The Neighborhood Realtor

Deep Dive on Using Home Inspections to Close More Deals — Nick Wright, KY

Matt Muscat

In this episode of The Neighborhood Realtor podcast, we dive deep into the world of property inspections with a true industry expert. Our guest is not just any property inspector; he's someone who started his journey with a deal on his very first day in the industry and has since grown his brand to become synonymous with excellence in property inspections. This episode has marketing ideas for agents, inspection tips, and ways to partner with your inspector or home expert. We love talking to true entrepreneurs like Nick! 

Join us as we uncover the remarkable story behind his rise to success, from humble beginnings to inspecting over 2,000 properties each year. Discover the marketing strategies he employed to set himself apart from the competition, including targeting untapped markets.

But it's not all about personal success—our guest also shares valuable insights into the latest inspection trends and how realtors can partner with inspectors to add significant value to their clients. If you're a real estate agent looking to enhance your services and provide top-notch experiences for your clients, this episode is a must-listen.

Tune in now to gain a fresh perspective on property inspections and learn how to build more meaningful partnerships in the real estate industry. Don't miss out on this episode filled with invaluable tips and stories from The Neighborhood Realtor podcast!

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The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.
🔑 Treadstone Funding: https://www.treadstonemortgage.com/
🔑 Neighborhood Loans: https://neighborhoodloans.com
🔑 Real Estate Marketing Guide: https://www.amazon.com/TAG-Tangible-Action-Guide-Marketing/dp/1698339747
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🏛️ Treadstone Funding propelled by Neighborhood Loans NMLS 222982 “Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee No. MB.6759826. neighborhoodloans.com/licensing/  For licensing information, go to www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org”

<b>(upbeat music)</b><b>You can</b><b>generate</b><b>as many</b><b>crappy</b><b>buyer</b><b>leads</b><b>online</b><b>as you</b><b>want, but</b><b>if you</b><b>don't</b><b>have the</b><b>reputation</b><b>where</b><b>other</b><b>agents</b><b>want to</b><b>choose to</b><b>accept</b><b>your</b><b>offer</b><b>and work</b><b>with you,</b><b>you've</b><b>wasted</b><b>your</b><b>time.</b><b>Hey</b><b>everybody, welcome</b><b>to the</b><b>show.</b><b>Super</b><b>excited</b><b>today. We</b><b>have a,</b><b>we have</b><b>kind of a</b><b>different</b><b>flavor,</b><b>right?</b><b>Like if</b><b>we</b><b>usually</b><b>go</b><b>vanilla</b><b>today,</b><b>we're</b><b>going</b><b>strawberry.</b><b>I flew</b><b>down to</b><b>Austin,</b><b>Texas.</b><b>These</b><b>guys know</b><b>I like to</b><b>travel</b><b>for a one</b><b>day</b><b>conference. I</b><b>presented</b><b>to home</b><b>inspectors,</b><b>not my,</b><b>not my</b><b>normal</b><b>brand.</b><b>Usually</b><b>I'm</b><b>talking</b><b>to real</b><b>estate</b><b>agents</b><b>and</b><b>lenders.</b><b>But it was</b><b>really</b><b>interesting</b><b>because I</b><b>think the</b><b>home</b><b>inspection</b><b>industry,</b><b>you know,</b><b>for</b><b>years and</b><b>years and</b><b>years,</b><b>it's</b><b>been,</b><b>it's been</b><b>a little</b><b>sleepy,</b><b>but</b><b>there's a</b><b>lot of,</b><b>I've</b><b>learned</b><b>that</b><b>there's a</b><b>lot of</b><b>inspection</b><b>agencies</b><b>around</b><b>the</b><b>country</b><b>that are</b><b>really</b><b>changing</b><b>things up</b><b>right</b><b>now. And</b><b>I met,</b><b>had the</b><b>opportunity</b><b>to meet</b><b>Nick and</b><b>his team, Nick</b><b>Wright,</b><b>owner of</b><b>Right</b><b>Choice</b><b>Properties,</b><b>especially</b><b>in</b><b>Louisville,</b><b>Kentucky,</b><b>and some</b><b>of the</b><b>surrounding</b><b>areas.</b><b>And I</b><b>learned</b><b>from</b><b>these</b><b>guys,</b><b>like I</b><b>had so</b><b>many</b><b>pages of</b><b>notes</b><b>after</b><b>hearing</b><b>Nick and</b><b>his team</b><b>talk of</b><b>some</b><b>of the</b><b>things that</b><b>they're</b><b>doing,</b><b>not just</b><b>to market</b><b>towards</b><b>realtors,</b><b>but some</b><b>of the</b><b>direct to</b><b>consumer</b><b>stuff and</b><b>some just</b><b>different</b><b>ways that</b><b>they've</b><b>grown</b><b>their</b><b>market</b><b>share in the</b><b>community.</b><b>So Nick,</b><b>welcome</b><b>to the</b><b>show</b><b>today. Thanks</b><b>for</b><b>joining</b><b>us. Thank</b><b>you for</b><b>having</b><b>me, Matt. It's</b><b>a</b><b>pleasure</b><b>to be</b><b>here. So</b><b>let's, let's</b><b>just</b><b>start. We</b><b>always</b><b>like to</b><b>start</b><b>with like</b><b>some real</b><b>numbers</b><b>so that</b><b>people</b><b>can get</b><b>your</b><b>credibility</b><b>and</b><b>hopefully</b><b>they</b><b>stick</b><b>around</b><b>for the</b><b>show. And</b><b>then</b><b>we're</b><b>going to</b><b>go into</b><b>your</b><b>origin</b><b>story and</b><b>then</b><b>we're</b><b>going to</b><b>go into</b><b>kind of</b><b>what</b><b>you're</b><b>doing</b><b>right now</b><b>to</b><b>provide</b><b>people</b><b>kind of</b><b>the, the,</b><b>the</b><b>context</b><b>of where</b><b>we're</b><b>going</b><b>today. So</b><b>Nick,</b><b>how, what</b><b>kind of</b><b>production</b><b>are you</b><b>guys</b><b>doing?</b><b>How many</b><b>property</b><b>inspections</b><b>did you</b><b>do in a</b><b>2023? We</b><b>are on</b><b>track for</b><b>end of</b><b>2023 to</b><b>hit just</b><b>over 2000</b><b>property</b><b>inspections,</b><b>including</b><b>residential</b><b>and</b><b>commercial</b><b>properties.</b><b>So we're</b><b>super</b><b>excited</b><b>about</b><b>that for</b><b>this</b><b>year. So</b><b>obviously,</b><b>you know,</b><b>property</b><b>inspectors</b><b>have a</b><b>little</b><b>bit more</b><b>bandwidth</b><b>than your</b><b>typical</b><b>realtor,</b><b>right?</b><b>Like so,</b><b>so high</b><b>producing</b><b>realtor</b><b>that we</b><b>usually</b><b>have on</b><b>the show,</b><b>they're</b><b>doing</b><b>between</b><b>a hundred</b><b>and 500</b><b>sales per</b><b>year.</b><b>Maybe</b><b>lenders</b><b>are doing</b><b>between</b><b>200 and a</b><b>thousand</b><b>sales per year</b><b>for the</b><b>home</b><b>inspection</b><b>industry,</b><b>2000, how</b><b>many</b><b>inspectors</b><b>does it</b><b>take to</b><b>facilitate</b><b>that</b><b>level of</b><b>business</b><b>with</b><b>still</b><b>delivering</b><b>the</b><b>quality</b><b>that you</b><b>all give?</b><b>We have</b><b>grown</b><b>this year</b><b>to seven</b><b>full-time</b><b>inspectors.</b><b>Well, one</b><b>part-time,</b><b>but yeah.</b><b>So it's</b><b>seven</b><b>inspectors</b><b>to be</b><b>able to</b><b>take on</b><b>that,</b><b>that</b><b>productivity.