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It's a great day at Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspections! How could it possibly be March already??? That means that 1/6th of the year is over. If last week was any indication of the future expectations of our busy summer season, I had better clone 2 or 3 more of me. As some of the dialogue on the AII™ Inspector Hotline indicated, lender mandated inspections mixed with my normal realtor referrals really increased our work flow here in Utah.
SIDE NOTE ON FHA: Just because the FHA lending program allots $200 for the inspection fee, does not mean that you are limited to a $200 fee. Mine are much higher, especially when you add on the re-inspection fees. Don't lower your fees to meet a lender-imposed limitation. In fact, just because the lender is involved in the inspection the fee should increase another $500..... LOL
Today's MMM deals with the time that we spend on site with our clients. The walkthrough can either build confidence, eliminating lawsuits, or it can manifest an inspector's incompetence and/or lack of confidence. How you handle the walkthrough with your clients will greatly determine the success of your enterprise. It is also something of which you have complete control. If you need to improve.... Practice, Practice, Practice!!!
You might also consider riding along with another inspector and see how they do it. Practice in front of the mirror. Learn how to explain "Reportable Conditions" in the privacy of your own home, before you have to do it in front of a paying client. Do your explanations accurately reflect the conditions? Do you act like Chicken Little?.... "The Sky is falling!!!" Or do you underplay the importance of the condition? It is a fine line, and definitely an artform.
CLIENT
WALKTHROUGHSWhat is the magical part of an inspection performed by Michael Leavitt of Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspections? What clearly separates and elevates my services above the rest of those inspectors in my area? Well it is the "Walkthrough," of course. Walkthroughs are SHOWTIME. This is when I am at my finest, and I like to give at least two performances a work day. Walkthroughs give every Home Inspector the opportunity to properly present the findings of the inspection. I carried on this small e-mail exchange about ten months ago with other inspectors on another BBS.
The first inspector shared the following regarding his walkthroughs......
We do the looking part of the inspection first, and the talking part last. We don't meet with the customers other than for handshakes until the end of the job. Our customers like that; it saves them time. I would like to hear from everybody on this topic. I am wondering how many HIs follow this format.
Another piped in with.......
I have always been very cordial during inspections. Doing a lot of hand holding, explaining, teaching, etc. I feel that I could trim a lot of time off an inspection if I held all discussion till the end of the inspection when going over the report and just stick to myself during the inspection process. I would still be doing explaining of the pertinent stuff but would probably eliminate much of the blab. What are your thoughts? Do you already do this? I currently spend 3.5 hours on site. No more office time. Take a moment and explain your thoughts.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE WALKTHROUGHS??? E-MAIL YOUR FEELINGS
I responded with..............
I schedule my clients to arrive on site when I am done with the evaluation. I tell them that I will start at 9 AM and will expect them to arrive at 11 AM for the walkthrough. I let them plan on 30 minutes to an hour for the walkthrough depending on the conditions of the home, and their level of interest. I assure them that we will take as much time as needed and that it is the most "Productive use of their time." They appreciate that approach.
The nightmare, time-consuming inspections are the ones where the client wants to be my shadow from beginning to end. I have listened to the past advice of members of the forum, but I, too, find it hard to keep my mouth shut. If they are my shadow, I also find it difficult to get the information simultaneously inputted into my portable, free-standing laptop setup. Michael Leavitt - Orem, Utah
AII™
TRAINING MEMORIESI still vividly remember my home inspection training in Sacramento back in 1995. The onsite trial inspections left deep impressions upon my soul. Many hours were devoted to each one. If there was an attic, I crawled every inch of it. If there was a crawl space, I crawled to every corner. I eagerly documented each and every Reportable Condition and felt extremely satisfied with my efforts. The final product was a report of which I slaved over each word. "How in the world do you learn how to properly report the conditions I was encountering?" was my repetitive question.
At the end of each
inspection, our large group of inspectors would debrief. Each
component was discussed. I was completely stressed over each Reportable
Condition that I missed. "What if
that happens to me on my own inspections?" "What is
the proper way to present the findings to the client?" "Am
I ever going to be proficient at this?" All of
the feelings of self-doubt ran through my brain. I overcame the
defeating thoughts by continuing to fill my brain with home inspection
related information.
They say that hindsight is 20/20 and I have a very clear observation
to make about my two 4-day trips to Sacramento, California. Never
once do I recall actually seeing a Client Walkthrough. This, of
course, didn't hit me until about half-way through my first 4-hour
inspection. Would I do it right? Would I forget to point out the
important items? Would I appear confident as I shared the information?
My absolute biggest fear in the beginning was that the client
or agent would ask...... "So how
many inspections have you performed?" I did everything
that I could to give the aura of seasoned experience. Professional
appearance, professional attitude, and a professional vocabulary
kept anybody from asking this most basic question. I would have
shriveled up and died had my first client's asked me that question.
