Add on jobs to home inspections

[qhinspect]

I do home and termite inspections. The termite inspections have increased my income nicely but I would like to add something else on to stand apart from the home inspectors in this area, plus make more per job and be a stand alone. Does anyone have any suggestions? Radon, mold and the other common services are not in demand around here.

My thought is the thermo camera. Between 10 and 20 thousand. Monthly cost are really low. Plus I can do commercial and residental. I use to work at a heating company in this area that does blower door test to check for air leaks in houses. We did about 8 or 10 a month. There was a guy in Kentucky that went through the hospital I worked at to check breaker connections(He made about $1000.00 a day). I personally think I could benifit from this type of camera for providing a service to home owers and business. The camera I'm looking at buying is the TST-X20 thermal infrared inaging camera for about $10,000 but I have $25,000 to spend. Before going in this direction, I was wondering if anyone had gone in this direction or any suggestions on anything else that might work.

Thanks for the input ahead of time.

Note: I just put the question in the questionnaire which I send with my report to see what kind of response I'll get back from new homeowners.

Just a side note: The camera is cool!

[Steven Hockstein]

It would help if as part of your marketing you could demonstrate the payback for the cost of the energy audit and associated improvements.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by qhinspect

. . . but I would like to add something else on to stand apart from the home inspectors in this area, plus make more per job and be a stand alone. Does anyone have any suggestions? Radon, mold and the other common services are not in demand around here. . .

Feng Shui.

Big bucks. Minimal investment. No lawsuits.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[crusty]

And water intrusion is good, it symbolizes prosperity!

[chrisprickett]

There's a new guy near me who offers to trace and analyze structured wiring for an additional fee. Not sure how well he doing...

[kurt]

A feng shui guy here in the Big Dirty gets almost double what I charge for a simple inspection, & I charge (what is perceived as) some of the higher rates in the City.

It's kinda funny & depressing @ the same time. And, he's just a white guy in his mid 40's. Personally, I like my feng shui guys & my sushi guys to at least look Asian; it provides the illusion that they might know what they are doing. (Yes, I'm PC'ly incorrect.)

[Paul MacLean]

Last February, I spent a week learning to do energy audits for the Energy Star program in Texas. I learned a lot, but after it was all said and done, I make more money doing home inspections. I just try to keep busy with inspections and raise my fees a little every year.

[Scottpat]

For some reason I am contacted by Hindu families several time a year to help them locate a house (I am Southern Baptist). It stated when I helped a doctor with a house about seven years ago.

If they are working with a Realtor, they locate the house and contact me to take a looks to see if it is acceptable to their religion before they make an offer. The good doctor taught me what I needed to know and also gave me a website that answers just about any question.

http://www.mailerindia.com/vaastu/html/ch07.php

I charge about half of my normal inspection fee for this service and it takes about an hour most of the time, and I always get a full priced home inspection out of this if they go ahead with the purchase. It also takes a little patience as most are difficult to understand. I have also acquired some great curry recipes over the past few years.

[DonTx]

Why do Hindu families in Mississippi hire Southern Baptist home inspectors to locate their homes? LOL There has to be a great joke in there somewhere.. LOL

Scott, so you drive around and find a home facing East and then charge them? Boy, you gotta racket there! =)

We do a large number of Hindu families. I've had several back out of new homes because my compass showed that the homes were not facing as "East" as they'd thought. Of course, the compass in my tool back isn't the best in the world, that's why it's in my tool bag.

Donald

[Steven Hockstein]

As an architect, learning about individual cultural beliefs and how they relate to home designs can be overwhelming.

Last year we designed a home for a Chinese doctor and her mother attended every meeting with a small Feng Shui guide book in her hand. It was almost a comical scene. The mother did not speak any English so there were many pauses in the meeting for translation between all of us. I specifically remember changing the toilet orientation so it faced in the right direction. I was amazed at how many rules had to be followed. I am sure we ended up losing money on the project because it took twice as long to design than we anticipated.

I remember a few years ago that we designed a home for an Indian family and we had a special meeting to decide the appropriate area for a shrine and foot bath.

Most recently, we designed a home for a Korean family and we had to dedicate a special area for a refrigerator to store some type of aged cabbage that is used in many Korean recipes.

I can only imagine the time when we have to design a home where an Indian person marries a Chinese person and adopts a Korean child that craves aged cabbage recipes. My head is spinning at the concept.

[Scottpat]

Kimchee!

http://www.control.co.kr/korea/kimchee.htm

[Steven Hockstein]

Originally posted by Scottpat

Kimchee!

http://www.control.co.kr/korea/kimchee.htm

Thanks-cool site to learn about Kimchee (I like that word).