</b><b>And it's</b><b>just</b><b>providing</b><b>us that</b><b>quick</b><b>turnaround</b><b>service</b><b>with the,</b><b>with the</b><b>staff</b><b>that we</b><b>have on</b><b>board.</b><b>So, I</b><b>mean,</b><b>those are</b><b>some</b><b>pretty</b><b>big</b><b>numbers.</b><b>And I</b><b>imagine</b><b>you</b><b>probably</b><b>have the</b><b>number</b><b>one</b><b>market</b><b>share for</b><b>any</b><b>inspection</b><b>agency in</b><b>your, in</b><b>your</b><b>general</b><b>area. So</b><b>congrats</b><b>on,</b><b>congrats</b><b>on</b><b>that</b><b>growth.</b><b>Thank</b><b>you.</b><b>Thank</b><b>you. So</b><b>how the</b><b>heck did</b><b>you end</b><b>up in</b><b>this, in</b><b>this</b><b>industry?</b><b>So I</b><b>mean, we</b><b>all got</b><b>into it</b><b>in weird</b><b>different</b><b>ways, but</b><b>how did</b><b>you end</b><b>up in our</b><b>lovely</b><b>real</b><b>estate</b><b>inspection</b><b>industry?</b><b>So my</b><b>personal</b><b>background</b><b>is</b><b>commercial</b><b>construction.</b><b>My</b><b>grandparents</b><b>are my</b><b>grandfathers</b><b>and my</b><b>dad all</b><b>in</b><b>construction</b><b>growing</b><b>up. So</b><b>it's kind</b><b>of in my</b><b>head</b><b>to get</b><b>into the</b><b>construction</b><b>world out</b><b>of</b><b>school.</b><b>But in</b><b>2015, I</b><b>had a</b><b>change in</b><b>my career</b><b>and my</b><b>wife</b><b>at the</b><b>time put</b><b>the idea</b><b>in my</b><b>head to</b><b>become a</b><b>home</b><b>inspector</b><b>and never</b><b>been an</b><b>entrepreneur</b><b>or</b><b>marketer</b><b>or</b><b>anything</b><b>like that</b><b>before. I</b><b>was all</b><b>about</b><b>corporate,</b><b>corporate</b><b>business.</b><b>But</b><b>2015, I</b><b>just</b><b>decided</b><b>to take a</b><b>leap and</b><b>start my</b><b>own LLC</b><b>and start</b><b>our</b><b>inspection</b><b>company.</b><b>Got</b><b>licensed</b><b>and</b><b>accredited</b><b>by the</b><b>end of</b><b>2015 and</b><b>launched</b><b>it like</b><b>late</b><b>2015. And</b><b>it's all</b><b>gone</b><b>uphill</b><b>from</b><b>there.</b><b>One of</b><b>the</b><b>things we</b><b>were</b><b>talking</b><b>earlier</b><b>that</b><b>fascinated</b><b>me, and I</b><b>think</b><b>it's a</b><b>really</b><b>good tie</b><b>into any</b><b>real</b><b>estate</b><b>agent</b><b>that</b><b>really</b><b>wants to</b><b>do it, is</b><b>that</b><b>between</b><b>the</b><b>day that</b><b>your wife</b><b>put this</b><b>idea in</b><b>your head</b><b>and the</b><b>day that</b><b>you did</b><b>your</b><b>first</b><b>home</b><b>inspection,</b><b>it was a</b><b>ridiculously</b><b>short</b><b>window of</b><b>time.</b><b>Tell me,</b><b>what all</b><b>did you</b><b>do and</b><b>what was</b><b>the time</b><b>frame?</b><b>Because I</b><b>think</b><b>people</b><b>need to hear</b><b>this. So</b><b>I'll just</b><b>tell the</b><b>whole</b><b>story. So</b><b>my wife,</b><b>she was a</b><b>hairstylist</b><b>at the</b><b>time. I</b><b>actually</b><b>got laid</b><b>off from</b><b>a small</b><b>family</b><b>owned</b><b>business</b><b>and</b><b>was</b><b>devastated.</b><b>Nothing I</b><b>did or</b><b>anything.</b><b>They told</b><b>me it</b><b>wasn't my</b><b>fault and</b><b>stuff,</b><b>but</b><b>she had</b><b>actually</b><b>came home</b><b>the same</b><b>day that</b><b>I got</b><b>laid off.</b><b>And she</b><b>had cut a</b><b>woman's</b><b>hair</b><b>that day</b><b>as a</b><b>long-term</b><b>client of</b><b>hers, her</b><b>and her</b><b>husband</b><b>owned a</b><b>home</b><b>inspection</b><b>business.</b><b>And they</b><b>were</b><b>talking</b><b>about how</b><b>great of</b><b>a home</b><b>inspector</b><b>I would</b><b>be. And</b><b>she came</b><b>home that</b><b>day and I</b><b>broke</b><b>the news</b><b>to her.</b><b>And she</b><b>was like,</b><b>what a</b><b>small</b><b>world</b><b>actually</b><b>talked to</b><b>this</b><b>woman</b><b>today.</b><b>And</b><b>she</b><b>thought</b><b>you'd be</b><b>a great</b><b>home</b><b>inspector.</b><b>And I</b><b>literally</b><b>got on</b><b>Google</b><b>immediately</b><b>and</b><b>Googled</b><b>traits of</b><b>a home</b><b>inspector.</b><b>And it</b><b>described</b><b>my entire</b><b>career</b><b>and</b><b>background</b><b>to tea.</b><b>And I was</b><b>like,</b><b>this is</b><b>like a</b><b>perfect</b><b>cookie</b><b>cutter</b><b>description</b><b>of like</b><b>my entire</b><b>career</b><b>thus far.</b><b>And light</b><b>clicked</b><b>on in my</b><b>head. And</b><b>I was</b><b>like, I'm</b><b>just</b><b>going to</b><b>take the</b><b>leap and</b><b>do this.</b><b>Came up</b><b>with our</b><b>LLC name,</b><b>sketched</b><b>out a</b><b>logo that</b><b>evening.</b><b>The</b><b>following</b><b>day,</b><b>reached</b><b>out to a</b><b>marketing</b><b>company</b><b>and had</b><b>them</b><b>design</b><b>the logo</b><b>and stuff</b><b>and</b><b>actually</b><b>found a</b><b>school to</b><b>get</b><b>accredited</b><b>for being</b><b>a home</b><b>inspector</b><b>started</b><b>the</b><b>following</b><b>week. So</b><b>I think</b><b>I got</b><b>laid off</b><b>on a</b><b>Thursday</b><b>and</b><b>started</b><b>the</b><b>school</b><b>the</b><b>following</b><b>like</b><b>Wednesday,</b><b>completed</b><b>that</b><b>school in</b><b>a week or</b><b>two that</b><b>it took</b><b>and then</b><b>took my</b><b>national</b><b>exam. I</b><b>was</b><b>licensed</b><b>within</b><b>probably</b><b>three</b><b>months, I</b><b>would</b><b>say. And</b><b>when we</b><b>were</b><b>speaking</b><b>earlier,</b><b>I was</b><b>talking</b><b>about</b><b>like</b><b>immediately</b><b>just</b><b>started</b><b>working</b><b>my sphere</b><b>of</b><b>influence</b><b>of family</b><b>and</b><b>friends I</b><b>knew</b><b>in the</b><b>industry</b><b>right</b><b>after</b><b>that. And</b><b>how like</b><b>once you,</b><b>once you</b><b>had your</b><b>license,</b><b>how long</b><b>before</b><b>you</b><b>had your</b><b>first</b><b>deal? Day</b><b>one.</b><b>During</b><b>the</b><b>process</b><b>of the</b><b>school</b><b>and</b><b>training</b><b>and</b><b>everything,</b><b>I was</b><b>putting</b><b>the</b><b>putting</b><b>the word</b><b>out there</b><b>to my</b><b>sphere</b><b>that I'm</b><b>in the</b><b>process</b><b>of doing</b><b>this.</b><b>I will be</b><b>licensed</b><b>very soon</b><b>and</b><b>stuff.</b><b>Just want</b><b>to let</b><b>you all</b><b>know. I'd</b><b>love the</b><b>opportunity</b><b>to</b><b>get some</b><b>business</b><b>from you.</b><b>And then</b><b>day one</b><b>that I</b><b>was</b><b>licensed,</b><b>I was</b><b>like</b><b>letting</b><b>people</b><b>know. And</b><b>actually,</b><b>I think I</b><b>had one</b><b>or two</b><b>inspections</b><b>the very</b><b>first day</b><b>I had</b><b>launched</b><b>it. So I</b><b>think</b><b>this</b><b>is huge,</b><b>right? So</b><b>like</b><b>obviously</b><b>the</b><b>inspections</b><b>are</b><b>different</b><b>than</b><b>showing</b><b>someone</b><b>30</b><b>houses and</b><b>getting a</b><b>sale,</b><b>right?