My viewpoint on inspections…
My company, Wasatch Home Inspections, just completed its first year – 2013 is over. It was a good start – I am grateful that 79 homebuyers chose me to help them with their “due diligence” on a home they were attempting to purchase. I give my all to my clients – each one of them.
As I begin my 20th year as a home inspector I’ve resolved to change the way I approach the business of home inspections. When I began in 1995 I was doing 2 or 3 home inspections per day and working 6 days a week. As such, I often had 18 clients per week. I’ve changed things a bit from that beginning. I’ve decided “there is a limit to how much a person can care”. With that in mind I self-limit to one client and one home inspection per day – no more. With this approach, I can give un-hurried attention to each client. I can feel very good at the end of the day that I’ve given my best to my client.
I’ve begun to collect photos of deficiencies on homes that other home inspectors have either missed or chose to overlook. If I can just learn to post photos on this website, you’ll see what I already know – not all home inspections are the same. In fact, since home inspections are totally unregulated (there is currently no licensing or regulation of any kind for home inspectors in Utah), the quality and approaches to home inspections vary wildly. I approach each home inspection as if I were doing it for my mother – I’m not too concerned about how long it takes to complete it either. Whereas many home inspections are done in 2 to 3 hours, mine are typically much longer. At the end of this inspection I give my clients a slideshow on my laptop of all the photos I’ve taken at their inspection. We then walk around the home, room by room and around the outside until my clients feel satisfied. From there, I go back to my home office and complete their report and distribute it to them by email same day at the inspection. I’m getting a good response from this approach. If you’re “shopping” for a home inspection, please contact me – we can discuss your contemplated home purchase. One thing for certain, I’ll help you in some way – you can’t loose with me.
Jim Fahs, owner and only inspector.