[Steven Hockstein]

Originally posted by hausdok

Hi Steven,

Well, being married to a Korean, I can certainly understand the extra refrigerators for the Kimchi - we have 3 extra refrigerators! The aged "cabbage" is kimchi. Although cabbage is used for most kimchi recipes, it isn't just cabbage. Kimchi means pickled vegetable and can be anything - cabbage, lettuce, turnips, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, onions, etc.

I swear, if I ever build her a new house, it's going to have one good sized basement room with a walk-in cooler with shelves so that my wife can store her kimchi in traditional earthen, instead of glass, jars. It'll also have a huge stainless steel preparation island and sink where she can make it and I'll line the room with stainless steel and equip it with a radon mitigation system just to vent the odor 'cuz its pretty powerful stuff.

Sounds like the preparation room in a funeral parlor, huh?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

Now that I remember, the Korean woman's husband, who was not Korean, did comment on the noxious odors that the Kimchee produced. He compared it to something like sauerkraut on steroids.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by hausdok

Hi Steven,

Well, being married to a Korean, I can certainly understand the extra refrigerators for the Kimchi - we have 3 extra refrigerators! The aged "cabbage" is kimchi. Although cabbage is used for most kimchi recipes, it isn't just cabbage. Kimchi means pickled vegetable and can be anything - cabbage, lettuce, turnips, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, onions, etc.

I swear, if I ever build her a new house, it's going to have one good sized basement room with a walk-in cooler with shelves so that my wife can store her kimchi in traditional earthen, instead of glass, jars. It'll also have a huge stainless steel preparation island and sink where she can make it and I'll line the room with stainless steel and equip it with a radon mitigation system just to vent the odor 'cuz its pretty powerful stuff.

Sounds like the preparation room in a funeral parlor, huh?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

Now you’ve got me hungry. Ever since I first tasted it as a kid, Kimchee’s been one of my all time favorite foods. I used to make my own in the late ‘80s, but before I could really perfect the recipe, a few of my jars exploded. My wife, who finds the smell repulsive, was not amused and banned all further kimchee manufacturing in the house. (It took over a week to get rid of the smell.)

As a result, I’ve been reduced to occasionally treating myself to the store-bought variety – usually a soggy, weak-tasting mess. Even then, my wife glares at me when she sees the jar come out of the grocery bag.

Next time I’m up north, I’m gonna raid O’Handley’s extra refrigerators.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[kurt]

It is an acquired taste, kind of like mango pickle; delightful in the proper gustatorial environment. I credit kimchee w/the rather fiery personality type that characterizes the average Korean. Gastro-intestinal distress aside, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

It falls into the same line of thinking as my explanation for WW's I and II. Those stinkin' Germans were eating too much sauerkraut & sausage; all that farting led to armed conflict.

[Bruce Thomas]

Kevin,

I think that infrared is the future of home inspection. Now that said, it is a great tool but only a tool it doesn’t replace conventional training or experience. It does impress my clients to no end. I use the HomeSafe system on every inspection that we do. It has increased our sales significantly.

One thing that you have to be careful of is the training that you receive. I only know of 1 place to receive residential home inspection training using infrared, everyone else teaches you to be an industrial thermographer. The camera is also extremely important. You don’t need color it just confuses you. Resolution is also important get one under .09C

Contact me if you would like

Bruce@a-ztech.us

Bruce

[kurt]

Originally posted by Bruce Thomas

Kevin,

I think that infrared is the future of home inspection.

Bruce

I agree completely, & I am not looking forward to it. We will all be forced, more or less, to have the camera, because "everyone else" will have one.

Flir is coming out w/a new camera next year that is supposed to be suitable for residential work and it's gonna crack the $5000 barrier. That's probably when I'm gonna jump in.

[chrisprickett]

Originally posted by kurt

I agree completely, & I am not looking forward to it. We will all be forced, more or less, to have the camera, because "everyone else" will have one.

Flir is coming out w/a new camera next year that is supposed to be suitable for residential work and it's gonna crack the $5000 barrier. That's probably when I'm gonna jump in.

...after you buy your Suretest?

[kurt]

Originally posted by chrisprickett

...after you buy your Suretest?

Ahhhh, yes.... [:-bonc01]

Chris, you make me laugh @ myself, which is the best laugh one can have. It'd be a boring world w/out ye, my friend.

[Brian G]

I was at a night club on the airbase here one night, back in the single & drinking days. I met a gorgeous young Korean girl, danced a few with her, then went over to her table to chat (etc.). It was loud in there of course, so we had to lean in close to talk (normally a good thing). The first time she breathed on me and I got a good, soild whiff of her breath...it was over. I tried not to show anything on my face (like a deep wretch), but quickly found a way to excuse myself and went back to the table where my buddy was still sitting. He told me it was that stuff. Good God...if that's what it smells ilke going in...

Brian G.

No Kimchee For Me [:-yuck]