</b><b>Like very</b><b>few</b><b>realtors</b><b>are</b><b>getting a</b><b>closed</b><b>deal on</b><b>their</b><b>first</b><b>day. But</b><b>what</b><b>does</b><b>match</b><b>over to</b><b>really</b><b>any sales</b><b>industry</b><b>is that</b><b>you took</b><b>the time</b><b>when you</b><b>were</b><b>training,</b><b>which is</b><b>in theory</b><b>like dead</b><b>time, and</b><b>you</b><b>marketed</b><b>to your</b><b>sphere</b><b>and kept</b><b>them</b><b>informed</b><b>and made</b><b>them part</b><b>of your</b><b>process.</b><b>You kind</b><b>of got</b><b>you made</b><b>them feel</b><b>invested</b><b>and you</b><b>got them</b><b>excited</b><b>about it.</b><b>I think</b><b>this is</b><b>something</b><b>that</b><b>realtors</b><b>could do</b><b>better.</b><b>This is</b><b>something</b><b>that</b><b>lenders</b><b>could do</b><b>better as</b><b>well.</b><b>Because</b><b>when</b><b>we're</b><b>training,</b><b>when</b><b>we're</b><b>doing</b><b>things,</b><b>it's</b><b>all</b><b>encompassing.</b><b>And we</b><b>feel</b><b>like, oh,</b><b>we can't</b><b>go to</b><b>market</b><b>until</b><b>we're</b><b>fully</b><b>done.</b><b>But then</b><b>what</b><b>happens</b><b>is you</b><b>get done</b><b>and then</b><b>you sit</b><b>around</b><b>twiddling</b><b>your</b><b>thumbs</b><b>for a</b><b>long</b><b>period of</b><b>time to</b><b>get those</b><b>first</b><b>couple</b><b>clients.</b><b>And that</b><b>is the</b><b>tough</b><b>part. In</b><b>some</b><b>companies,</b><b>real estate,</b><b>especially</b><b>some of</b><b>the big,</b><b>big</b><b>brokerages,</b><b>it can</b><b>almost be</b><b>like</b><b>death by</b><b>training</b><b>because</b><b>you go</b><b>through</b><b>hundreds</b><b>and</b><b>hundreds</b><b>of hours</b><b>of</b><b>training.</b><b>And then</b><b>you maybe</b><b>have some</b><b>knowledge,</b><b>but no</b><b>real</b><b>world</b><b>knowledge,</b><b>but you</b><b>still</b><b>don't</b><b>have a</b><b>paycheck</b><b>coming</b><b>in. And I</b><b>think</b><b>that's</b><b>why the</b><b>failure</b><b>rate is</b><b>so high</b><b>for</b><b>commission</b><b>salespeople</b><b>because</b><b>they</b><b>never get</b><b>the ball</b><b>rolling</b><b>and they</b><b>never</b><b>feel</b><b>confident</b><b>enough in</b><b>order to</b><b>go out</b><b>and put</b><b>themselves</b><b>out</b><b>there. So</b><b>I guess</b><b>that's</b><b>lesson</b><b>one. The</b><b>faster</b><b>you can</b><b>do that</b><b>with</b><b>confidence,</b><b>faster</b><b>you're</b><b>going to</b><b>get that</b><b>first</b><b>deal in</b><b>any</b><b>industry</b><b>that</b><b>you're</b><b>in. I</b><b>love</b><b>that.</b><b>So how</b><b>did you</b><b>build</b><b>that</b><b>trust?</b><b>You were</b><b>new. So</b><b>you had</b><b>experience</b><b>in</b><b>construction.</b><b>You were</b><b>very</b><b>knowledgeable. Your</b><b>sphere</b><b>knew</b><b>that. But</b><b>how did</b><b>you, what</b><b>were your</b><b>tactics</b><b>to go out</b><b>and</b><b>develop</b><b>business</b><b>to</b><b>business</b><b>relationships?</b><b>Obviously</b><b>for you,</b><b>that's</b><b>probably</b><b>realtors.</b><b>That's</b><b>probably</b><b>lenders,</b><b>insurance</b><b>agents, a little</b><b>bit of</b><b>direct to</b><b>consumer.</b><b>Obviously</b><b>realtors</b><b>need to</b><b>build</b><b>relationships</b><b>with all</b><b>kinds of</b><b>industry</b><b>connections</b><b>to get</b><b>leads.</b><b>But how</b><b>did you</b><b>do that? Because</b><b>it's</b><b>easier said than done.</b><b>So I</b><b>really,</b><b>from day</b><b>one, I</b><b>was like</b><b>trying to</b><b>let my</b><b>experience</b><b>shine as</b><b>a</b><b>contractor</b><b>in the</b><b>past. I</b><b>think</b><b>that goes</b><b>a long</b><b>way in</b><b>the home</b><b>inspection</b><b>industry,</b><b>having</b><b>that</b><b>hands-on</b><b>knowledge,</b><b>hands-on</b><b>experience.</b><b>So like</b><b>I've had</b><b>that on</b><b>all of</b><b>our</b><b>marketing</b><b>materials,</b><b>like 15</b><b>years</b><b>experience</b><b>in</b><b>commercial</b><b>residential</b><b>construction.</b><b>I have to</b><b>pause you</b><b>there. I</b><b>have to</b><b>pause you</b><b>there</b><b>because this is something I've been</b><b>talking</b><b>about for</b><b>years. I</b><b>want</b><b>every</b><b>salesperson</b><b>to stop</b><b>talking</b><b>about the</b><b>fact that</b><b>they're</b><b>new.</b><b>Stop</b><b>saying</b><b>that you</b><b>have two</b><b>months of</b><b>experience.</b><b>Let's</b><b>market</b><b>your past</b><b>experience</b><b>and find</b><b>something</b><b>that's</b><b>related.</b><b>My first</b><b>day in</b><b>real</b><b>estate</b><b>marketing,</b><b>I'm</b><b>presenting</b><b>about</b><b>real</b><b>estate</b><b>marketing</b><b>at a</b><b>brokerage</b><b>and I</b><b>have one</b><b>day of</b><b>experience.</b><b>No, I had</b><b>just</b><b>gone to</b><b>college</b><b>for seven</b><b>years for</b><b>marketing.</b><b>I had</b><b>seven</b><b>years of</b><b>marketing</b><b>experience.</b><b>I said</b><b>seven</b><b>years of</b><b>marketing</b><b>and real</b><b>estate</b><b>experience.</b><b>Six years</b><b>and 364</b><b>days in</b><b>marketing,</b><b>one</b><b>day in</b><b>real</b><b>estate.</b><b>You did</b><b>that. I</b><b>did that. It</b><b>clearly</b><b>worked.</b><b>So if</b><b>you're</b><b>listening,</b><b>make sure</b><b>to use</b><b>that past</b><b>experience,</b><b>whatever</b><b>it was,</b><b>customer</b><b>service,</b><b>sales,</b><b>real</b><b>estate,</b><b>home</b><b>experience.</b><b>Maybe you</b><b>were a</b><b>stay-at-home</b><b>mom and</b><b>you</b><b>market</b><b>that like</b><b>home</b><b>experience, like</b><b>managing</b><b>a home,</b><b>whatever</b><b>it is,</b><b>you need</b><b>to figure</b><b>out a</b><b>creative</b><b>way to</b><b>market</b><b>that in a</b><b>trustworthy</b><b>way to</b><b>relate to</b><b>people. I</b><b>love</b><b>that.</b><b>Nick,</b><b>sorry I</b><b>cut you</b><b>off, but</b><b>I had to</b><b>like</b><b>dwell on</b><b>that.</b><b>You are</b><b>good. No,</b><b>I mean</b><b>that is</b><b>truly</b><b>like I</b><b>think how</b><b>I sold</b><b>people at</b><b>the</b><b>beginning</b><b>was just</b><b>like my</b><b>personality, just</b><b>being</b><b>overly</b><b>friendly</b><b>and stuff</b><b>like</b><b>that, but</b><b>also just</b><b>establishing</b><b>my</b><b>credibility</b><b>with them</b><b>and</b><b>giving</b><b>them a</b><b>peace of</b><b>mind that</b><b>they know</b><b>that I</b><b>know what</b><b>I was</b><b>talking</b><b>about</b><b>when I'm</b><b>being at</b><b>home and</b><b>everything.</b><b>So I know</b><b>you</b><b>mentioned</b><b>that</b><b>maybe</b><b>let's say</b><b>a year</b><b>after you</b><b>started,</b><b>you</b><b>started</b><b>to run</b><b>into a</b><b>problem</b><b>with</b><b>capacity.