Good home inspectors train themselves not to make assumptions.  This applies not only to technical information, but to general business interactions as well.  I have learned through painful experience to take the time to know who I’m talking to at the beginning of an inspection.

On one inspection in the early days, I started enthusiastically and encouraged the person to accompany me as I went around the outside of the home. After about 10 minutes, the person realized I thought they were my client, and re-introduced himself as the seller! There isn’t much you can say at that point that looks professional or in control.

We now encourage our people to stop a few blocks away from the home, and read the work order carefully to make sure we know the client’s name and real estate agent’s name.  The listing agent’s name is typically on the sign on the front lawn. We often will not know the seller’s name, but if you know the other players, life becomes much easier. If in doubt, it’s much better to ask.

A good work order and scheduling system make keeping track of the players a little easier.

On a related note, it’s really great to be able to recognize who is calling in. We built this into our work order system in Horizon. Our agent database is tracked automatically in Horizon. When an agent calls, we select their name from our list, and are immediately told how many times that agent has worked with us, and the last time they worked with us, along with the address and client’s name. It makes it very easy for us to say, “By the way Joan, how did everything worked out on Maple Street work last month for the Armstrongs?” It’s part of great customer service and building relationships.

The newest version of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code will come into effect on May 1, 2009.

If you haven’t seen them already, you will soon start to see tamper-resistant electrical receptacles. These are a requirement of the new electrical code (residential appplications).

Tamper-proof receptacles can be identified by “TR” on the faceplate of the outlet.

Here is link to a site that shows how they work:

http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=23899&minisite=10021

Here is how to identify them: Look  for TR between the hot and neutral holes of these outlets:

Let’s assume you have decided not to park in the driveway of the home you are inspecting – a good decision in our opinion. Here’s a terrific way to make this situation go wrong fast. Knock on the front door 5 to 10 minutes late (Home inspectors should never be late!!) and say, “I’m so sorry – I am never late for an inspection, but there is absolutely no place to park around here!” As the client digests this important new information, it’s probably safe to say the agent and seller will not be offering you water or coffee as do your inspection.

By the way, if I’m going to be late for an inspection or any appointment, I make sure to call and at least leave a message apologizing and advising when I will arrive. What do you do?

Parking your inspection vehicle should be a simple thing. But we have gotten into trouble with this a few times. When you arrive at a home there is often parking available in the driveway, and sometimes not a convenient spot on the street.

We suggest you not park in the driveway. Why? The client and real estate agent may be annoyed that they are not able to park there, or may park behind you, making a graceful exit at the end of the inspection difficult. Agents don’t like being interrupted to move their car when they are focused on getting the client to waive the home inspection clause in the offer, or getting ready to re-negotiate the sale based on your findings.

The seller may come home and not be able to get into their garage because you are in their way – not a great way to make a first impression, especially with someone who is a prospective client – sellers are often buying a home! It’s equally awkward if the seller is home and needs to get out of the garage while you are parked there.

      If you’d been in the home inspection business a while, it’s probably happened to you. It can go wrong several ways. The appointment is for Tuesday at 9:00 AM at 26 Birch Ave. You show up on site, and there’s no one there. You wait around, knock on the door, start to look around the outside and begin to wonder. You realize something isn’t right.

Your cell phone rings and it’s the real estate agent, hopping mad. Turns out you’ve got the address wrong and they are all the way across town. The agent and the client are waiting, along with the seller of the home who has booked off work to be there.

That’s bad enough, but this one is even worse: You’ve just started an inspection with a client and agent at 26 Birch Ave., and another client calls, expecting you to be at a different address at exactly the time! What do you do? Did you double book? Did they make a mistake? It doesn’t really matter, it’s bad news either way.

These are no-win situations, the kind you want to avoid. We have been there, done that, and never want to do it again. That’s why we use confirmation e-mails, sent to the client and agent once an inspection is booked. The date, time and address of the inspection are all documented automatically so there is no confusion. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

With our Horizon home inspection report writing software, e-mail is generated automatically, so there’s no need for double entry, and no room to make a transcription error. The appropriate inspector also gets a copy of the confirmation e-mail automatically.

You show up at the inspection on time and ready to go. The client and agent are there and you go through your introductory remarks. Straight to work with the attentive client, and happily the owner is not there. A great situation! You get through the home, summarize for the client and provide a report summary.

You collect your payment, thank the agent and client, and you’re ready to be on your way. It’s then that the agent says, “Do you remember being at this house 18 months ago?” Your heart sinks. What did you say the first time you were there? Is the old report around? What happens if they compare the two reports? Why didn’t you remember the house?

If you’ve lived through this, you know embarrassing may just be the beginning. If your reports do not track, your credibility may be hurt, and your liability may be significant. At Carson Dunlop, we worry about this and that’s why we built a tool into our Horizon home inspection report writing software that gives us a heads up when booking an inspection if we inspected the house before. Not only that, we are only one click away from the previous work order and one more click away from the previous report. We can always see what we said before. A valuable tool? Absolutely. In some cases it’s a real lifesaver.

Canada’s first licensing law for home inspectors was passed in January 2009. By March 31, all home inspectors will have to meet the requirements of the National Certification Program for Home and Property Inspectors www.nca-anc.com, requirements of CAHPI-BC, (Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors - British Columbia) www.cahpi.bc.ca, or the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (ASTTBC) www.asttbc.org. All home inspectors will have to carry Errors and Omissions insurance and General Liability insurance. There will be a $100 licensing fee, and home inspectors will have to carry an identification card. There will also be a criminal record check.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that real estate agents will not be allowed to recommend home inspectors. Instead they will send consumers to the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority, a non-government, not-for-profit organization. (www.bpcpa.ca) This authority will also handle consumer complaints related to home inspection.

Those who are not a member of any of these organizations may have their credentials assessed by the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority at a cost of $250. This option is only available until March 31, 2009, and those who are approved will have to become members of one of the three organizations within two years.

No license is required for commercial property inspections. For more information from the Authority, click here.

Mid-efficiency furnaces are being phased out in Ontario. After 2009, these will no longer be available. While high-efficiency systems are great, they can be difficult to install in some homes, due to venting requirements.  Mid-efficiency furnaces are less complex and less expensive than high-efficiency furnaces. Replacement of an older conventional or mid-efficiency furnace in 2009 with a new mid-efficiency may make sense for many homeowners.