Although I didn’t invent the term, many of you have read my rants against “used house salesmen” when I was working in St. Louis and dealing with a real estate market that was controlled by ASHI (my reason for membership) and greed.
St. Louis realtors stood over me as I inspected…rewording my observations in softer terms for their clients…while fighting to get me licensed. It was a bitter experience.
Now, I am in a part of Missouri where there are no building codes. Since not all builders are bad down here (just most of them), one cannot tell by looking at a house if it will fall or burn in a week…or last 100 years.
Accordingly, the honest real estate salespeople in this area appreciate and rely heavily upon good home inspectors…and lobby for building codes and enforcement. They know the value of the “licensed contractor” and encourage their clients to use them when they can be found.
My style of home inspecting has come to be appreciated by many of them and I have found a group of realtors that I can comfortably work with, knowing that they value their reputations and integrity as much as the sale of the home.
When I scattered a few copies of Ben Gromicko’s book the initial response was extremely positive. Realtors who know and appreciate the value of preparing their client for living in the home…and being able to anticipate problems instead of fearing them or complaining about the realtor because of them…took copies and began sharing them with other realtors.
As a result…I started getting more and more of their referrals and have been able to meet and greet many of them as I take them more copies to replace those that they gave away.
They seem to have taken on a life of their own in teaching realtors in this area the advantage of correctly instilling a realistic expectation in the client regarding home ownership and maintenance…and they have shown their appreciation for the lesson.
If you are waiting for someone to provide an objective testimonial as to the quality and the positive response to the use of this book, this is it.
Entering my sixth year as a NACHI member, this product has proven to be the best marketing tool that I have ever had access to. There have been some good things in the past…but this beats them all, hands down.
Ben has provided a valuable resource and he and Nick need to be commended for it.
As for my CEUs, I still prefer a classroom to online training. Sorry, guys. I’m a “hands on” guy and that is probably why this tool has worked so well for me.
If you are serious about your business and are looking for a tool to spark it…you will not beat the price or the effectiveness of “Now that You Have Had Your Home Inspection” by Ben Gromicko.
When do you expect Oprah to be picking it up, Ben?