</b><b>I think</b><b>that's an</b><b>issue</b><b>that</b><b>everyone</b><b>in our</b><b>industry,</b><b>assuming</b><b>that they</b><b>do</b><b>something</b><b>right,</b><b>whether</b><b>on</b><b>purpose</b><b>or by</b><b>getting</b><b>lucky,</b><b>runs</b><b>into. So</b><b>walk us</b><b>through,</b><b>you built</b><b>a level</b><b>of</b><b>success,</b><b>and then</b><b>what</b><b>happened?</b><b>I got to</b><b>the point</b><b>as a</b><b>single</b><b>man</b><b>inspection</b><b>firm</b><b>where I</b><b>was</b><b>booked</b><b>out</b><b>literally</b><b>two to</b><b>three</b><b>weeks in</b><b>advance</b><b>doing 17,</b><b>18</b><b>inspections</b><b>a week by</b><b>myself.</b><b>And that</b><b>doesn't</b><b>work for</b><b>any</b><b>realtor</b><b>as all</b><b>the</b><b>mentors</b><b>listening</b><b>know,</b><b>so how</b><b>did you,</b><b>you got</b><b>to that</b><b>point</b><b>after</b><b>your, how</b><b>did you</b><b>fix it?</b><b>Well, I</b><b>mean at</b><b>the time</b><b>when I</b><b>started,</b><b>I think</b><b>like the</b><b>turnaround</b><b>time by</b><b>the time</b><b>you're</b><b>under</b><b>contract</b><b>to get an</b><b>inspection,</b><b>you had</b><b>15 days,</b><b>which it</b><b>worked at</b><b>the time,</b><b>but the</b><b>market</b><b>started</b><b>changing</b><b>and it</b><b>got down</b><b>to where</b><b>you had</b><b>14 days,</b><b>10 days,</b><b>seven</b><b>days,</b><b>and then</b><b>COVID</b><b>happened.</b><b>And you</b><b>had some</b><b>people</b><b>writing</b><b>in their</b><b>contracts.</b><b>We need</b><b>an</b><b>inspection</b><b>done in</b><b>48 hours</b><b>or</b><b>something,</b><b>but with</b><b>my</b><b>capacity,</b><b>it got to</b><b>the point</b><b>where I</b><b>was</b><b>actually</b><b>like</b><b>turning</b><b>away work</b><b>and I</b><b>realized</b><b>that and</b><b>I was</b><b>like, I</b><b>do not</b><b>want to</b><b>lose my</b><b>clientele</b><b>or</b><b>realtors</b><b>or</b><b>anything</b><b>like that</b><b>because I</b><b>can't get</b><b>to them</b><b>in a</b><b>decent</b><b>amount of</b><b>time.</b><b>So I</b><b>think it</b><b>was about</b><b>two years</b><b>in,</b><b>almost</b><b>getting</b><b>burnt out</b><b>doing it</b><b>all by</b><b>myself.</b><b>And I was</b><b>like time</b><b>to</b><b>onboard</b><b>somebody.</b><b>I hired a</b><b>family</b><b>friend</b><b>that I've</b><b>known for</b><b>years</b><b>and he</b><b>had been</b><b>in</b><b>construction</b><b>and</b><b>everything</b><b>as well.</b><b>And then</b><b>he got to</b><b>the point</b><b>where he</b><b>was fully</b><b>at</b><b>capacity</b><b>as well</b><b>and it</b><b>just kept</b><b>clicking.</b><b>And I was</b><b>like,</b><b>okay, I</b><b>hired my</b><b>brother-in-law</b><b>at that</b><b>point and</b><b>all three</b><b>of us got</b><b>to that.</b><b>So what's</b><b>like the</b><b>number,</b><b>like what</b><b>percent</b><b>capacity</b><b>does your</b><b>calendar</b><b>need to</b><b>be at</b><b>before</b><b>you start</b><b>interviewing?</b><b>So this</b><b>year we</b><b>joined an</b><b>awesome</b><b>group</b><b>called</b><b>Inspector</b><b>Empire</b><b>Builder. They've</b><b>got some</b><b>awesome</b><b>systems</b><b>and</b><b>training</b><b>to help</b><b>us grow</b><b>and scale</b><b>our</b><b>business,</b><b>but</b><b>learning</b><b>a lot</b><b>this</b><b>year,</b><b>stuff</b><b>that I</b><b>should</b><b>have been</b><b>doing</b><b>years</b><b>ago. But</b><b>when</b><b>we're at</b><b>now, we're</b><b>realizing</b><b>at 75 to</b><b>80%</b><b>capacity</b><b>each</b><b>week,</b><b>we need</b><b>to look</b><b>at</b><b>onboarding</b><b>another</b><b>inspector.</b><b>And an</b><b>inspection</b><b>business</b><b>is kind</b><b>of</b><b>seasonal</b><b>as well.</b><b>So we</b><b>take that</b><b>into</b><b>account.</b><b>Like of</b><b>course,</b><b>the</b><b>holidays,</b><b>November,</b><b>December,</b><b>not too</b><b>many</b><b>people</b><b>are out</b><b>house</b><b>shopping</b><b>and</b><b>stuff. So</b><b>with the</b><b>slower</b><b>time</b><b>right</b><b>now,</b><b>we</b><b>actually</b><b>did just</b><b>onboard</b><b>somebody</b><b>else</b><b>because</b><b>we are at</b><b>80%</b><b>capacity</b><b>for the</b><b>week,</b><b>but just</b><b>gearing</b><b>up for</b><b>the new</b><b>year and</b><b>springtime</b><b>coming</b><b>up. And I</b><b>think</b><b>we're</b><b>talking</b><b>about</b><b>bringing</b><b>on</b><b>another</b><b>one in</b><b>preparation</b><b>for</b><b>springtime.</b><b>Real</b><b>estate</b><b>has a lot</b><b>of</b><b>contracts.</b><b>I want</b><b>this</b><b>podcast</b><b>to have a</b><b>social</b><b>contract</b><b>as well.</b><b>Here's</b><b>what I</b><b>need from</b><b>you. If</b><b>you're</b><b>listening</b><b>to the</b><b>show and</b><b>you get</b><b>something</b><b>valuable</b><b>out of</b><b>it, or</b><b>you hear</b><b>something</b><b>that you</b><b>think</b><b>that's</b><b>awesome,</b><b>I want</b><b>you to</b><b>send me a</b><b>DM on</b><b>Instagram,</b><b>or if you</b><b>find my</b><b>email,</b><b>send it</b><b>that way.</b><b>The more</b><b>feedback</b><b>that I</b><b>get helps</b><b>me to put</b><b>together</b><b>better</b><b>shows and</b><b>attract</b><b>better</b><b>guests.</b><b>So I</b><b>think for</b><b>a real</b><b>estate</b><b>agent,</b><b>for a</b><b>sales</b><b>professional</b><b>in our</b><b>industry,</b><b>what I</b><b>think you</b><b>need to</b><b>do first,</b><b>we talk</b><b>all the time</b><b>about</b><b>having a</b><b>time</b><b>block. If</b><b>you first</b><b>start</b><b>with your</b><b>time</b><b>block of</b><b>marketing,</b><b>sales,</b><b>and</b><b>administrative</b><b>activities</b><b>that you</b><b>have to</b><b>get done,</b><b>like your</b><b>non-negotiables,</b><b>you have</b><b>those</b><b>hours in</b><b>your</b><b>calendar,</b><b>and then</b><b>you have</b><b>another</b><b>20 hours</b><b>time</b><b>blocked</b><b>out for</b><b>showings,</b><b>for</b><b>listing</b><b>appointments,</b><b>for listings,</b><b>for the</b><b>ancillary</b><b>work that</b><b>pops up</b><b>that's</b><b>deal</b><b>related.</b><b>The same</b><b>number</b><b>applies.</b><b>For Nick, he</b><b>mentioned</b><b>80% and</b><b>75%.</b><b>You're a real</b><b>estate</b><b>agent and</b><b>you look</b><b>at your</b><b>calendar</b><b>two weeks</b><b>out and</b><b>you're</b><b>already</b><b>80%</b><b>booked</b><b>with all</b><b>that</b><b>other</b><b>work,</b><b>it's time</b><b>to hire</b><b>an admin.</b><b>We</b><b>recommend</b><b>starting</b><b>with the</b><b>transaction</b><b>coordinator,</b><b>moving on</b><b>to an</b><b>assistant,</b><b>like a</b><b>full-time</b><b>assistant.