Who is the owner of this business?
CommercialNet, Inc. in Atlanta. I’m helping with marketing. For more info, go to the home page http://homeinspectorprofiles.com and click on “Learn More”.
We whipped up that presentation promoting NACHI quite quickly. It’s a great promotional tool to enhance an inspector’s web site and marketing campaign. BTW, any NACHI member or chapter is free to use that NACHI presentation.
I put the link to the NACHI presentation on our chapter website but it would be great if we could get a chapter branded version.
We gave Nick 10 free presentations to use as daily door prizes or whatever. That and the 10% NACHI discount are about the limit of free stuff we can afford to give away. Twist his arm and get him to give one of those to you. 
BTW, we have a new way to utilize the presentation system that we will announce in a day or two that is really cool. It will really help HIs get more exposure to real estate agents and their clients a lot.
OK, here is the new program:
NOTE: to listen to an MP3 audio version of this email, click here: http://www.homeinspectorprofiles.com/audio/sponsoredDVT.mp3
Recently we announced our Home Inspector Profiles system which brings multimedia technology to the marketing of home inspector services. In response, many of you have visited our web site to learn more and have started your trip to building your business.
Today, we announce the next step…
What if you could DIRECTLY reach consumers who are actively shopping for homes while you also build stronger relationships with real estate agents so that they will refer more business to you? We have a system that can do this for you.
Introducing the Sponsored Virtual Tour Program, a simple, yet effective way to market your home inspection business directly to consumers by doing something for real estate agents that actually empowers them to empower your business.
The National Association of Realtors says 74% of consumers go online to shop for homes and 83% of them expect to see virtual tours. Real estate agents have become aware that virtual tours are a terrific way for them to gain the confidence of their clients and to be competitive in the marketplace.
Who watches real estate virtual tours?
Most consumers that go online to shop for homes expect to see virtual tours. Depending on how a real estate agent markets a home, the typical virtual tour for just ONE property can reach 80 to 800 consumers! An active full time real estate agent can often receive 10,000 views of their real estate virtual tours in a year. These views are from consumers that YOU want and need to reach.
The Sponsored Virtual Tour Program allows you to purchase CommercialNet DVT virtual tour accounts that are prominently, yet professionally, branded with your ad impressions. As a sponsor, you simply choose real estate agents who need a virtual tour service and offer them the opportunity to use a CommercialNet DVT Production Suite virtual tour application for FREE. In turn, agents will use the DVT Production Suite to create virtual tours of their properties and then market those tours to hundreds of home buyers. Because the DVT system used by agents is branded by you, the sponsor, every consumer who watches the agent’s virtual tours are immediately exposed to your ad impressions which are integrated directly into the DVT media player.
Each agent using one of your sponsored DVT accounts becomes your personal advertising machine with every property tour they create. Best of all, we will provide them with full tech support and production training so every sponsored agent receives the best user-experience possible.
But wait, there’s more! Home inspectors who order a Sponsored Virtual Tour account between November 16 and December 1 will receive valuable special incentives and discounts towards the purchase of any Home Inspector Profiles presentation package.
For full details, visit our web site at http://homeinspectorprofiles.com and click on the “Sponsor DVT” tab. Feel free to contact Ron Dawes at ron@homeinspectorprofiles.com or 214-432-0525.
The Sponsored Virtual Tour Program allows you to purchase CommercialNet DVT virtual tour accounts that are prominently, yet professionally, branded with your ad impressions. As a sponsor, you simply choose real estate agents who need a virtual tour service and offer them the opportunity to use a CommercialNet DVT Production Suite virtual tour application for FREE.>>>>>
Doesn’t that come pretty close to violating the NACHI COE 1:6?
“The NACHI member will have no undisclosed conflict of interest with the client, nor will the NACHI member accept or offer any undisclosed commissions, rebates, profits or other benefit, nor will the NACHI member accept or offer any disclosed or undisclosed commissions, rebates, profits or other benefit from from real estate agents, brokers or any third parties having financial interest in the sale of the property nor shall the NACHI member offer or provide any disclosed or undisclosed financial compensation directly or indirectly to any real estate agent, real estate broker or real estate company for referrals or for inclusion on lists of preferred and/or affiliated inspectors or inspection companies.”
I think it comes down to this. You are technically purchasing ad space from CommercialNet. CommercialNet is offering the ad based product for free to the agent.
I guess the only rub is that you choose who it gets offered to. That could represent a conflict if they have a tour of a property you will be inspecting (but maybe not).
Maybe copy the link to this thread over to the Ask Joe Ferry to see if he can sort out the nuances of it.
David.
nor shall the NACHI member offer or provide any disclosed or undisclosed financial compensation directly or indirectly to any real estate agent, real estate broker or real estate company for referrals or for inclusion on lists of preferred and/or affiliated inspectors or inspection companies."
That’s the portion that brings up my Question, “compenstaion directly or indirectly”, paying for an agents ad?
You need to read the whole provision. You can’t put a period before this part:
…“for referrals or for inclusion on lists of preferred and/or affiliated inspectors or inspection companies.”
Paying for this ad may be neither.
I’m not saying that it is a violation, but if I pay for an ad for a realtor and then get an inspection from that ad, isn’t that indirect compaensation?
I may sign up for the regular or the custom site that is offered but I’m not sure about the Sponsored tour.
Since the sponsored portion would go to your site, one doesn’t necessarily mean that the click to your site (that turns into an inspection) is for a listing by that agent. I suppose it could be.
It is an interesting question and I cant say for sure whether it should be considered a COE violation or not.