"Home Inspector" vs. "Building Investigator"

[StevenT]

Since we inspect buildings, and not simply homes, I think the title "Home Inspector" is misleading and limiting. The title "Building Inspector" is very confusing, when I think of the building inspector, I think of a government agency.

Taking into consideration what we really do, I think the title should be "Building Investigator."

[Nolan Kienitz]

How about:

Property Inspections or Property Inspector

[SonOfSwamp]

It ought to be "house inspector." The "home" thing is, and always has been, sales crapaganda.

Of course, our title will always be "home inspector." It's locked in now.

"It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make a house a home."

--Edgar Guest

My favorite writing instructor, James J Kilpatrick, says, "Writers need only to think about the distinction. The right word will come naturally."

It's all about the context. To me, a dwelling doesn't earn the title of "home" until somebody makes it a home. Call me sentimental...

WJ

[Inspectorjoe]

"It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make a house a home."

--Edgar Guest

My favorite writing instructor, James J Kilpatrick, says, "Writers need only to think about the distinction. The right word will come naturally."

It's all about the context. To me, a dwelling doesn't earn the title of "home" until somebody makes it a home. Call me sentimental...

Well, Frankie Lee, he panicked,

He dropped ev'rything and ran

Until he came up to the spot

Where Judas Priest did stand.

"What kind of house is this," he said,

"Where I have come to roam?"

"It's not a house," said Judas Priest,

"It's not a house . . . it's a home."

Bob Dylan

[Rocon]

Originally posted by StevenT

Since we inspect buildings, and not simply homes, I think the title "Home Inspector" is misleading and limiting. The title "Building Inspector" is very confusing, when I think of the building inspector, I think of a government agency.

Taking into consideration what we really do, I think the title should be "Building Investigator."

I would define the difference as:

Inspector means someone who visualy observes and uses non invasive testing.

Investigator means visualy observes and uses non invasive as well as invasive testing.

[StevenT]

I'm ok with "Home Inspector", except it does not even hint at commercial inspections.

It ought to be "house inspector." The "home" thing is, and always has been, sales crapaganda.

Of course, our title will always be "home inspector." It's locked in now.

"It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make a house a home."

--Edgar Guest

My favorite writing instructor, James J Kilpatrick, says, "Writers need only to think about the distinction. The right word will come naturally."

It's all about the context. To me, a dwelling doesn't earn the title of "home" until somebody makes it a home. Call me sentimental...

WJ

[StevenT]

My problem is the use of the word "Home" as compared to "Building."

[Jim Morrison]

There can't be more than a half dozen people on this earth that give a fiddler's fart what we're called, and they're all likely members of TIJ.

What matters to me is that paying customers can find me. I may well be a 'Diviner of Residential and Commercial Property Secrets' but who Googles that?

WJ's right: We're Home Inspectors. Like it or lump it.

[StevenT]

There can't be more than a half dozen people on this earth that give a fiddler's fart what we're called, and they're all likely members of TIJ.

What matters to me is that paying customers can find me. I may well be a 'Diviner of Residential and Commercial Property Secrets' but who Googles that?

WJ's right: We're Home Inspectors. Like it or lump it.

Jim,

I couldn't agree with you more. I don't care what you call me, as long as you can find me. Which exactly my point.

What I was doing when this though came into my mind, was working on a web site. I'm sure we can agree that the internet is a very important resource for clients.

When A person wishes to buy a house, and needs an inspection, they most probably will type "home inspector" into their browser.

Besides homes, I also inspect commercial/industrial buildings, and am eager to pick up clients buying buildings of that sort. Do you think they type "home inspector" into the browser?

In my head, a building is a building. They are all the same... just different.

[randynavarro]

Building Whisperer

[kurt]

When someone asks me what I do, I tell them I'm a rug salesman......

[Erby]

Set up a website for commercial/industrial building inspections. Stuff it with appropriate key words. It'll get found when they want commercial/industrial inspections.

Ain't no rule against multiple web sites!

[hausdok]

Aw hell,

Go all out. Construction Technology Consultant

OT - OF!!!

M.

[kurt]

.....building analyst........

It's hard getting buildings to lay down on a couch and talk, though.....

[Bill Kibbel]

"Edifice Scrutinizer"

Set up a commercial building inspections page on your website - containing the relevant keywords. Be sure your other pages link to it.

[Rob Amaral]

Walter: How about a complete list of all of the words you've put together like "crapaganda" and "assaholic"? There have got to be a ton of them. Thanks for the first yuk of the day.. ! Assaholic is now in my lexicon. Crapaganda is great!

[SonOfSwamp]

Walter: How about a complete list of all of the words you've put together like "crapaganda" and "assaholic"? There have got to be a ton of them. Thanks for the first yuk of the day.. ! Assaholic is now in my lexicon. Crapaganda is great!

Well, there's "flambustious." It means "burns furiously." It came to me when I saw a dried-out Christmas tree go up in flames.

It all started with "checklist-totin' buckethead..."

WJ

[StevenT]

Is an "assoholic" a person who is one, or addicted to them?

[Tom Raymond]

Walter: How about a complete list of all of the words you've put together like "crapaganda" and "assaholic"? There have got to be a ton of them. Thanks for the first yuk of the day.. ! Assaholic is now in my lexicon. Crapaganda is great!

Well, there's "flambustious." It means "burns furiously." It came to me when I saw a dried-out Christmas tree go up in flames.

It all started with "checklist-totin' buckethead..."

WJ

My favorite has to be "tilit-o-whirl greaser". Says everything that needs to be said with the bonus of conjuring an amusing image at the same time.

Tom

[Jim Baird]

WJ watch out how you talk about bucketheads.

The guys who serviced my well a cpl of yrs ago did so in a driving rain while wearing 5 gallon buckets on top of their heads.

I was impressed by their ingenuity and work ethic.

[StevenT]

WJ watch out how you talk about bucketheads.

The guys who serviced my well a cpl of yrs ago did so in a driving rain while wearing 5 gallon buckets on top of their heads.

I was impressed by their ingenuity and work ethic.

How were they able to see what they were doing? Did they cut holes for their eyes?

[Tom Raymond]

WJ watch out how you talk about bucketheads.

The guys who serviced my well a cpl of yrs ago did so in a driving rain while wearing 5 gallon buckets on top of their heads.

I was impressed by their ingenuity and work ethic.

We need photographic proof[^]

Tom

[gtblum]

WJ watch out how you talk about bucketheads.

The guys who serviced my well a cpl of yrs ago did so in a driving rain while wearing 5 gallon buckets on top of their heads.

I was impressed by their ingenuity and work ethic.

Were they wearing Michael Vick shirts?

[Rob Amaral]

I thought of 'shitticism' today while driving. I'll leave it to Walter to come up with the official definition. Flambustious is great..

My brothers and I also use 'gut-iris' for indigestion..

Again, I gotta credit my brother for "FLXBRTZ" (flixburtz). It's what a cat throws up and you can't identify it .. Kind of like Joe Bftsplk or whoever that guy is..

[bjloden]

Back a couple of years ago I change the name of my company from Insight Home Inspection to Insight Building Inspection and my business card says I'm a Building Consultant. I did this because I shifted my marketing efforts to expand my business to commerical and investigative type inspections.

Those type clients are not looking for home inspectors.