</b><b>And then</b><b>after</b><b>that, if</b><b>you're</b><b>still at</b><b>80%,</b><b>still</b><b>profitable,</b><b>those</b><b>people</b><b>are busy,</b><b>then you</b><b>start to</b><b>add</b><b>buyer's</b><b>agents</b><b>and</b><b>things</b><b>like</b><b>that. But</b><b>you need</b><b>to have</b><b>that</b><b>metric</b><b>ahead of</b><b>time so</b><b>that you</b><b>can spot</b><b>that</b><b>before</b><b>it's too</b><b>late. The</b><b>minute</b><b>you</b><b>start</b><b>getting</b><b>too</b><b>overly</b><b>booked,</b><b>you can't</b><b>help</b><b>clients</b><b>and</b><b>you're</b><b>referring</b><b>it out</b><b>for a</b><b>meager</b><b>30%, it's</b><b>too late</b><b>at that</b><b>point.</b><b>That was</b><b>honestly</b><b>something</b><b>I</b><b>struggled</b><b>with,</b><b>being a</b><b>solo LLC</b><b>owner.</b><b>And it</b><b>was my</b><b>baby. I</b><b>didn't</b><b>want to</b><b>let</b><b>things</b><b>go. And I</b><b>was like,</b><b>I could</b><b>do all</b><b>this, I</b><b>could do</b><b>it all. I</b><b>got to</b><b>the point</b><b>I was</b><b>getting</b><b>so burnt</b><b>out and</b><b>overwork.</b><b>And one</b><b>of the</b><b>greatest</b><b>things I</b><b>learned</b><b>growing</b><b>through</b><b>our</b><b>process</b><b>is to</b><b>delegate. Once</b><b>you get</b><b>to a</b><b>certain</b><b>point,</b><b>start</b><b>delegating,</b><b>find your</b><b>transaction</b><b>coordinator</b><b>or an</b><b>admin or</b><b>whatever,</b><b>the</b><b>little</b><b>stuff</b><b>that you</b><b>can hire</b><b>out or</b><b>subcontract</b><b>out or</b><b>whatever,</b><b>do that</b><b>and take</b><b>that off</b><b>your</b><b>plate so</b><b>you can</b><b>shine and</b><b>do the</b><b>important</b><b>things</b><b>that you</b><b>need to</b><b>be</b><b>working</b><b>on.</b><b>I love</b><b>that. So</b><b>we get to</b><b>another</b><b>point and</b><b>we get to</b><b>like,</b><b>it's a</b><b>crowded</b><b>market,</b><b>right? So</b><b>how many</b><b>other</b><b>inspectors</b><b>do you</b><b>think are</b><b>in your</b><b>market? I</b><b>jokingly</b><b>saw on</b><b>social</b><b>that you</b><b>guys</b><b>call it</b><b>Kentucky-anna,</b><b>which I</b><b>thought</b><b>was</b><b>clever.</b><b>Yeah,</b><b>it's a</b><b>mix of</b><b>Kentucky</b><b>and</b><b>Southern</b><b>Indiana.</b><b>It's all</b><b>the</b><b>Louisville</b><b>Metro is</b><b>a large,</b><b>large</b><b>metro</b><b>area,</b><b>Southern</b><b>Indiana.</b><b>There's a</b><b>couple</b><b>larger</b><b>cities</b><b>directly</b><b>across</b><b>the river</b><b>from</b><b>there. So</b><b>they call</b><b>it</b><b>Kentucky-anna. But</b><b>in our</b><b>market</b><b>alone, I</b><b>would</b><b>guess</b><b>that</b><b>there's</b><b>probably,</b><b>I would</b><b>guess</b><b>honestly,</b><b>over 200</b><b>inspectors</b><b>in our</b><b>area</b><b>probably.</b><b>And how</b><b>many</b><b>transactions</b><b>do you</b><b>think are</b><b>happening</b><b>in a</b><b>month?</b><b>For other</b><b>inspectors?</b><b>Bill, like,</b><b>yeah, how</b><b>many</b><b>property</b><b>inspections</b><b>do you think</b><b>are taking</b><b>place</b><b>each</b><b>month in your</b><b>market?</b><b>Oh, I</b><b>think</b><b>right now</b><b>I was</b><b>looking</b><b>at the</b><b>market</b><b>the</b><b>other</b><b>day. I</b><b>think we</b><b>currently</b><b>have</b><b>around</b><b>like</b><b>8,000</b><b>homes</b><b>listed,</b><b>monthly</b><b>transactions,</b><b>probably</b><b>three to</b><b>4,000</b><b>maybe. So</b><b>200 plus</b><b>inspectors,</b><b>not every</b><b>home has</b><b>an</b><b>inspection</b><b>performed,</b><b>which is</b><b>unfortunate.</b><b>I mean,</b><b>there's a</b><b>lot of</b><b>competition.</b><b>I think</b><b>Realtors</b><b>are</b><b>feeling</b><b>that</b><b>right now</b><b>too. It's</b><b>a very</b><b>crowded</b><b>market.</b><b>There's</b><b>probably</b><b>10,000</b><b>Realtors</b><b>for those</b><b>8,000</b><b>homes.</b><b>And the</b><b>top 1% is</b><b>probably</b><b>doing a</b><b>10th of</b><b>that</b><b>business</b><b>or 50th</b><b>of that</b><b>business.</b><b>So how do</b><b>you stand</b><b>out in a</b><b>crowded</b><b>market?</b><b>What are</b><b>your</b><b>unique</b><b>selling</b><b>propositions?</b><b>So I've</b><b>always</b><b>from day</b><b>one,</b><b>we've</b><b>taken</b><b>pride in</b><b>our</b><b>marketing,</b><b>networking,</b><b>stuff</b><b>like</b><b>that.</b><b>I think</b><b>any</b><b>entrepreneur</b><b>or</b><b>Realtor,</b><b>anybody,</b><b>they need</b><b>to do</b><b>that</b><b>stuff. I</b><b>spoke to</b><b>an agent</b><b>yesterday,</b><b>had a</b><b>coffee</b><b>meeting</b><b>with him</b><b>and I was</b><b>like,</b><b>"Hey, are</b><b>you going</b><b>to this</b><b>event</b><b>next</b><b>week?"</b><b>And he's</b><b>like,</b><b>"Oh, I don't</b><b>really</b><b>like to</b><b>do that</b><b>kind of</b><b>stuff."</b><b>And I'm</b><b>like,</b><b>"Man, you got</b><b>to get</b><b>yourself</b><b>out</b><b>there." I</b><b>was like,</b><b>"Even if</b><b>it's a</b><b>room full</b><b>of</b><b>Realtors,</b><b>I was</b><b>like, "Go</b><b>out</b><b>there,</b><b>make your</b><b>presence</b><b>known." I</b><b>was like,</b><b>"Get your</b><b>name out</b><b>there,</b><b>but get</b><b>your</b><b>brand in</b><b>front of</b><b>people."</b><b>And I was</b><b>like,</b><b>"You'll</b><b>grow your</b><b>business</b><b>even if</b><b>it's with</b><b>your</b><b>direct</b><b>competitors</b><b>and</b><b>stuff."</b><b>But we</b><b>take a</b><b>lot of</b><b>pride in</b><b>getting</b><b>ourselves</b><b>out there</b><b>in front</b><b>of the</b><b>Realtors,</b><b>in front</b><b>of the</b><b>consumers.</b><b>We go to</b><b>lots of</b><b>networking</b><b>events,</b><b>tons of social</b><b>media</b><b>stuff.</b><b>We're always</b><b>doing</b><b>giveaways,</b><b>contests,</b><b>stuff</b><b>like</b><b>that. But</b><b>I think</b><b>having</b><b>the</b><b>awareness</b><b>of</b><b>our</b><b>company</b><b>and being</b><b>seen</b><b>keeps us</b><b>growing.</b><b>If you're</b><b>not out</b><b>there,</b><b>not</b><b>getting</b><b>your</b><b>name out</b><b>there,</b><b>you're</b><b>not going</b><b>to continue</b><b>to grow</b><b>at all.</b><b>Well, I</b><b>like that</b><b>too,</b><b>because</b><b>part of</b><b>any</b><b>salesperson's</b><b>job is to</b><b>build</b><b>that</b><b>brand</b><b>awareness,</b><b>not just</b><b>for</b><b>themselves</b><b>and for</b><b>marketing.</b><b>I think</b><b>that's</b><b>the big</b><b>misnomer.</b><b>People</b><b>think</b><b>like,</b><b>"Oh, I</b><b>need to</b><b>build a</b><b>brand so that</b><b>I can get</b><b>busier."</b><b>But the</b><b>other</b><b>side of</b><b>it is if</b><b>you're in</b><b>the type</b><b>of</b><b>business</b><b>where you</b><b>need</b><b>someone</b><b>else to</b><b>have</b><b>confidence</b><b>in you,</b><b>that's</b><b>the</b><b>reason to</b><b>build the</b><b>brand.</b><b>You need</b><b>to have</b><b>that</b><b>brand so</b><b>that the</b><b>Realtor</b><b>that</b><b>didn't</b><b>choose to</b><b>use you</b><b>for the home</b><b>inspection,</b><b>the one</b><b>on the</b><b>other</b><b>side of the</b><b>transaction,</b><b>they see</b><b>right</b><b>choice on</b><b>there and</b><b>they have</b><b>confidence.