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Michael Leavitt & Co Inspections, Inc. |
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MONDAY MORNING MESSENGER |
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Message prepared especially for Members of the American Institute of Inspectors® as well as Home Inspectors abroad |
GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I.....
It's a great day here in Orem, Utah. The sun is shining after 3 days of snow last week. Talk about a strange event having to break out the Sorrel snow boots once again so that I could traipse through the snow around the houses. What a hassle and yet it was really quite refreshing. You've heard me whine before that I would much rather inspect with 3" of falling snow than during a half inch rainfall. The snow is so calm as it falls gracefully to the earth. At one point the flakes were falling larger than silver dollars.
MOISTURE EQUALS MOLD
The recent Reno mid-year conference was well worth the investment if for no other reason than for the information shared by Mr. Greg Pyfrom. My Pyfrom sat through the excellent mold presentation by Russ Colliau and came up with a clause that he felt should be added to our Service Agreements and our reports. It is the "Moisture Equals Mold" clause. He phrased the paragraph 3 times in 3 slightly different ways and I was able to catch the voice recordings on my iPaq and I have since transcribed them and modified them to flow together. Here is what I have added to my Service Agreement and my reports........
MOISTURE EQUALS MOLD - Moisture may be found in the structure during our visual inspection. If moisture is found, then it is scientifically known that moisture and mold are inter-related. We do not claim to have the background, education, or experience necessary to formulate an opinion as to the existence or non-existence of mold. If moisture is listed in any portion of the report, then we want our clients to understand that mold may also be present and that they should meet with the experts of their choice who have the background, education and experience to help them.
PHOTO CHALLENGE FEEDBACK #100 No insertion grommets into the J-box. Brent Foster - Olympia, WA
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A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter will only sense electrical current to the ground which then causes it to trip the internal circuit breaker. Any short to the neutral wire is not protected by the GFCI. The flexible conduit should always have flex connectors and should always be mechanically attached to the box through the appropriate knock out hole. Richard C. C. Iverson - Newport OR
3-DAY SCHEDULERSWhat is the best response to those clients who have only allowed 3 days for their inspection?
How about just being honest with them and telling them that you're sorry, but your appointment calendar is full for the next week and no adjustments are possible? I think it is very, very important to have the name and phone number of 1 or 2 inspectors you trust and can furnish to the client as possible fill-ins for those times you can't make it yourself. Maybe that person might do the same for you, but this would require some trust in each other's ability to perform a better than just "adequate" inspection. Richard Grisham - Las Vegas, NV
If I don't have an opening within the time frame they have, I just tell them that I am completely booked for that time period and refer them to another AII inspector in the area. Gary Holzbauer - Junction City, OR
I tell them like it is, sorry booked. You need to call sooner. In my area Im the busiest inspector around, we are booked for 3 weeks most of the time. Some times we can work in a condo. Rolland Pruner - Livermore, CA
I'm sorry I am unable to accommodate your scheduling requirements. It's unfortunate for you as well, because during a busy market such as this one, you will probably be forced to use a less experienced inspector simply because he or she is sitting next to the phone. - Rick DeBoard - Sonoma, CA
I simply say "It sounds like you waited until the last minute to call." They make some lame excuse and I say "I am sorry, the next available appointment I have is . . . ." My family, sanity, health and personal time are more valuable than any inspection fee of good will I might gain from a client or agent. This does not mean I will not make a reasonable attempt to make things work. I might call other appointments and see if they can move or something like that, however, the bottom line is that I block out specific time in my calendar for inspecting. If they do not fit in that time frame, they have to find someone else. It is called controlling your business. If you don't control it, it will control you. Jon Gudnason - Placerville, CA
Just like you did Michael, I am overbooked. It's really too bad the real estate market is like this. I wonder if sometimes this rush, rush, hurry, hurry thing is intentional. This same thing is laid upon termite & dry-rot inspectors also. Is hiring a inspector another option? Tom Pittman - Roseburg, OR
Tom, you ask a great question. Hiring another inspector is an option, but along with hiring another individual comes with it a whole new aspect to being the President of a firm. Did I say President, or did I say multi-inspector firm babysitter and firefighter? I am not sure that I want the responsibility (read that, time investment) of running the quality control over other individual's products. It is hard to get another already inspecting individual to adopt the philosophies of which have been such a great protection to my business up to this point. This is a point that Shelly and I are very protective of because it is hard enough to keep ourself out of client troubles. I can only imagine how the risks would increase by bringing onboard other inspectors.
The old adage that you can't teach old dogs new tricks is so true. Many inspectors get set in their ways and cannot adapt to the modern changes in our industry. I have an inspector friend nearby that has been inspecting for a decade in different parts of the country and spent a lot of time with the Housemaster franchise as an employee. He struggles with the A.I.I. reporting methodology and verbiage. He is not alone in the struggle to embrace the words Durable and Serviceable. The dream is that you could take a seasoned inspector and have them adopt a different philosophy, but change can be hard.
