A Discussion About Elective Modifications

[Jim Katen]

. . . I used InspectVue and Home Gauge in the beginning of my career, and learned some bad habits in regards to fragmented sentences. Honestly, after conducting well over 2500 Inspections, I feel that I have just touched the surface with respect to being comfortable in writing my own comments.

My report template is filled with that type of stuff and I'm working on refining it.

If you'll forgive the presumption, you seem to be more than capable of rewriting your entire boilerplate library. Your posts are clear, concise, and to the point. I'll bet that you could rewrite the whole shebang and sell it back to them.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Jim Katen]

. . . Aren't you an old fart?

Not quite. I'm more of a second-generation fart. But I don't deserve any particular reverance either. It drives me crazy when people say things like, "It should be done this way because so-and-so said it should be," even when the so-and-so is me.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[RichNSpect]

It sounds like "Elective Modification" might be a real-estate-salesperson-pleasing-thing. In other words, don't even think of asking a seller to address any such items.

"Keep things in perspective. Do not kill your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure or nit-picky items."

The above quote isn't from a real estate agent's website, either. About the only people I know who would be happy to read/hear that would be a professional door opener and a seller.

And, if Elective Modification is a used-house-salesperson-pleasing type of thing, I bet it works.

Jerry,

No offense, but you seem to be one of those narrow minded Inspectors that take offense to established business owners that feel it's in the best interest for all parties involved in the Real Estate transaction to keep things in perspective.

Being a home inspector requires an ability to balance all parties respectfully while not compromising the integrity of the inspection results. That being said, I try my best to understand the sellers position, the agents position and the buyers position and give the results or findings on the inspection as neutral facts.

I certainly do not pander or cater to Realtors. However, they are a vital aspect of doing business in this industry. I conduct over 400 Inspections a year and a large portion of my referrals come from Realtors.

In today's Internet driven age, it's easy to get that first inspection. People will surf the Internet and decide to hire you based upon what they read or discover about you. Getting the follow up or second inspection is not so easy! The average homeowner will sell or move from their current home every 7 to 10 years. Granted you will get the occasional referral from a past client, but where does most of the business come from?

So, if you really want to be successful in the business, I would try to overcome the mentality of treating Realtors as "used house sales people." With that being said, there is nothing wrong with marketing yourself as an Independent Inspector and just going after home buyers/sellers if that is your business model.

There is an Inspector in my area that has that business plan and he does not market to Realtors. He is happy and content with conducting 100 or so inspections a year.

Kevin

[RichNSpect]

. . . Aren't you an old fart?

Not quite. I'm more of a second-generation fart. But I don't deserve any particular reverance either. It drives me crazy when people say things like, "It should be done this way because so-and-so said it should be," even when the so-and-so is me.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Fair enough

Kevin

[Jerry Simon]

Kevin, I erased my post, but guess you saw it first. I erased it to be polite, and to try and avoid this such. So be it.

"No offense, but you seem to be one of those narrow minded Inspectors that take offense to established business owners that feel it's in the best interest for all parties involved in the Real Estate transaction to keep things in perspective."

I only care what my client thinks. They pay me. I care squat what the door-opener thinks, let alone the seller. If that's narrow-minded, I accept your praise.

"Being a home inspector requires an ability to balance all parties respectfully while not compromising the integrity of the inspection results. That being said, I try my best to understand the sellers position, the agents position and the buyers position and give the results or findings on the inspection as neutral facts."

Yeah, gotta please everyone, not just the one paying you. I understand.

"I certainly do not pander or cater to Realtors."

Uhm, I read your website.

"So, if you really want to be successful in the business..."

Since you threw out your number of inspections in an earlier post, please know I've inspected about 6,500 houses (about 4,000 more than you). Successful enough?

I've taken your advice for what it's worth.

[RichNSpect]

Kevin, I erased my post, but guess you saw it first. I erased it to be polite, and to try and avoid this such. So be it.

"No offense, but you seem to be one of those narrow minded Inspectors that take offense to established business owners that feel it's in the best interest for all parties involved in the Real Estate transaction to keep things in perspective."

I only care what my client thinks. They pay me. I care squat what the door-opener thinks, let alone the seller. If that's narrow-minded, I accept your praise.

"Being a home inspector requires an ability to balance all parties respectfully while not compromising the integrity of the inspection results. That being said, I try my best to understand the sellers position, the agents position and the buyers position and give the results or findings on the inspection as neutral facts."

Yeah, gotta please everyone, not just the one paying you. I understand.

"I certainly do not pander or carter to Realtors."

Uhm, I read your website.

"So, if you really want to be successful in the business..."

Since you threw out your number of inspections in an earlier post, please know I've inspected about 6,500 houses (about 4,000 more than you). Successful enough?