</b><b>I think</b><b>Realtors</b><b>need to</b><b>remember</b><b>how this</b><b>works</b><b>too,</b><b>because</b><b>you're</b><b>only as</b><b>good as</b><b>your last</b><b>transaction</b><b>and the</b><b>people</b><b>that are</b><b>out there</b><b>and their</b><b>names are in the</b><b>community,</b><b>even if</b><b>they</b><b>didn't</b><b>do the</b><b>most</b><b>sales,</b><b>other</b><b>agents</b><b>will be</b><b>more</b><b>likely to</b><b>accept</b><b>your</b><b>offer.</b><b>That is</b><b>50% of the</b><b>game. You</b><b>can</b><b>generate</b><b>as many</b><b>crappy</b><b>buyer</b><b>leads</b><b>online as</b><b>you want,</b><b>but if</b><b>you don't</b><b>have the</b><b>reputation</b><b>where</b><b>other</b><b>agents</b><b>want to</b><b>choose to</b><b>accept</b><b>your</b><b>offer and</b><b>work with</b><b>you,</b><b>you've</b><b>wasted</b><b>your</b><b>time.</b><b>I love</b><b>that you</b><b>have the</b><b>exact</b><b>same</b><b>example</b><b>in your</b><b>industry.</b><b>What are</b><b>some of</b><b>your</b><b>other</b><b>unique</b><b>value</b><b>prepositions</b><b>that</b><b>maybe</b><b>other</b><b>people in</b><b>your</b><b>industry</b><b>or your</b><b>market</b><b>aren't</b><b>offering</b><b>right</b><b>now? We</b><b>are very</b><b>good with</b><b>technology,</b><b>inspector</b><b>tool</b><b>technology,</b><b>stuff</b><b>like</b><b>that,</b><b>our software</b><b>top of</b><b>the line</b><b>technology.</b><b>Try to</b><b>make it</b><b>all as</b><b>user</b><b>friendly</b><b>as</b><b>possible. I've</b><b>seen tons</b><b>of our</b><b>competitor</b><b>stuff, a</b><b>lot of</b><b>home</b><b>inspectors.</b><b>When I</b><b>got into</b><b>the</b><b>industry,</b><b>more old</b><b>school</b><b>stuck to</b><b>the</b><b>standards</b><b>of</b><b>practice</b><b>and</b><b>stuff. I</b><b>was like,</b><b>I want to</b><b>do better</b><b>than</b><b>that and</b><b>try to</b><b>evolve</b><b>whatever</b><b>I thought</b><b>a home</b><b>inspector</b><b>was or a</b><b>home</b><b>inspection</b><b>is. I</b><b>wanted</b><b>to make</b><b>it like an</b><b>interactive</b><b>experience</b><b>with the</b><b>client. A</b><b>lot of</b><b>home</b><b>inspectors,</b><b>when I</b><b>got into</b><b>it,</b><b>they're</b><b>like, I don't</b><b>want</b><b>anybody</b><b>there. I don't</b><b>want the</b><b>Realtor</b><b>there. I don't want the</b><b>client</b><b>there. I</b><b>just want</b><b>to do my</b><b>job and</b><b>get out</b><b>of there,</b><b>send the</b><b>report. I</b><b>chose to</b><b>go about</b><b>it a</b><b>different</b><b>way. I</b><b>was like,</b><b>I want to</b><b>be a</b><b>learning</b><b>experience</b><b>for the</b><b>Realtor,</b><b>for the</b><b>client. I</b><b>want to</b><b>teach</b><b>them</b><b>things</b><b>while</b><b>we're</b><b>inspecting,</b><b>show them</b><b>the</b><b>defects</b><b>and</b><b>deficiencies</b><b>that we</b><b>found and</b><b>explain</b><b>even how</b><b>to repair</b><b>some of that</b><b>stuff.</b><b>Now,</b><b>we're at</b><b>the point</b><b>with our</b><b>inspectors</b><b>when</b><b>they're</b><b>on site</b><b>and</b><b>stuff,</b><b>we're</b><b>showing</b><b>the</b><b>client</b><b>where</b><b>main</b><b>water</b><b>shutoffs</b><b>are.</b><b>If the</b><b>husband</b><b>or wife</b><b>were not</b><b>at home</b><b>at the</b><b>time,</b><b>both</b><b>people</b><b>know how</b><b>to go</b><b>shut the</b><b>water</b><b>off in</b><b>the case</b><b>of an</b><b>emergency.</b><b>We show</b><b>them how</b><b>to change</b><b>their</b><b>furnace</b><b>filters,</b><b>stuff</b><b>like</b><b>that.</b><b>Just typical</b><b>stuff you</b><b>should</b><b>know how</b><b>to do</b><b>that your</b><b>average</b><b>person</b><b>may or</b><b>may not</b><b>know.</b><b>Just love</b><b>teaching</b><b>and</b><b>answering</b><b>questions.</b><b>When</b><b>we're</b><b>finished</b><b>with the</b><b>inspection,</b><b>we sit</b><b>down</b><b>with the</b><b>client</b><b>and the</b><b>agent on</b><b>site</b><b>because</b><b>we want to</b><b>educate</b><b>the agent</b><b>as well</b><b>to make</b><b>them</b><b>better</b><b>when out</b><b>showing</b><b>properties.</b><b>They're</b><b>more</b><b>knowledgeable</b><b>and</b><b>experienced.</b><b>I think</b><b>that's a</b><b>great</b><b>selling</b><b>proposition</b><b>for</b><b>Realtors</b><b>as well</b><b>to learn</b><b>and know</b><b>what we</b><b>know.</b><b>When</b><b>you're</b><b>out</b><b>showing a</b><b>property,</b><b>you may</b><b>see a</b><b>30-year-old</b><b>AC unit</b><b>outside</b><b>or</b><b>something</b><b>and that</b><b>Realtor</b><b>knows</b><b>in their</b><b>head,</b><b>"Oh, this</b><b>could</b><b>cost</b><b>$6,000,</b><b>$7,000.</b><b>We need</b><b>to take</b><b>this into</b><b>account</b><b>when</b><b>making</b><b>our</b><b>offer and</b><b>stuff</b><b>like</b><b>that."</b><b>You just</b><b>blew my</b><b>mind on</b><b>this one</b><b>because</b><b>my wheels</b><b>are</b><b>spinning</b><b>right</b><b>now on</b><b>ideas for</b><b>what our</b><b>company</b><b>can offer</b><b>to our</b><b>clients</b><b>in the</b><b>future.</b><b>Here's my</b><b>takeaway</b><b>right</b><b>now. If</b><b>you're a</b><b>Realtor</b><b>listening</b><b>to this</b><b>right</b><b>now, call</b><b>your home</b><b>inspector, your</b><b>local</b><b>home</b><b>inspector</b><b>who you</b><b>partner</b><b>with and</b><b>have them</b><b>partner</b><b>with them</b><b>on</b><b>getting</b><b>the top</b><b>five</b><b>list of</b><b>basic</b><b>home-related</b><b>skills</b><b>that you</b><b>could</b><b>give to</b><b>your</b><b>clients,</b><b>education</b><b>that you</b><b>learned</b><b>from the</b><b>inspector</b><b>that</b><b>you're</b><b>going to</b><b>take, put</b><b>in</b><b>writing,</b><b>put in</b><b>video. Maybe</b><b>it's</b><b>video</b><b>with your</b><b>handy</b><b>inspector.</b><b>You're</b><b>going to</b><b>give that</b><b>to every</b><b>single</b><b>client</b><b>when they</b><b>buy a</b><b>house to</b><b>empower</b><b>them. If</b><b>you're a</b><b>Realtor,</b><b>adding</b><b>that</b><b>extra set</b><b>of value</b><b>is</b><b>absolutely</b><b>huge. I</b><b>think</b><b>when my</b><b>wife and</b><b>I bought</b><b>our first</b><b>house, we</b><b>were 22,</b><b>we have</b><b>no idea</b><b>what we're</b><b>doing. We</b><b>were just</b><b>living in an</b><b>apartment</b><b>and our</b><b>furnace</b><b>totally</b><b>went out</b><b>the first</b><b>cold day</b><b>of the</b><b>year.</b><b>Called my</b><b>Realtor.</b><b>Realtor</b><b>forwarded</b><b>me to the</b><b>inspector. The</b><b>inspector</b><b>came by,</b><b>took a</b><b>look at</b><b>the home</b><b>he had</b><b>just</b><b>inspected</b><b>a month</b><b>ago,</b><b>found the</b><b>issue,</b><b>told me</b><b>what to</b><b>do. I was</b><b>like,</b><b>"Okay,</b><b>we got</b><b>this."</b><b>But it</b><b>was all</b><b>those</b><b>trusted</b><b>people.