TO SIT OR TO WALK, THAT IS THE QUESTION!As a new inspector, one must decide beforehand how they are going to handle the walkthrough. I have heard some successful inspectors say that they sit the clients down on the living room couch and take a few minutes to discuss the findings. The impression is given that the process takes 10-15 minutes. Some opt to sit at the kitchen table and cover the high points. Either way, I just can't believe that a sit down review can accomplish all of the good that can come from a client meeting...... So if you do it that way, send me some personal feedback and see if you can persuade me to try it.
CLIENT DRAG-A-LONGBrent Foster, in Lacey, Washington, opts for the hands-on approach. Only a small percentage of his clients are available to attend the inspection, so he takes full advantage of the presence. Brent asks them to arrive when he does. They follow him like a shadow and see everything that he sees.
NOTE: Please do not get on the Liability Wagon with the following comments...... Remember, it works for Brent.
If Brent gets up on the roof and his client feels confident, they, too, get on the roof. For crawl spaces, Brent brings along a spare Tyvek suit and drags the buyer along with him. He warns them ahead of time that they should be prepared to exert a lot of energy. They will need to dress in grubbies and plan on getting filthy dirty and tired. He does all of this for no additional fee.
Picture, if you will, Brent Foster toting a 3 1/2 foot ice pick/axe. That's right, a mountaineering axe. Brent is in the land of pest and dry rot. When Brent evaluates a deck supported with telephone poles. he swings his axe like Paul Bunyan with his client looking on. If the lumber is good, the pick just dents the surface. If it is rotted, it can sink in up to the handle. Nobody gives Brent any guff either. If they do, one swing of his axe resolves the condition. Oh sure, he has to put two or three clients out of their misery each year, but that is a small price to pay, don't you think? ROTFLOL
The advantage to Brent's approach is that when he is through, there are no more questions. Clients that spend time onsite with Brent never give him grief later. It is the clients that can't be on site that cause all of his headaches. Those onsite know that he has given it his best and don't quibble later. Brent doesn't have to do "Walkthroughs." Their entire time on site is one gigantic walkthrough.
"I
LIKE MICHAEL"I have opted for neither of the above-mentioned walkthroughs. I view the Client Walkthrough as the success maker of my business. A fellow inspector from Georgia calls the time the client spends on site the "I Like Charlie" time. These are the precious minutes that the client gets to develop the trust and confidence in THEIR inspector. If the client decides that "I Like Michael," then they will be exponentially less inclined to want to reach their hands into my pocketbook later.
MY WALKTHROUGHSAs mentioned above, I like to have the client arrive at the end of the inspecting time for the Productive Client Walkthrough Time. Sitting on the couch is not for me. I love to show things to the client firsthand. If there are a lot of Reportable Conditions in the subpanel, I leave the cover off until I can show the buyer up close and personal. Here is how my walkthroughs go.
The client shows up and I meet them in the front yard, if possible. It is so much easier to discuss negative grading, or water intrusion while standing there looking at the probable cause. Deteriorated/missing shingles are usually easy to see while standing in the front yard. Discussing a large, two-story deck that is secured to the home with 16d nails instead of the recommended lag bolts is much more impressive up close.
After dealing with the exterior, I take them through each and every room. If a door is sticking in its frame, I show them. If the dual pane window has lost its seal, I show them. If the toilet is loosely mounted, they will watch it rock. If there is roof leakage and ceiling damage, they see that too. The entire room by room process builds confidence in the structure. It also removes the argument later that you missed something blatantly obvious. If we didn't experience it together during the walkthrough, then either it was concealed, or it was not there during the inspection.
I try to save the service room for the very end. It is there that most of the mysteries of the home are discussed. Most buyers have no clue about the items contained within. Gas shut-offs, water shut-offs, filter location and sprinkler timers are all discussed.
Somewhere through all of the walkthrough I discuss the attic condition and insulation values. If there is a crawl space, I describe it very carefully, unless it is situated so that they can at least pop their heads in there. The garage is also observed firsthand. Most of my garage descriptions are spent explaining what the buyer needs to look for after all of the stored items are removed.
COMPUTER
PRINT-OUTSMany Inspectors are now computerized and produce the report on site. Client Walkthroughs provide the perfect time delay necessary to print out the lengthy report. To do this it requires having the report fully completed before the client arrives for the walkthrough. While talking to Jon Gudnason at the last Annual Meeting he said that he loves to deliver the report on site. It saves him any later delivery time and prevents him from occupying all of his evenings finishing off his reports in his office.
I have mixed feelings about producing the finished report on site. I use a laptop and strive diligently to have all of the information inputted into the computer before the client arrives on site. The moment they arrive (which is usually early), I tell them that I have more computer entry to do but that I can do it later. I let them know that I am theirs from the moment they arrive. Now I know that there are exceptions, but my promptness usually provides for a better experience for them.
