Stupid booking question

[gtblum]

Like I told Erby, I'd already made three passes and was going to keep at it until I stopped finding problems. How do you do that when someone's following you around? I don't get it.

You've never been to the doctor for an exam and had him/her checking you out while talking to you about something completely unrelated or talking to a nurse at the same time about preparing so-and-so for such-and-such? It's no different than that.

I am very comfortable in a teaching environment. I can carry on a complete classroom conversation while sketching stuff on a board or reviewing slides that I'm going to be posting. It's no different than that.

Talking to a client doesn't stop one's power's of observation from functioning; you just have to learn to do both efficiently.

I don't have a problem doing that. Some might, but it's mostly a question of getting used to doing it. After you do it day after day after day it becomes second nature.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

MIKE

I'm the oldest of eight kids. I was trained to do that from the crib.[]

[Bain]

Like I told Erby, I'd already made three passes and was going to keep at it until I stopped finding problems. How do you do that when someone's following you around? I don't get it.

You've never been to the doctor for an exam and had him/her checking you out while talking to you about something completely unrelated or talking to a nurse at the same time about preparing so-and-so for such-and-such? It's no different than that.

I am very comfortable in a teaching environment. I can carry on a complete classroom conversation while sketching stuff on a board or reviewing slides that I'm going to be posting. It's no different than that.

Talking to a client doesn't stop one's power's of observation from functioning; you just have to learn to do both efficiently.

I don't have a problem doing that. Some might, but it's mostly a question of getting used to doing it. After you do it day after day after day it becomes second nature.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

MIKE

No argument. Like I said, we all do things differently. But . . . there are also lots of studies that prove people aren't truly capable of multitasking . . . that trying to do two things at once diminishes your capacity to fully focus on one or the other.

I know you all rock, and that you're good at your jobs, it just doesn't work for me.

[Marc]

Doesn't work for me either. I've got to focus. The inspection leaves me exhausted.

Marc

[Chad Fabry]

No argument. Like I said, we all do things differently. But . . . there are also lots of studies that prove people aren't truly capable of multitasking . . . that trying to do two things at once diminishes your capacity to fully focus on one or the other.

I know you all rock, and that you're good at your jobs, it just doesn't work for me.

I used to encourage people to tag along, now I encourage them not to. Last week I inspected a house with a guy who was funny and witty and nice but I was distracted to the point that I got home and realized that I hadn't inspected the master bedroom or bathroom.

[kurt]

I think it's single mindedness that's necessary. Folks are very welcome to tag along and ask questions, but that doesn't mean I answer them. Sometimes, I tell them to wait, I'm looking, I can talk in a moment.

Single mindedness applied to a protocol. I look at every house darn near the same procedure; it'd be real hard to shake me off my program.

[hausdok]

Single mindedness applied to a protocol. I look at every house darn near the same procedure; it'd be real hard to shake me off my program.

I think that's what it is. I have ADD that's off the charts. ADD is weird; folks with ADD can focus on one thing and one thing and be better at it than anyone else while at the same time they're incapable of doing other stuff. For me, it's working a crime scene - which is what an inspection is the equivalent of to me - and the counter to that is that I can't do simple math or even balance a checkbook.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Bain]

No argument. Like I said, we all do things differently. But . . . there are also lots of studies that prove people aren't truly capable of multitasking . . . that trying to do two things at once diminishes your capacity to fully focus on one or the other.

I know you all rock, and that you're good at your jobs, it just doesn't work for me.

I used to encourage people to tag along, now I encourage them not to. Last week I inspected a house with a guy who was funny and witty and nice but I was distracted to the point that I got home and realized that I hadn't inspected the master bedroom or bathroom.

And we love you because you know how good you are, and you're confident enough to admit something like that.

Quid pro quo: I was walking around a house last month, dictating into my recorder, and noticed there weren't any backdraft dampers in the soffits or on the roof. So . . . I dictated that the bathroom fans didn't discharge to the exterior . . . blah, blah. I later transferred my voice notes into a report, and two days later got a call from the agent--who hates my guts--whose listing it was. With tremendous glee, she let me know that there AREN'T any fans in the bathrooms. They all had windows.

ahahahahahaha . . . and I was dumbass for the day.

[Jerry Lozier]

Like I told Erby, I'd already made three passes and was going to keep at it until I stopped finding problems. How do you do that when someone's following you around? I don't get it.

You've never been to the doctor for an exam and had him/her checking you out while talking to you about something completely unrelated or talking to a nurse at the same time about preparing so-and-so for such-and-such? It's no different than that.

I am very comfortable in a teaching environment. I can carry on a complete classroom conversation while sketching stuff on a board or reviewing slides that I'm going to be posting. It's no different than that.

Talking to a client doesn't stop one's power's of observation from functioning; you just have to learn to do both efficiently.

I don't have a problem doing that. Some might, but it's mostly a question of getting used to doing it. After you do it day after day after day it becomes second nature.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

MIKE

I prefer and I'm very comfortable with what I call 'walk n talk', good teaching time, HOWEVER I set the pace and don't fall into the trap with the clients getting me off track by saying 'what about this or that' when it is not at least in the room we are in. ( I tell them: write that down, we'll get there shortly) I very rarely do 2 inspections a day(on purpose) so my clients can have 8 or 9am or 1 or 2 pm that day and we are done when we are done.

[kurt]

Hell, we've all been dumbasses for a day. Can't do this job without going there occasionally.

To be clear, if there's someone that just plain won't shut up to the point where they really become a distraction, I tell them to give it a break, quiet, I'm working.

You have to know where that point is.

[randynavarro]

on my calendar and I stick to that schedule. It's my schedule; if they want to hire me, it's got to be on my schedule, not theirs. If I get calls for a day that's blocked out and I can't schedule the guy for an open inspection slot at the end of the queue, I give 'em Randy's number, Richard's number or another inspector's number to call and put the lost job out of my mind.

Yup. Thanks or the referrals. Did you talk to the woman who wanted a commercial job done a few weeks ago?

When they call to inquire about price, my very first response is, "Where do you work?" If they work for one of the target companies, I quote them the regular price and then I cut them a little slack on the price in exchange for only one thing; their promise that they'll tell their friends, relatives and co-workers about my little company. It works; during the recession my docket stayed full when others were sitting on their thumbs. Sure, I wasn't doing 2 or 3 a day but I had steady work. Guess I'm a tortoise.

I'm sure you know that one of those big companies very often reimburses for the home inspection? I have a hard time giving price breaks, but what you're doing is obviously working.

[randynavarro]

No argument. Like I said, we all do things differently. But . . . there are also lots of studies that prove people aren't truly capable of multitasking . . . that trying to do two things at once diminishes your capacity to fully focus on one or the other.

I know you all rock, and that you're good at your jobs, it just doesn't work for me.

I used to encourage people to tag along, now I encourage them not to. Last week I inspected a house with a guy who was funny and witty and nice but I was distracted to the point that I got home and realized that I hadn't inspected the master bedroom or bathroom.

Bingo. That's me.

These days, 90% of the time I'm left alone while working. When I have clients whom I end up rapping with the whole time, my recollections of the inspection and important details suffer including inadequate photo notes.