</b><b>If you're</b><b>a Realtor</b><b>listening,</b><b>I think</b><b>you</b><b>need to</b><b>figure</b><b>out how</b><b>to add</b><b>that</b><b>extra</b><b>home</b><b>value to your</b><b>clients</b><b>and then</b><b>market</b><b>it.</b><b>Because</b><b>if you</b><b>market</b><b>that, I</b><b>guarantee</b><b>you're going to</b><b>be in the</b><b>top.</b><b>You're going to</b><b>be in a</b><b>very</b><b>short</b><b>list of</b><b>agents</b><b>offering</b><b>those</b><b>services</b><b>to</b><b>clients</b><b>right</b><b>now. I</b><b>think we</b><b>talk</b><b>about</b><b>content</b><b>and</b><b>education.</b><b>I know,</b><b>Nick, you</b><b>guys</b><b>crush it</b><b>on social</b><b>media</b><b>with</b><b>education.</b><b>If you're</b><b>a real</b><b>estate</b><b>agent,</b><b>we don't</b><b>need to just</b><b>educate</b><b>people on</b><b>how great</b><b>of a time</b><b>it is to</b><b>buy.</b><b>We need</b><b>to</b><b>educate</b><b>them on</b><b>things</b><b>about</b><b>houses.</b><b>Talk to</b><b>your</b><b>inspector,</b><b>get some</b><b>ideas. If</b><b>you're</b><b>not</b><b>working</b><b>with an</b><b>inspector</b><b>that's</b><b>willing</b><b>to do</b><b>that, I</b><b>guarantee.</b><b>I know a</b><b>couple of</b><b>in-going</b><b>representatives</b><b>that are,</b><b>you can</b><b>reach out</b><b>to me.</b><b>There's</b><b>some</b><b>people in</b><b>the IEP</b><b>network.</b><b>But I</b><b>think</b><b>it's a</b><b>huge,</b><b>huge</b><b>opportunity.</b><b>Yeah. If</b><b>that</b><b>inspector</b><b>wants</b><b>your</b><b>business,</b><b>reach out</b><b>to them.</b><b>We take</b><b>time. We</b><b>do</b><b>probably</b><b>25 of</b><b>these a</b><b>year, but</b><b>we host</b><b>and</b><b>conduct a</b><b>mock</b><b>inspection</b><b>where</b><b>we'll</b><b>reach out</b><b>to a</b><b>brokerage</b><b>and we</b><b>say, "Do</b><b>you all</b><b>have a</b><b>vacant</b><b>listing</b><b>currently</b><b>that we</b><b>can take</b><b>your</b><b>whole</b><b>brokerage</b><b>to?" We</b><b>invite</b><b>them to</b><b>come for</b><b>an</b><b>abbreviated</b><b>inspection,</b><b>but we</b><b>show them</b><b>the</b><b>entire</b><b>thing,</b><b>point out</b><b>defects</b><b>and stuff</b><b>that they</b><b>can look</b><b>for,</b><b>typical</b><b>things to</b><b>look for.</b><b>Everybody</b><b>walks</b><b>away</b><b>like, "Oh</b><b>my God,</b><b>we just</b><b>learned</b><b>so much</b><b>from this</b><b>and we're</b><b>all</b><b>better</b><b>for it</b><b>now." But</b><b>it's a</b><b>really</b><b>cool</b><b>experience</b><b>and I</b><b>highly</b><b>recommend</b><b>any agent</b><b>reach out</b><b>to their</b><b>inspector</b><b>and ask</b><b>to get</b><b>some help</b><b>with</b><b>that.</b><b>Neighborhood</b><b>Realtor</b><b>podcast</b><b>is</b><b>proudly</b><b>made</b><b>possible</b><b>by the</b><b>support</b><b>of our</b><b>sponsors,</b><b>Treadstone</b><b>Funding</b><b>and</b><b>Neighborhood</b><b>Alarms,</b><b>two</b><b>amazing</b><b>Midwest</b><b>mortgage</b><b>companies</b><b>that now</b><b>have</b><b>offices</b><b>all</b><b>around</b><b>the</b><b>country.</b><b>If you're</b><b>a real</b><b>estate</b><b>agent</b><b>looking</b><b>to</b><b>partner</b><b>with an</b><b>amazing</b><b>lender,</b><b>DM me at</b><b>MattMuskey88</b><b>and I'll</b><b>connect</b><b>you with</b><b>someone</b><b>in your</b><b>market.</b><b>If you're</b><b>a lender</b><b>and you</b><b>want to</b><b>join the</b><b>right</b><b>mortgage</b><b>company,</b><b>DM me and</b><b>I'll</b><b>connect</b><b>you as</b><b>well.</b><b>Let's</b><b>talk</b><b>about the</b><b>actual</b><b>inspection</b><b>industry</b><b>and let's</b><b>give the</b><b>Realtors</b><b>listening</b><b>some</b><b>tips.</b><b>I'm like,</b><b>what's</b><b>changed</b><b>in the</b><b>inspection</b><b>industry?</b><b>What's</b><b>coming?</b><b>What</b><b>things do</b><b>people</b><b>need to</b><b>watch out</b><b>for? I</b><b>know</b><b>there's</b><b>technology.</b><b>I know</b><b>there's</b><b>some new</b><b>types of</b><b>inspections</b><b>that</b><b>for</b><b>liability</b><b>reasons,</b><b>we need</b><b>to start</b><b>thinking</b><b>about</b><b>offering. What</b><b>could</b><b>give us</b><b>the quick</b><b>three</b><b>minute</b><b>update? Technology</b><b>and</b><b>stuff,</b><b>we're</b><b>really</b><b>adapting</b><b>a lot of</b><b>modern</b><b>technology</b><b>stuff</b><b>that's</b><b>not</b><b>necessarily</b><b>part of a</b><b>standard</b><b>inspection.</b><b>Our guys</b><b>have</b><b>thermal</b><b>imaging</b><b>cameras.</b><b>We have</b><b>sewer</b><b>cameras</b><b>that we</b><b>can do a</b><b>visual</b><b>inspection</b><b>of your</b><b>sewer</b><b>line</b><b>going</b><b>from</b><b>the home</b><b>to the</b><b>street. Are</b><b>situations,</b><b>walk me</b><b>through</b><b>in what</b><b>situations</b><b>does that</b><b>need</b><b>to be</b><b>done in a</b><b>normal</b><b>home</b><b>inspection?</b><b>Believe</b><b>it or</b><b>not, and</b><b>I know</b><b>Realtors</b><b>hate to</b><b>hear,</b><b>but we</b><b>recommend</b><b>it on</b><b>every</b><b>single</b><b>property.</b><b>Some of</b><b>the worst</b><b>ones that</b><b>we've</b><b>encountered</b><b>on the</b><b>sewer</b><b>scopes</b><b>actually</b><b>were</b><b>brand new</b><b>construction</b><b>homes.</b><b>They put</b><b>the pipes</b><b>in the</b><b>ground,</b><b>backfill</b><b>the dirt</b><b>and</b><b>stuff,</b><b>and they</b><b>may have</b><b>not</b><b>compacted</b><b>it</b><b>completely</b><b>and</b><b>stuff.</b><b>You got</b><b>that</b><b>equipment</b><b>running</b><b>around</b><b>the</b><b>house. We</b><b>found</b><b>broken</b><b>damage</b><b>pipes,</b><b>collapsed</b><b>pipes on</b><b>brand new</b><b>homes,</b><b>believe</b><b>it or</b><b>not. I'll</b><b>give you</b><b>a shout</b><b>out on</b><b>that one.</b><b>I'm in Grand</b><b>Rapids,</b><b>Michigan,</b><b>and in my</b><b>neighborhood</b><b>of</b><b>beautiful</b><b>new build</b><b>homes,</b><b>70% of</b><b>the homes</b><b>had pipes</b><b>underneath</b><b>the</b><b>homes.</b><b>Within</b><b>three</b><b>months</b><b>of moving</b><b>in, the</b><b>pipes</b><b>were</b><b>crunched,</b><b>clogged, and</b><b>everything</b><b>from all the</b><b>landscaping</b><b>work and</b><b>heavy</b><b>equipment</b><b>that was</b><b>on there.</b><b>Almost</b><b>every two</b><b>homes had</b><b>a shared</b><b>$10,000</b><b>bill to</b><b>get those</b><b>fixed. I</b><b>wish we</b><b>would</b><b>have had</b><b>a pipe</b><b>sewer</b><b>type</b><b>inspection</b><b>on that</b><b>because</b><b>we would have</b><b>had the</b><b>bill to</b><b>pay for</b><b>it. Yeah,</b><b>no, it</b><b>happened</b><b>on our</b><b>new</b><b>construction</b><b>home as</b><b>well. I</b><b>think it</b><b>was the</b><b>beginning</b><b>of the</b><b>second</b><b>year of</b><b>living</b><b>there.</b><b>Our side</b><b>yard</b><b>started</b><b>getting</b><b>very wet</b><b>and I</b><b>had a</b><b>sewer</b><b>scope</b><b>performed</b><b>and our</b><b>pipe had</b><b>collapsed</b><b>directly</b><b>outside</b><b>the</b><b>house.