Ask FREA's Ben Garrison.

[ekartal6]

Thanks Lewis,

Not that I have a lot, but I want to protect my personal savings.

[Ben L. Garrison]

HMMMMM... BBQ (Homer Simpson voice).

The pleasure was all mine. Again, I'm here to help and provide insight for all inspectors, old and new. I don't claim to know everything and I certainly enjoy learning from you the inspectors (I have learned a great deal throughout this thread) while also trying to show you a different approach in an attempt make some sense out of this thing we call insurance.

[rstrahan]

Originally Posted by lcapaul

soon I will Own Nothing

Gawd I love this "business"

[James H. Bushart]

Ben,

We have a guy who markets himself as a marketing expert and throws around a lot of stuff...some true, some not...but I came across this recently and I would like your comments:

It took me several years to get contacts together. They provide me with better rates because they look at it as a marketing opportunity, which it is. Their names are in my inspection reports, and my reports are very keepable, so if one of my Clients needs a plumber, guess where they are going to look first? And ART says it is working very well. I had my plumber and my general handyman call the other day thanking me for the business because they are swamped. And the winter rain season is not the time when they typically are swamped.

These folks that I have relationships with are in my SOLUTIONS library as personal references, so they get business all the time. Then when I need them for a TECH inspection, they are there at my beck and call.

So you have to market yourself and your business in order for them to see the marketing benefit of becoming associated with, and working with, our business. That's just some of the stuff we discuss over at Marketing.

Here is my question:

As a home inspector, I often refer people to experts for further evaluation. Can I do as this guy suggests and, instead of referring people to these experts, simply collect their fees from my client and have them provide their analysis on my report...and be insured for their (not my) recommendations?

It seems unusual that I can get by with paying a "home inspector" premium and have you insure the actions of my plumber, my structural engineer, my roofing contractor, etc.....all on the same policy.

What say ye about this?

If my structural engineer gave bad advice on my "tech inspection" report and I was sued when the house caved in, would I be covered?

[Ben L. Garrison]

Originally Posted by jbushart

Ben,

We have a guy who markets himself as a marketing expert and throws around a lot of stuff...some true, some not...but I came across this recently and I would like your comments:



Here is my question:

As a home inspector, I often refer people to experts for further evaluation. Can I do as this guy suggests and, instead of referring people to these experts, simply collect their fees from my client and have them provide their analysis on my report...and be insured for their (not my) recommendations?

It seems unusual that I can get by with paying a "home inspector" premium and have you insure the actions of my plumber, my structural engineer, my roofing contractor, etc.....all on the same policy.

What say ye about this?

If my structural engineer gave bad advice on my "tech inspection" report and I was sued when the house caved in, would I be covered?

Sorry for the delayed response, I am in the middle of a 19 day tradeshow trek across the country. I am not on the message board as much at the moment.

My first instinct is that you should absolutely NOT do this. Especially when it comes to collecting fees. Most E&O policies won't cover anyone else but you in the event of a lawsuit. Unless there's an agent/broker indemnity rider.

You want to be careful about referring any ONE person for some type of repair. I guess it could be similar to an agent getting named in a lawsuit for a negligent referral of a home inspector. Make sense? I'll run this by our counsel to get his input.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by bgarrison

My first instinct is that you should absolutely NOT do this. Especially when it comes to collecting fees. .............I'll run this by our counsel to get his input.

Thanks, Ben.

[Ben L. Garrison]

Originally Posted by jbushart

Thanks, Ben.

You betcha.