The biggest struggle with my with adopting the A.I.I. reporting style relates to the use of two words, durable and serviceable. A great deal of our profession nationwide also struggles with agreeing upon the right words to define what it is we do and what level we are to inspect. When I first started in this business I memorized the A.I.I. "What I do for a living" and started to use durable and serviceable without getting what they really meant. This barrier was broken down once I simplified the words.
Getting a grip on the simplicity of the Durable and Serviceable words allows you to then clearly define Good, Fair, and Poor within our reports. Good would be both durable and serviceable. Fair would be one of the two. Poor would be neither of the two. How much more simple could it be? I ask that question knowing that many of the MMM's non-AII readers use differing terminology. I have recently had heated discussion over this topic on another open home inspector e-mail board regarding what terminology we should use. At first glance, and without understanding the definition, most nationwide inspectors cannot use the word Serviceable. Without a good definition it seems to be a wishy-washy word, yet using serviceable with a clear definition it becomes a great word. Appears Serviceable on the otherhand is the wishy washy version that I hate to use unless it is the only way to cover yourself.
My inspector friend really struggles with those two words and he has been attempting to re-invent the wheel and come up with other terminology. He has no issue with using Good in a report as it pertains with a component having remaining life and working as designed. As we discussed the topic of durable and serviceable, this it was difficult for him to come to grips with when an item is Fair and Poor. Where is the dividing line? If we used a true checklist report, then we would also include Good to Fair, and Fair to Poor as our choices. This is where computerization has changed the way we report today.
Nowadays, I rarely use the one word Poor explanation for a component. Why, you ask? Because, if a component is Fair to Poor or Poor it is because there is something wrong with the unit. Instead of using Poor, I describe all of the things that make it a Poor. For example. "The blower motor on this forced air heater vibrates badly. The combustion chamber is also filled with rust and debris. Black stains are near the supply heat registers. It is recommended that a heating specialist be called upon for Repair/Replacement bids. The unit has been in service for over thirty years and these evidences are usually a sign that the unit needs to be replaced. It is best to have the heater specialist evaluate the unit before closing on the home so that you can plan accurately for the repair/replacement." I think that you get the gist of my meaning. By including a photo or two of the evidences and specific reasons for deferment you don't have to get caught up in the trap of "You gave it a Fair to Poor rating when in fact you really should have said it was in Poor condition."
So back to the issue of trying to teach old dogs new tricks....... Here was Chris Burkhart's response to last week's question: What is the solution for an overworked schedule and potential clients who are on a short inspection time window "It is simple Hire Chris Burkhart to help out." Chris Burkhart - Sandy, Utah Bringing Chris on board sounds like an easy solution to my woes, but it opens up a whole new can of worms. It is easy to stay on top of decisions that I make. After all that is all we do all day. We make judgement calls, that is what we do. This is where it is important for inspectors in the same firm to have the same SOP's and reporting philosophy. The SOP's that we follow help dictate our judgement calls. For example, my wording of a reportable condition is much different that an inspector who does not subscribe to the "7 Dirty Words."
I have come to realize that the reporting philosophy that I hold so dearly to is not mine own. Instead, it is the philosophy of the American Institute of Inspectors. AII is the trade association which provides the Standards of Practice and the Code of Ethics under which I successfully operate my business. AII is the main credential under which I operate my business. The use of the terms Durability and Serviceability come straight from AII's Code of Ethics......
I believe that this Code of Ethics section is unique in the industry (please let me know if I am mislead on that point). Let's look at my inspector friend for a moment. He was trained with a NIBI philosophy for the Housemaster franchise. He then left them and when he started his business here in Utah he was not affiliated with Housemaster and was no longer an active member with NIBI. He has been operating his firm with reference to performing the inspection to the ASHI standards, which are good standards. The drawback is that he was not a member of ASHI. Currently he has become a Candidate of that fine organization, but until that time he had no real firm foundation to stand upon if questioned regarding credentials. Credentials can be such an important foundation upon which to build a business. It would be difficult to hold yourself out there high in the profession if you have no current membership with a trade association or state license (if you are in a licensing state). The reason for the "Old Dog" syndrome is that my inspector friend has been trained with varying philosophies of how to report. He can look at a water heater with the best of inspectors, but the conflict arises as to what should be reported and how it should be phrased. Words such as "Problem" and "Price" were never an issue until he got around this MMM crowd. Our dialogue has ruffled his feathers on more than one occasion.
Another big hurdle for inspectors comes as they select their report writing software. All report writing software, with the exception of my form set and an Excel form set by John Rebenstorff are derived from a different report writing philosophy than that recommended by A.I.I.. If A.I.I. members consider the 7 Dirty Words as profanity, then all of the other reporting formats are either "R" rated or "NC-17" if we are to use the movie industry rating scale. This does not make them bad software, it is just hard to remain true to your reporting methods when the canned comments are littered with "Problems."