I've taken your advice for what it's worth.

I'm sure you're a great Inspector? I guess the definition of success is different for different people. It's not in the number, though:)

Your experience is appreciated.

Kevin

[Jerry Simon]

Your experience is appreciated.

Kevin

I'm sure we'll end up buds.

[kurt]

Wow, go out to watch the bike races, and come back to a flurry.........

Couple thoughts.......

I've got plenty of customers that are CEO's of major corporations, partners in some of the largest law firms in the world, generally high falutin' types, and at least a few politicians, but don't tell anyone.......it'd ruin my reputation. Personally, I'd rather work for normal folks; all those goofy rich and famous people are a major pain in the kiester.

I've carved out a business because they can read my report and know it's me talking, not some wiener on patrol who's trying to impress the swells. I talk like the contractors that are going to talk to them. Kind of a common sensical thing. Why would someone want their inspector talking in goofy made up language with all sorts of *official* designations and category headings that no one would ever use in any other setting? Imagining that's "professional" is strangely humorous; when did professional include using stilted and odd language that no one else uses?

As far as the 30 year veteran of ASHI who worked on the SOP.........God Bless the Gentleman and may he have a wonderful life, but who cares what they think about home inspections in the year 2009? They had goofy ideas then, and they haven't aged well over the last 3 decades. I think the gentleman's ideas are really, really bad to begin with, and they're gotten worse with time.

Why is it we HI's eschew all known means and methods for effective communications? I talked this over with the Chair for the Communications Dept. at Northwestern; he's kind of a honcho on effectively communicating one's ideas in language. He was kind of mystified by the whole shebang.......(?)......

It's all so odd.

[hmiller]

Was the professor Mystified that these things start off as a simple question about the something like the close proximity of the gas and electric meter to each other, and whether some protection from vehicles should be installed.......and rather end up in debate about mostly topics not related to the intial question? ........I sure am. And Kurt is right "It's all so odd"

[Tom Raymond]

Yeah the drift was wierd, but captivating too. Kinda a like rubbernecking a car wreck, you can't help but look as you roll by.

Tom

[kurt]

While this stuff is odd, and the comparison to a car wreck is not too far off, it lays at the heart of a lot of the issues and problems we have as a profession.

It's all still brand new. Nothing is carved in stone. Complete incompetents, by dint of will power, politics, momemtum/inertia, or just plain goofiness, have managed to define our reporting systems.

Systems that were "invented" well before the advent of computers (re:HomePro, ITA, etc.) have somehow managed to become adopted as standards of practice. People that can't write have established how we write reports.

The professor (Robert Harriman, best known internationally as the blogger @ http://nocaptionneeded.com) was befuddled at why we don't simply communicate what we see in normal language.

I have to agree with him. What's with the Elective Modifications or Generally Accepted Standard Building Practices? It's more definitions folks have to learn before they can understand what the heck it is someone is talking about.

How about......."The kitchen outlets lack GFCI protection. These devices weren't required at the time of construction, but they are now because they save lives and prevent electrical shock/accidents/whatever.

You ought to install them at all your kitchen counters. You don't have to, but it's cheap, easy, and the smart thing to do to protect your family."

Or anything roughly similar.

[Tom Raymond]

Yeah, I don't get it either. I have clients that don't understand GFCI. These things have been around over 20 years and unless I spell it out they don't know what I'm talking about. These people aren't going to read a two page definition of an Elective Modification, it's hard enough to get them to read a two page description, in 12pt font with a half dozen pictures, of their really FUBARed electrical system.

I once described a really dumb smoke alarm like this:

"The smoke alarm is on the ceiling above the stairs. I couldn't reach it to test it, you likely won't be able to either."

It's broken, it needs to be fixed, and the reasons are painfully obvious. Just tell 'em like it is.

Tom

[Erby]

Hmm, lack of an effective safety device (GFCI) is NOT an adverse condition?????

[Jerry Simon]

Hmm, lack of an effective safety device (GFCI) is NOT an adverse condition?????

I wouldn't call it an adverse condition.

I wouldn't call the lack of flat flooring surfaces about the entire house an adverse condition either, even though the presence of the stairway poses a risk of falling down them.

Perhaps I'd say something like "You should consider a decision to implement what appears to be a safety upgrade relating to an elective level of evidently increased improvement".

[Richard Saunders]

Perhaps I'd say something like "You should consider a decision to implement what appears to be a safety upgrade relating to an elective level of evidently increased improvement".

I like that! Can I steal that for my boilerplate?

[Bill Kibbel]

Perhaps I'd say something like "You should consider a decision to implement what appears to be a safety upgrade relating to an elective level of evidently increased improvement".

I like that! Can I steal that for my boilerplate?

Only after WJ hammers that sentence into something.