Can you imagine what the home inspection industry was like in 1999? Everything was right there for the taking. You could register just about any home inspection-related website URL that you wanted. Whatever company name you could think of was there for the taking. Saw a territory that you wanted to work in? All you had to do was start …
My Own Boss
We all like to think that we’re our own boss, but in reality, we all have many different bosses the drive our schedule every day. We may have children that dictate when we’re able to use our vehicle to go somewhere. We might have spouses that dictate what we do with our evenings and weekends. But regardless of those built-in …
Aluminum vs. Copper
Most people don’t think much about the electrical wiring hidden inside their walls, that is, until something goes wrong. It’s in our best interest, as professional home inspectors, to make sure that our clients know what type of wiring is present inside the walls of their home and to educate them regarding the pros and cons of the different types …
Understanding Flow
Electricity is a fundamental force of nature and we utilize it to power our modern world. It lights up our homes, drives our technology, and facilitates countless aspects of our daily lives. Yet, despite its ubiquitous presence, the underlying mechanisms of the flow of electricity remains a mystery to many. Let’s see if we can’t demystify these concepts and shed …
Growing, Anyone?
People stay where they grow.Seth Godin I heard this quote from marketing guru Seth Godin while listening to a podcast as I was driving home from an inspection the other day. During the conversation, the host was asking Seth his opinion on the current situation in employment, where it seems almost impossible to keep an employee around. While trouble keeping …
Only We
Being in the home inspection business for all these years has been challenging to say the least, but it’s taught me (at least) one thing: that we home inspectors are a generally unflappable bunch. After all, we repeatedly endure fire from all sides, a condition that would quickly wilt much more delicate flowers. Long working hours, demanding clients and agents …
Three-Phase Power
As home inspectors, we don’t often come across three-phase power systems while inspecting residential structures. However, as we move into the commercial inspection side of the business (and on rare occasions in a residential home), we will come across three-phase electrical power systems. Having a basic understanding of how these systems work can go a long way towards making our …
Trust by Proxy
Running a small business is hard work. With so many different things on our plate, and trying to do them all at the same time, it’s no wonder that many of us turn to drinking. Quite often, we find ourselves looking for short cuts; tips and tricks to help us move our business along. We’re searching high and low, trying …
I Didn’t Get Picked
So, we didn’t get picked for that job. It happens. A lot. There are lots more inspection going on out there that the number that we’re doing. So, why didn’t we get picked for that one? Maybe they didn’t see us; they don’t even know that we exist. Maybe they didn’t like us, our appearance, our vibe, our demeanor, the …
Stress, Anyone?
Stress. Just reading the word can cause us to tense up. Stress is something that we all must deal with, and most of us would agree that it seems like modern life is getting more stressful every day. Whoever you talk to, it seems as though they would love to return to “days gone by,” as most people believe that …