I usually still have information that needs to be inputted while I am doing my walkthrough. This information is either waiting to be listened to on my mini recorder, or it is in my mental hard drive. Quite often I will have 5 to 10% of the report waiting to be inputted when I arrive home in the evening. This all depends on how the day's schedule played out.
I am also like many other inspectors...... I like to have a little time afterwards to digest the experience. I know that some inspectors like to sleep on it before delivering the report. Still others of you have severe distance restraints. Some of you put on more miles in a day than I do in a week. This travel time makes it impossible to hand deliver reports the following day. Printing reports out on site makes an ideal solution. For the non-computerees, Jim Lucas has converted his checklist into NCR and delivers hand written reports on site to the client.
But back to the walkthrough..... It takes anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to print out reports. This time greatly differs depending on your use of digital photography, laptop speed, and quality of printer. The walkthrough time is perfect to be simultaneously printing out the report. The biggest drawback to printing out the report during the walkthrough is.......
NEW
DISCOVERIESThat's right!!! There isn't a single inspector out there who hasn't taken a client on the walkthrough and discovered something new in the process. Some have the ability to think on their feet and play off the finding and discuss it as though it was already in the report. You know the routing,....... And here we have the water heater....... Notice that there is no SRV installed. How in the world did I miss that, you ask yourself?
On more than one occasion I have been in a 6,000 square feet mansion and only to find that when I open what I think is a closet door I find a bathroom that I never have seen before. It used to rattle me. Now I just say....... "Here we have a Bathroom that I have never seen before." At that point I will either evaluate it right there in front of them, or I tell them that I will evaluate it later as they are looking over the Service Agreements. Thankfully this does not happen very often, but when you have a home with 7 bathrooms, it is rather easy to do.
The difficulty with printing the report while you are doing the walkthrough is that you don't have an easy way to redeem yourself. The report is printed, and the new information is not contained within.
AFTER
WALKTHROUGH ADDENDUMWhile talking with Sylvan Stenge the other day he was lamenting over the exact experience described above. What do you do when you discover something that you didn't put in your report. In defense of all the computerized inspectors, the handwriters out there are saying to themselves..... "How could you not get the info in the report...... When you see it, Write it down." It is not that easy. Computerized inspectors rely a great deal on tape recorders, note pads, and incredible memories to document conditions. It is not possible (unless you have a handheld), to carry the computer everywhere with you. You climb the roof, and then return to earth to input your findings. Handheld operators are limited to scribbling a quick comment at the moment, only to have to return to that part of the report later with a keyboard to get the details fully into the report.
I shared with Sylvan a great solution. First, admit to your clients that you are not perfect. I realize that this is a blow to most of your egos. If you can admit this fact, then you can easily broach the topic that if you fine 90% of the conditions in the home, then you have done a great job. This lessens the client's expectations and clearly lays forth the limitations under which you operate your business.
Next, let them know ahead of time that you are printing out the report during the walkthrough. Let them know also that you usually find a few things that didn't yet make it into the report. This is the reason for the walkthrough. It allows the buyer to become familiar with the home, but more importantly it allows the inspector to step back and look at the whole forest, not just the trees.
Alerting them to this you can then inform them that you will add any final comments to an addendum page that you will print out while they are signing your check. With that, you are off to the races....... "Let the walkthrough begin."
LENGTH
OF WALKTHROUGHSI like to kid myself into thinking that the walkthrough will take 20 minutes. Yes, it is true that I have had a few in that range, but it is more apt to take 40 minutes to an hour. I arrived at this time through mine own volition. I used to beat myself up over the length of time that I was spending on walkthroughs. I was under the impression from my original training that 20 minutes was more than enough time. I blamed my previous teaching experience on what I thought was my long-winded walkthroughs. It wasn't until my first Annual Meeting that I was able to travel 650 miles by car to rub shoulders with the likes of many of you. It was then that I was able to survey the group and find out that most inspectors were averaging the same.
CHALLENGE: If there is a "SUPER INSPECTOR" out there who regularly takes 20 minutes or less on their walkthroughs, I want to hear about it. I don't question your ability to do a 20-minute walkthrough. Instead, I want a detailed MMM written by you letting us know how it can be accomplished. Please don't keep it a secret...... Send me the details at Peacofmind@TheHomeInspector.com so that we can enlighten all.
As previously mentioned, one of the main purposes of the client walkthrough is to develop a rapport with the client. It brings me great satisfaction to know that I have helped the clients learn more about their new home. This is a great personal payoff for me. It is a stroke and a pat on the back knowing that I have brought those in the darkness into the light. Their appreciation is obvious and they gladly reward me for my services with a handsome fee.
I thought that this issue of the MMM needed a balance to the swinging pendulum by sharing the following story. Of course it has little to due with home inspections, but I think that many of you will chuckle as you read it. It would have been even better to have read this before February 14th.
HUSBAND HUMOR - CHOCOLATE - By John ScalziQUOTABLE QUOTES: "The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can
envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it - as
long as you really believe 100%" Arnold Schwarzenegger
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AII™
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