Housing bust

[Jim Morrison]

Originally posted by Chris Bernhardt

I am often accused of overcomplicating and philosophizing. I like it!

Chris, Oregon

Well, if it's done as part of a harmless mental exercise during a slow business cycle on an HI bulletin board, that's one thing. If it's done as part of fleshing out a business plan, that's quite another.

[Chris Bernhardt]

Well, if it's done as part of a harmless mental exercise during a slow business cycle on an HI bulletin board, that's one thing. If it's done as part of fleshing out a business plan, that's quite anotherid="blue">.

I agree and disagree. I concede Jim that you have been around more and a lot longer in this business than me.

I am wondering if what you are aluding to are the engineering types that over analyze but our also obstinate and not open to having their stuff reviewed and criticized.

I am predisposed to it (digging into things), but I think I have a good feeling for my limits and debate the stuff and knock it around with others till it makes sense.

Well I might be wrong but there has not been much discussion on how to exactly go independent here at TIJ. Lots admonitions that we should but not the nuts and bolts of how HI's are doing it in their region.

Chris, Oregon

[Jim Morrison]

Chris,

Longevity in this field has as much to do with stubbornness as brains. Still, I did learn a lot along the way, and enjoyed moderate success as well. My point of view is simply the sum total of 20 years inspecting houses and listening to HI's who were either smarter or more successful than I was. What works in New England might not work in Oregon.

I say: if you want to be independent of RE agents, then declare your independence! That's the only way I've ever known anyone to do it. Just do your job better than the other guys without giving a fiddler's fart what the agent thinks or says. Concentrate on the house first, the client next. Everything else is a distraction.

I never counted, but I'd suppose I did about 4000 or so inspections. I'm sure I got into fewer than 5 arguments in that time. Those were with people who were so insufferably rude or dangerously incorrect, that I was physically unable to stop myself from pointing these things out to my client. Whenever I heard a broker contradict something I said, I'd simply turn to my client and ask: "Do you need me to clarify what I just said, or do we understand each other?" They'd usually smile and say: "I understand you." I figured I got plenty of money to inspect houses, but I never charged enough to teach brokers on top of it, so why bother?

We are way too small a market for "marketing types" to pay enough attention to understand what we do and give meaningful advice.

Maybe it's just my own brand of quirky philosophy, but I've always favored the K.I.S.S. school, and been sorry when I strayed from it.

[chrisprickett]

Chris,

The first (and most important) thing you need to know is that you can't be all things to all people. Your marketing guru is right- and wrong at the same time. If your goal is to market to the status quo (i.e- the agent who wants an HI who will not make waves), then your delivery needs to change to fit that ear. However, if the thought of beginning your report with "Great House-Great Location" make you want to use a Brillo pad as a loofah, then you'll want to reconsider your target market. There is no one "market". Dillards and WalMart both make a profit.

Read "Purple Cow" by Seth Godin, if you want a quick synopsis of today's market environment. At 137 pages, it's my kind of book! There's a lot of good advice on differentiating your service.

The second thing you need to know is that once you decide on your direction, everybody and their mother will try and convince you that you're a bloomin' moron. While this might very well be the case, you're better off sticking to your roadmap than changing course every time the "hot air" blows. You might be wrong and fail if you stick to your guns, but you'll DEFINITELY fail if you waffle and wane on the advice of every marketing guru who come down the pike. Go to any bookstore and you'll see at least 30 books on marketing-all with their own twist. I read a qreat quote from a guy named Herbert Swope- "I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody."

The third thing to realize is that you'll be dead in 50 years, give or take, so don't be too hard on yourself.

[Scottpat]

I think I have several thousand inspections lurking in my past and I can't really recall any that were the source of a screaming match or anything close to that. I simply do my job, produce the results, collect my fee and go on with life. Life is way too short, enjoy what you do and let it show to everyone that you meet!

When I moved to TN back in July 2006, I had to reinvent myself and business. I moved to an area that I did not know a single person. When I cranked my business backup in September, 2006 I depended on my website and individuals who were looking for an inspector. My site is designed for the home buying public and for folks that have a problem with their home. I'm very happy with my result for my first full year in my new hometown, I could not have done it without my website. I have been just about as independent as one can get, simply because I did not know anyone!

The few agents that have referred clients to me have done so only after they found me through the work that I had done for one of their own clients.