</b><b>Let's</b><b>talk</b><b>about</b><b>rental</b><b>properties.</b><b>What</b><b>extra</b><b>inspections</b><b>need to</b><b>be done</b><b>in those?</b><b>I've read</b><b>a lot in</b><b>the news</b><b>recently</b><b>and I</b><b>know we</b><b>joked</b><b>about it</b><b>a little</b><b>bit, but</b><b>just some</b><b>serious</b><b>stuff.</b><b>What do</b><b>realtors</b><b>need to</b><b>know? I</b><b>came up</b><b>with the</b><b>idea last</b><b>year. We're</b><b>trying to</b><b>evolve</b><b>and stand</b><b>out</b><b>from our</b><b>competition</b><b>stuff. I</b><b>thought a</b><b>rental or</b><b>Airbnb</b><b>inspection</b><b>was</b><b>necessary.</b><b>I told</b><b>you</b><b>earlier,</b><b>I was</b><b>watching</b><b>the news</b><b>last</b><b>night and</b><b>they were</b><b>talking</b><b>about</b><b>multiple</b><b>Airbnb</b><b>lawsuits</b><b>going on</b><b>currently</b><b>with</b><b>carbon</b><b>monoxide</b><b>deaths.</b><b>I'm like,</b><b>that just</b><b>completely</b><b>solidified</b><b>it in my</b><b>mind</b><b>that this</b><b>was a</b><b>good</b><b>decision.</b><b>What</b><b>we're</b><b>offering</b><b>with that</b><b>is more</b><b>of a</b><b>safety</b><b>compliance</b><b>inspection.</b><b>It's an</b><b>inspection</b><b>we'll go</b><b>through</b><b>and just</b><b>make sure</b><b>you've</b><b>got your</b><b>smoke</b><b>detector,</b><b>carbon</b><b>monoxide</b><b>detector,</b><b>fire</b><b>extinguishers,</b><b>like an</b><b>exit plan</b><b>posted. Just</b><b>stuff</b><b>where if</b><b>you have</b><b>your</b><b>attendant</b><b>or a</b><b>short-term</b><b>renter</b><b>coming</b><b>in,</b><b>somebody</b><b>can't get</b><b>injured</b><b>or</b><b>accidentally</b><b>die</b><b>or</b><b>something</b><b>like that</b><b>and then</b><b>you're</b><b>liable</b><b>for it. It's</b><b>going to</b><b>help</b><b>reduce</b><b>liability</b><b>with</b><b>property</b><b>owners,</b><b>property</b><b>management</b><b>companies.</b><b>I just</b><b>think</b><b>it's a</b><b>great</b><b>service</b><b>as well.</b><b>I love</b><b>that. You</b><b>mentioned</b><b>what's</b><b>coming in</b><b>the</b><b>future.</b><b>One of</b><b>the</b><b>biggest</b><b>fears</b><b>when</b><b>people</b><b>buy,</b><b>I</b><b>jokingly</b><b>call them</b><b>used</b><b>houses,</b><b>like</b><b>non-new</b><b>builds,</b><b>is that</b><b>you just</b><b>don't</b><b>know</b><b>what's</b><b>behind</b><b>those</b><b>walls.</b><b>Even the</b><b>best</b><b>inspectors</b><b>currently</b><b>can't</b><b>tell you</b><b>what they</b><b>can't see</b><b>without</b><b>destroying</b><b>that</b><b>home.</b><b>What do</b><b>you think</b><b>is coming</b><b>in the</b><b>future?</b><b>Well,</b><b>currently</b><b>we have</b><b>to adhere</b><b>to a</b><b>non-invasive</b><b>inspection.</b><b>It's a</b><b>visual</b><b>inspection.</b><b>The</b><b>technology</b><b>is there</b><b>already,</b><b>I think.</b><b>It's just</b><b>going to</b><b>be a</b><b>matter of</b><b>time</b><b>until</b><b>I'm a</b><b>firm</b><b>believer</b><b>we're</b><b>going to</b><b>have some</b><b>type of</b><b>handheld</b><b>camera or</b><b>something.</b><b>The</b><b>infrared's</b><b>already</b><b>there and</b><b>you can</b><b>actually</b><b>see</b><b>behind</b><b>walls,</b><b>see cold</b><b>hot</b><b>spots. I</b><b>think</b><b>we're</b><b>just</b><b>going to</b><b>have</b><b>something</b><b>where you</b><b>could do</b><b>a whole</b><b>house</b><b>scan. We were</b><b>talking</b><b>about the</b><b>other day</b><b>where you</b><b>have a</b><b>smart</b><b>home</b><b>where</b><b>your</b><b>furnace,</b><b>your air</b><b>conditioner,</b><b>your</b><b>electric</b><b>panels</b><b>all</b><b>tied into</b><b>some type</b><b>of thing</b><b>with an</b><b>app. If</b><b>something</b><b>were to</b><b>go wrong,</b><b>it</b><b>notifies</b><b>you and</b><b>tells you</b><b>what's</b><b>going on</b><b>with your</b><b>home. I</b><b>don't</b><b>think</b><b>we're too</b><b>far away</b><b>from</b><b>homes and</b><b>technology</b><b>being</b><b>like</b><b>that. If</b><b>we can</b><b>detect</b><b>cancer</b><b>the</b><b>moment</b><b>it's</b><b>present</b><b>in the</b><b>body,</b><b>why can't</b><b>we know</b><b>that</b><b>there's a small</b><b>behind</b><b>the wall? It</b><b>doesn't</b><b>seem that</b><b>too far</b><b>fetched.</b><b>Well,</b><b>Nick,</b><b>this was</b><b>awesome.</b><b>I think</b><b>we got a</b><b>lot of</b><b>value</b><b>from</b><b>learning</b><b>on some</b><b>crossover</b><b>things</b><b>that work</b><b>in both</b><b>industries,</b><b>but also</b><b>some</b><b>tangible</b><b>tips that</b><b>realtors</b><b>can take</b><b>home.</b><b>If</b><b>someone</b><b>wants to</b><b>connect</b><b>with an</b><b>inspector</b><b>who truly</b><b>knows</b><b>their</b><b>stuff or</b><b>has any</b><b>general</b><b>questions</b><b>on how to</b><b>grow a</b><b>business</b><b>being an</b><b>entrepreneur,</b><b>how could</b><b>they get</b><b>a hold of</b><b>you?</b><b>Well,</b><b>tell</b><b>everybody.</b><b>Make the</b><b>right</b><b>choice,</b><b>first of</b><b>all. You</b><b>can find</b><b>us on</b><b>Instagram,</b><b>Facebook.</b><b>Our tag</b><b>is at</b><b>your</b><b>right</b><b>choice.</b><b>Look us</b><b>up on</b><b>there. We</b><b>got some</b><b>awesome</b><b>content</b><b>and</b><b>stuff.</b><b>We've got</b><b>two great</b><b>marketing</b><b>people on</b><b>staff. They're</b><b>always</b><b>out there</b><b>making us</b><b>look</b><b>like rock</b><b>stars and</b><b>giving</b><b>appreciation</b><b>to those</b><b>that keep</b><b>us fed.</b><b>Well,</b><b>I'll give</b><b>you one</b><b>final</b><b>shout</b><b>out. You</b><b>guys have an</b><b>absolutely</b><b>stellar</b><b>social</b><b>media</b><b>presence</b><b>that's</b><b>coming</b><b>from me.</b><b>I think</b><b>if you're</b><b>in real</b><b>estate</b><b>and most</b><b>of the</b><b>people</b><b>that</b><b>you're</b><b>following</b><b>are also</b><b>other</b><b>realtors,</b><b>check out</b><b>Right</b><b>Choice</b><b>Home</b><b>Inspection</b><b>on social</b><b>media,</b><b>because</b><b>some of</b><b>the</b><b>things</b><b>that they</b><b>are</b><b>posting</b><b>are</b><b>things</b><b>that you</b><b>can copy,</b><b>you can</b><b>steal,</b><b>and make</b><b>your own.</b><b>I think</b><b>sometimes</b><b>we just</b><b>need to</b><b>look at</b><b>slightly</b><b>different</b><b>industries</b><b>in order</b><b>to find</b><b>content</b><b>that you</b><b>can make</b><b>original</b><b>for your</b><b>market.</b><b>Everybody,</b><b>thanks</b><b>for</b><b>tuning in</b><b>today.</b><b>Please,</b><b>please,</b><b>please</b><b>take a</b><b>moment.</b><b>Leave a</b><b>review</b><b>for us on the</b><b>podcast</b><b>store so</b><b>we can</b><b>get more</b><b>great</b><b>guests</b><b>like Nick.</b><b>Everyone, thanks</b><b>for</b><b>tuning in</b><b>today.</b><b>Thanks</b><b>for</b><b>having</b><b>me.</b>

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