I was listening to a podcast this morning, the Tim Ferris show, and his guess was a military expert who was talking about the potential threat that China may pose to the US and the world. In part of the interview, he was speaking about China’s aggression toward and desire to annex Taiwan. He talked extensively about the way in which Taiwan could go about defending itself against a much larger aggressor, and he made a statement that really intrigued me. He said that Taiwan, who’s faced with a much larger foe, needs to make them worry about defending themselves in many different arenas.
His statement struck me as particularly applicable to us as home inspectors. Obviously, first and foremost, our focus should be on providing our clients with the best possible product and the most up to date information regarding the property that they are considering purchasing. But another one of our responsibilities, this one to ourselves, is to make sure that if there’s ever a problem with an inspection, we’ve got enough ammunition to defend ourselves.
Having a multi-pronged defense strategy is not only a smart idea, but also a key to our ability to avoid problems.
We’ve got to make sure that our inspection report can be understood by anyone, no matter how much knowledge they possess. Whether our client has been a contractor for 25 years or is purchasing their first home, making sure that they are able to understand the information that we’re providing is an important point in our defense. Filling our reports with overly technical jargon is really not impressing anyone and can potentially work against us in a dispute.
We also need to make sure that we are actually doing a thorough inspection. It should look to outside observers that we’re working hard while we’re on site. We should never let anyone see us standing around talking on our phone or listening to music. The image that we present while in the presence of our clients may be one of the most important marketing tools we have. Strive to “put on a good show,” making sure that our clients leave impressed by what they saw us doing while on site.
Obviously, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the inspection industry is imperative. Ours is a job that requires a tremendous amount of expertise, and we should do everything in our power to constantly add to that knowledge. Taking numerous classes throughout the year keep us up to date on new developments and helps us perform our job. We should document every class that we do, as having a folder full of CE certificates is advantageous if we’re ever involved in arbitration or a court case.
Presenting a professional persona helps establish us as an authority in our field. From our demeanor to the physical things that our clients see, like our clothes, vehicle, and tools, the way we present ourselves is an important part in developing our image. Our digital presence, like our website, emails, and interpersonal correspondence, leaves a trail of evidence that can either help prove our professionalism or be used against us in a dispute.
If we ever find ourselves caught up in litigation, attorneys will use anything they can to give their clients an advantage in court. They will investigate every aspect of our business and personal life, going as far as taking screenshots of our personal social media. It shouldn’t be a surprise that anything posted on social media has the potential to become ammunition for opposing council. Using common sense when operating in the digital space, and limiting our posts to non-biased, non-threatening publications is always a good strategy.
It goes without saying that using an effective inspection contract is key. A contract developed by our state or insurance company should be considered the bare minimum to protect ourselves. Ideally, if our state and insurance company allow it, we should be working with a trusted attorney to produce the best contract for our area and specific offerings.
Obviously, a contract is worthless if it’s not signed by our client. In the ideal world, we would have our agreements signed before the inspection begins, which may be required by our insurance company. Doing so helps eliminate the argument that someone signed under duress, helping to make sure that we retain the legal advantages provided by our contract.
The final thing to discuss is insurance coverage, which is required in many situations. Most states and inspection organizations have minimum coverage requirements for their inspectors, but we often find ourselves inspecting properties that far exceed the value of our policies. Having a policy that provides more than a minimum amount of coverage is an easy way to help protect our businesses.
While we can’t predict when our clients are going to have problems, we can be certain that things are going to go wrong with their new home. We know the questions (and problems) are coming; why shouldn’t we do everything in our power to marshal the troops? If we do a good job of coordinating our defenses, we can force those aggressors to mount attacks on many different fronts, increasing our chance of success.
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Thanks, Joe
