New Jersey Inspector Lets It All Hang Out

[hausdok]

PR Leap - March 5th

Members of the public should be aware of a possible conflict of interest when using a home inspector recommended by the real estate agent selling the home.

"When a home buyer uses a home inspector recommended by the Realtor selling a home to them there may be a conflict of interest. Home inspectors who want future referrals from that Realtor may be hesitant to tell it like it is. If the results of a home inspection cause the buyer to back out of the sale, then the Realtor may blame the home inspector and stop recommending that company in the future," explained Michael J. Del Greco, President of Accurate Inspections.

The purpose of getting a home inspection is to help the buyer find out all the problems that exist before the closing, when the sale is completed. Buying a new home in New Jersey is a major investment, so an accurate inspection that "tells it like it is" should be the goal of any home buyer, according to Del Greco.

Del Greco has been in the home inspection business since 1993, and is president of Accurate Inspections, Inc. He said that his company does not solicit recommendations from real estate agents because he does not want to have an appearance of a conflict of interest.

"Most of our clients choose us based upon the recommendation of an attorney, friend or relative. When we perform a home inspection, we feel free to tell the buyer exactly what is wrong, why it is wrong, and what to do about it. The only person we are concerned with pleasing is our client, the home buyer," said Del Greco.

Home buyers need dependable information so they can make an educated choice regarding the quality and condition of their potential new home. The level of experience and no conflict of interest are vital qualities to look for in a inspector.

"You can become a New Jersey licensed home inspector in less than a month. That's not much experience. Ask for a resume. By hiring an experienced New Jersey home inspector, who has the buyer's best interests in mind, the client is better able to judge the strengths and weaknesses of the home and avoid expensive problems down the road," said Del Greco.

Accurate Inspections, Inc. has a staff of five including two experienced and licensed inspectors. Each of them invites the home buyer to attend the inspection so they can get a complete description of problems as they are found.

"We always provide our clients and their attorney a complete written report, but we like to have clients attend the inspection in person. That way they can ask questions and see the problems for themselves to become better informed," said Del Greco.

Editor's Note: This article received wide local dissemination in New Jersey in Early March.

[Erby]

Interesting tactic. Write your own press release. Get published.

May just have to try that.

[hausdok]

Hi Erby,

I see a ton of these every month and normally pass them by. The thing about this one, and the point of the post, is that this fellow is laying out, for all to see in his local press, what inspectors have been braying loudly about for years within home inspector circles but never really come right out and say to the public.

The article is a shot at boosting his business. He'll get it published once and might be able to get one or two similar in the future, but it's not likely that publishers are going to give him a free bully pulpit forever, so it will have limited affect unless he follows it up with big expensive advertisting that conveys the same message and repeats it day after day, week after week, until he's made those in his local market believe it and remember it.

Will anyone remember the article or its message two weeks later? Will his business pick up or go into the toilet? Will business pick up or go into the toilet for other inspectors in his area? Could this kind of thing change the whole dynamic in his area or are things likely to stay the same? What's the likelihood that listing agents are likely to tell sellers to adopt a "take it or leave it" attitude with any buyers that use him when word gets around? Are sellling agents then likely to tell their clients, "Use the guy if you want to but don't blame me if the seller absolutely refuses to negotiate a thing after the inspection?" Is it likely that real estate folks in his area will make a concerted and coordinated effort, by word of mouth, to drive his business into the toilet?

Lots of questions and lots of possibilities here. When we broach this subject, folks always begin expounding on how much integrity they have and how nothing affects the way they inspect or report, yadda, yadda, yadda, but it goes beyond that. If the dynamic of how we are perceived and utilized by consumers is to change, what will be the short and long-term affects on the profession?

It's worthy of discussion. What say you all?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[n/a30]

The origional article sounds like a commercial in the form of a press release. Since most print media will not print such promotions they also look to be on the nice side of builders and agents who BUY lots of ads. Here to advertize in the column inches is very expensive. The ad budget would have to be much higher. The point of the posted article restates what I have been saying for years so I will add this ya ya ya, ta ta, ta ta etc.