name was "Cleveland" and then told me something else when I followed up a few weeks later. I think it's for his own chest beating purposes.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Robyn;

Would it be conceivable that someone from another Association or the same is trying to identify what your code of ethics procedure is or how you operate?
Follow your first intuition of the matter.

Marcel
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[Robin N. Byrd]

Bill,
Was the number that called you by any chance a cell phone number?!?!
I just wondered. Thanks for the heads up!

[Robin N. Byrd]

Yea, when they asked if i'd be helping with the inspection & then the question about offering repairs.....that really made me wonder. And the issue of price seemed like an after-thought.

[William Warner]

Originally Posted by rbyrd

Bill,
Was the number that called you by any chance a cell phone number?!?!
I just wondered. Thanks for the heads up!

Sure was.

[Robin N. Byrd]

Ok, thanks!

[William E. Siegel]

Robin,

Those questions sound like they might have come from someone who has taken a home buying course. All of those quesitons, expept the one about you helping with the inspection, are typical questions they are prepped to ask.

If they call back, ask them how they got your number. You might even want to ask if they have been through a first time home buyers class (many of these people receive grant money).

As for you beign on the inspection, you will have to fill me in on that one. If you are working with your husband, and he is licensed, and he is the one signing the report, I see no reason why you cannot be there (unless OH law says you cant).

Good luck, be careful, and remember to always follow your gut feeling. If you think somehting is fishy, or he may be a problematic customer, move on to the next one.

[malban]

I am almost certain I saw the exact same quetions is an artile about home inspections by a syndicated national columnist in his real estate column. It sounds like your caller was running through the list of published questions, but didn't really understand why the answers were important or where to go next.