As you all know, home inspectors have to market to two major, distinct groups: Home buyers and real estate agents.
What would a brochure designed specifically for real estate agents look like? What is important or of interest to agents?
Report generation speed. Agents don’t like to wait for inspection reports.
Time onsite during the inspection. Agents like inspections to move along quickly.
Negligent referral protection.
Now That You’ve Had a Home Inspection books, especially for first-time home buyers.
E&O insurance.
“We’ll Buy Your Home Back” Guarantee, as it is a sales tool for agents.
Ancillary inspection services. Agents like one-stop shops.
What else?
Price range.
They want to make sure you charge enough that you’re not a cheap guy that will miss a ton of stuff, but not so overly expensive that they’re client will go into shock when they see the charge. Particularly since they have to brief their clients what an inspection might cost.
Good one Ian.
An office phone that gets answered.
Ability to do a good job.
Too many agents have horror stories about the inspector missed something obvious and it created a headache for their client. Agents don’t want headaches down the line.
Yep. Agents hate two types of inspectors: Ones that miss defects that exist. And ones that find defects that don’t exist.
Experience. This can be depicted several ways, but easiest with CMI.
Customer Service and overall ability to be pleasant.
If an agent is referring you, their reputation is on the line.
If you show up late, smelling of last night’s beer, and ask the client to not bother you while you look around, well, I doubt you’ll go far.
I’m always surprised how many agents thank me for showing up on time, showing up clean and leaving dirty. I just thought that was just being a professional.
A helper on the inspection to make it go faster.
Lockbox access.
Pleasant personality.