So it all comes back to whether my friend's reporting methodology is bad. The answer is no. Does he need to change? The answer is "No." Is he a lousy inspector? "No." However, is his reporting to my personal business standard, the answer is clearly "No, but it is close." This is a conflict and one that him and I have been working on. Please keep in mind that I am discussing these business feelings here in public because I have come to realize that we all are struggling with similar issues. The struggle for bringing on another inspector is whether or not it is better to bring on a seasoned inspector and modify his technique to fit into your business reporting methods, or is it better to take somebody fresh off the street and create a Minnie Me? Both have their strong and weak points and it is asking a lot of a seasoned inspector to modify his way of doing things, but it can be accomplished if there is a valid reason for change. Training up a greenie Minnie Me is an entirely different proposition filled with an entirely different set of challenges.
The real challenge is the frustration of turning business away that has come to your firm because of your reputation. This is potential money that you have earned due to advertising and hard work. The people that are being turned away are not the lookey-loo's. Instead, they are coming because they are a direct referral and in a tight spot. So do we want to become multi-inspection firm babysitters, or do we want to keep it just a limited ability one man work force. This is the question that all of us will eventually have to answer for ourselves as we truly become successful in our enterprises. Controlling the workflow is the big hardship if our work ethic and business promotion efforts are a success.
CPSC GLADE AIR FESHENER RECALLNEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SC Johnson Recall Hotline: (800) 571-0920
April 19, 2002 Release # 02-144 (301) 504-0580 Ext. 1189 CPSC Media Contact: Scott Wolfson
SC Johnson Media Contact: Cynthia Georgeson (262) 260-4728
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), SC Johnson, of Racine, Wisc., is voluntarily recalling about 2.5 million Glade® Extra Outlet Scented Oil Air Fresheners. These Extra Outlet PlugIns® may have been misassembled during manufacture, which could pose a risk of fire.
SC Johnson has received five reports of misassembly and no reports of injury or property damage.
The Glade® Extra Outlet Scented Oil electric air fresheners come in two fragrances, Sky Breeze™ and Mystical Garden™. The air fresheners have a unique rotating plug-thru outlet, which allows other electrical devices to be used in the same outlet as the plug-in. The rotating outlet says "15 Amps Max" on the front and has a yellow disk on the back. The Extra Outlet Scented Oil units have a model number "SCJ079" on the back. No other products, sold under the Glade® PlugIns® brand names, are part of the recall.
Grocery and retail stores nationwide sold the air fresheners between January 2002 and April 2002 for between $4 and $5.
Consumers should immediately unplug the air fresheners and contact SC Johnson at (800) 571-0920 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday, or anytime on-line at www.scjohnson.com, for free, full value replacement coupons or a refund.
COMPETITOR OR COMPADREDo you consider yourself a competitor to the other inspectors in your area?
I do have a few competitors, contractors that have been around and a few do a good job. I have 1 guy that was a meet cutter turned home inspector, another thats a fireman and does inspections part time. They went to school for a week and now (we) be an inspector.Yesterday I inspected a guys house. We got to talking and he is a wall paper hanger and said Yes im going to move to the mountains and become a home inspector. Well you see the picture. Always looks greener?? Im sure you guys get this. Rolland Pruner - Livermore, CA
Brent and I go back a ways and I like to think our relationship is more than just being compadres. We refer back and forth, problem solve together regularly and try when we can to have a good BS session over a cold one. There’s absolutely no doubt that without Brent’s willingness to help and advise me, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I recall one inspector, who I thought was a good friend, who set about bad-mouthing me to everyone he could when I started in the business. It actually turned out to be great advertising for me, but bad for him as he shut down his business and left town nearly a year ago.
Brent a competitor… not a chance! I just hope my Termin-ant-or gets along with his dog. Larry Stamp
I remember back when I was new to this business. One day, I was cruising down a residential street when a van marked AYERS INSPECTION SERVICE cruised by in the opposite direction. I had heard all about this other inspector (my competitor, right?), but I had yet to meet him face to face.
As he passed, he smiled at me and gave a friendly wave. Instinctively, I smiled and waved back. In the time that has passed since that day, I have learned to respect (and like) Reggie a lot. I have never viewed him or Mark LeBlank or Steve Bradley as the "enemy." These guys work hard at being good at what they do, and they are among a handfull of people that I know with whom I share a similar work experience.
The enemy is the guy who shows up talking trash and not backing it up with good work. This "player" gives our industry a black eye and is primarily responsible for the environment of mistrust and litigiousness that we are all forced to work in as a result.
If one of my "competitors" buys a termite sniffing dog. I am going to watch with great interest (and admiration). If it works out for him, I'm gonna find a way to get one too.
Check that, I'm gonna get two of 'em and start breeding them! Cheers, Steve Mead
PHOTO CHALLENGE #101
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QUOTABLE QUOTE: "If you don't control it (your inspection schedule), it will control you." Jon Gudnason |
HAVE A GREAT WEEK! Michael Leavitt & Co Inspections, Inc. The Most Qualified Inspector in Northern Utah! |
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