Les Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 We belong to several Realtor assoc in central Michigan. In fact I am the education chairman for the largest one. It in no way affects the type and quality of inspection we do. We never are in a house alone and do not have super or supra key access. We avoid sellers when ever possible, in fact do not work for sellers ever. Approx 90% of inspections are done with the buyer present. Everything is done on-site and complete and we leave with check in hand. I maintain there are great regional differences and it amazing to me that we all seem to follow a code of ethics and standards that are identical, but our styles are very different. George is abt 80miles away from us and does basically the same inspection we do, but in an entirely different way and style with an almost identical final product (in fact). In Michigan an inspector is an invited guest by way of the purchase agreement and the buyer is ultimately responsible for our actions and damage to property. Likely this is the case in many states, but a little known fact. I would invite you all to carefully read an agreement to purchase. I have participated in many lawsuits regarding inspector damage and/or inappropriate behavior. Some involve simple damage, heat left off, soiled clothes in closets, damaged appliances, water left on and flooded houses, etc.. Unfortunately approx 25% were the inspector's lack of knowledge and they were at fault. In our area, and just our area, you are not really a part of the real estate business unless you are an association member. It is a fine line that I freely walk and have enjoyed some success here in the last decades. Me and my company are involved in thousands of transactions yearly and do not cultivate, nor tolerate, the adversarial position that exists elsewhere. We are lucky to be able to travel around the US for clients and do realize that different areas have different conditions and practices and have learned to accept them and get on with our job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlskfoster Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 I joined a large metropolitan association so that I could get the Supra key. I know some think its the realtors job but I would rather handle that myself. I call centralized showing service and make an appointment and tell my clients that I'll be ther fro at least three hours and they are welcome to be thjere for all or part of the inspection. Most come at the end so I can go over the house with them. I go home and do my reports. I e-mail a completed report to my clients and then I print two hard copies and along with my termite report I deliver these to the realtor. I have some agents that say they'll be there for the inspection and when I say fine I'll be fro three hours. They almost never show. I have two or three agents that send me business and from that business I have started to get referrals. I also get a large number of referrals from the fire department which is also leading to referrals. Most of my clients seem happy to know that when they call me and set an appointment that I take care of the entry and scheduling with the seller. I have used the supra to get back in before but it was because I got home and suddenly couldn't remember if I turned off the stove or left a door unlocked or better yet I forgot to look at something! DOH! Well that is my .02 worth. Sorry for the length, I had way too much coffe today. Buster ps anybody know where the spellcheck is on these things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Hi, There is one, but you won't see it in the quick reply box. It is on the regular reply box when you click on 'reply to topic'. You'll see an icon with an ABC and a checkmark. It isn't a very good spell check. All it does is highlight the misspelled words. You still have to look up the correct spelling and manually change them. If your browser is Internet Explorer you can get a free spellcheck utility tool that works really well by going to http://www.iespell.com. OT - OF!!! M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarietta Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 I only joined to gain access to the monthly real estate publication. To advertise in it the local paper who prints it is in cahoots with the local board and you have to be a member to advertise. Once I get some good volume built up and my name is well known in this area, I'm out of there! It's less than $200 a year. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 I was a member for several years and I and a couple of other inspectors dropped out when the Realtors would not help us(home inspectors) in a fight against the Home Builders Association when the builders were screwing with our license legislation. I have not been a member in five years and it has not impacted my business at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian G Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 I just got a call yesterday from the local association, asking for an address correction so they could send out my renewal notice. I politely told them to save the stamp for someone else. Brian G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focal Point Posted March 13, 2006 Report Share Posted March 13, 2006 I had a Supra key once, It didnt work on ony houses though, Only my Toyota Supra, and occasionally my buddys camry if he locked himself out. Man I miss that car, It was dangerously fast. I got it to 160 in 5th (6 speed) and shut it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted March 13, 2006 Report Share Posted March 13, 2006 Hi, Yeah, I used to have one too and used to have a ball on the Autobahn in Germany. That is, until the day a littl red Opel of a model I was unfamiliar with pulled up on my tail while I was linksfahren one day and began flashing his lights and honking for me to get out of the way. I thought, "You gotta be kiddin' me!" I was cruisin' at about 120 and he was on my bumper. I thought, "Watch this troll," and put my foot in it. Well, when I bottomed out and she was doing everything she had and about to redline he was still there, still honking and flashing. I pulled into the right lane without taking my foot out of it and he went by me like I was parked. An Opel fer crissakes! How embarrassing. After that I never linksfahr'd again. Just too humbling for cryin' out loud. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted March 13, 2006 Report Share Posted March 13, 2006 I'm an Old Navy striped teeshirt or sweater and Levis guy. I actually had someone tell me once they selected me because of my picture on my web site. They said, "You actually look as if you work." I thought that was kinda funny. I was a Realtor from 1984 to 1989 and an Affiliate Association member when I first started out as a home inspector. I stay so busy these days that spending any money on advertising is a waste. I have thought recently about joining the Realtors Association again, just for the heck of it. A couple times a year someone will ask me if I hace a lockbox key. I was accused of stealing two Rolex watches once. I was furious. I told the home seller, "First of all, you couldn't pay me to wear a Rolex watch! Second, When you find the watch I'll thank you to call me and apologize." Of course, he found the watches and never apologized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malban Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 I join where ever I work regularly. In most cases, key access is included in the affiliate membership. The access has saved a lot of inspections where the agent forgot to show up and let his client in for the inspection. I call the agent and get permission to use the keybox and save the client a wasted trip to the house. This is pretty much an every weekend scenario. In cases where an agent and inspector affiliate are engaged in hostilities, the Board of Realtors will generally arbitrate the issue as an ethic consideration and put and end to badmouthing before clients or prospects or other agents. It's been worth the membership money when I've run up against an unhappy agent that has gone "postal". I find that often occurs when an agent is trying to sell his own property. Although I can't measure much in the way of direct business, I do know some brokers only allow their agents to refer to inspectors who affiliate with the local board. If you are not a memeber, you might be missing some work and not know it. In conclusion, the membership is usually about the price of a single inspection. What's to lose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malban Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Sometimes I think we forget who we represent and where our best referrals come from. It well may be the agent's job to make sure the house is open for the inspection, but I promise you if the client drives 60 miles for an inspection, he isn't going to care who screwed it up or how. If we make an appointment, we need to be sure we can honor it. It's our client for the inspection, not the agents. I never trust an agent to show up. I either have a lockbox key, a lockbox code or I insist on picking up a key in advance of the inspection. If the agent won't cooperate, I ask the client for some assistance. When possible I drive by before the inspection to be sure the agent hasn't taken the lockbox off the house, oir removed the key. Some do as soon as an offer is accepted. There isn't any way for the client to predict what an agent or his/her office might do after the offer is in place. Most agents don't even rememeber what they did. When they get the offer, they go shopping and totally forget the client and the house (some exceptions apply. If you disappoint you inspection client, no matter who is at fault, you will lose the chance for future referrals. If you save the day, you will almost certainly get referrals....and you won't be hassled about your inspection. The client won't listen to a bad word about your work. Give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Hi, Around here, agents are required to open up and remain during the entire inspection. It wasn't enforced very stringently until about a year ago when one of them left an inspector and then there was a stink later on that revealed that the agent had left. I'm told that the agent, whoever he/she was, was fined $5,000 and almost lost his/her license. Ever since then, the only agents that will leave me there are the one's that have known me for 10+ years who know that I can be trusted to lock up and won't rat them out. I think that their coming to open up is the least that they can do for what they get paid to sell a house. Hell, I'll happily sign up for the local realtor association and get a lock-box key if they'll start splitting that commission between the selling agent, listing agent and me. Otherwise, they can darned well drag themselves over there with a book, open that door and prepare to wait a few hours for me to finish. OT - OF!!! M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homnspector Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Weird rule. Around here the Realtors Association tells the agents it is better not to be present for the inspection as they may be tempted to say, or inadvertently say, something to the client that they could be liable for, like "Oh, we see that all the time, its nothing". This rule (actually a suggestion) suits me real fine, no matter how much they are getting paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian G Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Have a realtor waiting there the entire time, while I'm working? Can I have my face belt-sanded instead? [:-crazy] Brian G. 50 Grit, As Long As We're at It [:-mummy] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Realtors are there for the duration for most of my inspections. I like it. I'm collecting photos of realtors napping on clients couches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul burrell Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Originally posted by a46geo I don't get it? What is this key access all about? George George it is about convenience. Why wait on a Realtor to show up late and open the home. Also most of my jobs the Realtors prefer I have lock box access for their convenience. Sometimes they do not even show up it is just me and my buyer which is the way it should be. Paul B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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