Alternative Sources of Inspection Income in Slow Times

April 16, 2024

One must have faith to be a home inspector. We’re never really sure we have a job until we get to the site, the house is ready, the clients arrive, and the real estate agent gets us in.

During this slowdown many of us have had to make drastic changes. We downsized our house and moved to a cheaper location, for example.

I continue to use Angi as a lead generation tool. They have improved slightly in providing meaningful leads, but they are expensive. My view is: How much is a new real estate agent worth? Each Angi lead is a dress rehearsal in front of a new agent. I continue to get about a third of my work from them. Good reports help, too. I have gotten referrals by folks like loan officers being impressed with mine.

There is also a lot of mileage involved. I find the IRS mileage deduction very generous. Each year it comes to more than the current value of my Jeep.

The news of our slowdown encouraged a property management company to reach out to me to provide their annual and move-out inspections on hundreds of rental units. Indeed, by hiring a licensed home inspector they are getting much more information and providing a better service to their customers.

Just yesterday I found an HVAC filter that was securely screwed under a return grille that had not been changed in years, which made the new air handler work really hard to move any air. Those 20- to 25-year-old gas furnaces could lead to CO exposure and even death because no one was calling them out before.

These inspections are not as fun as regular pre-sale home ones because the clients are not always happy to see you, since part of your work is assessing how well they are treating the unit. There is also a lot of mileage involved, yet we are all probably driving more these days. I find the IRS mileage deduction very generous. Each year it comes to more than the current value of my Jeep.

Just last week a mobile home park called me, based on a previous report of mine. They want me to do their routine safety and maintenance inspections, too. I wouldn’t have thought of these new opportunities if they hadn’t fallen in my lap, so I’m commending them to you to perhaps be of help. All we can do is all we can do.


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In this Issue

Behind the Scenes

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Leaders in the industry make final preparations for the St. Louis InspectionWorld on the Road events this September.

In This Together

Atwell, who won ASHI’s 2023 Monahan Award, has been working since July 2022 to help pass legislation in Massachusetts to help protect home inspectors and homebuyers with the right to have a home inspection.

The ASHI Foundation

The ASHI Foundation’s formal mission statement is “to help those in need through giving and education.” We also strive to have a positive impact on the communities where we hold our IW on the Road events.

Postcards from the Field

To submit your postcard, please send your name, city, state, high-resolution photos, headings and captions to: postcards@ashi.org

Inspection World On the Road – OHIO

Some highlights of this successful event!

ASHI Virtual Summit 2023

The highlights of this successful event!
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Professional Networking

Grow your professional network, find a mentor, network with the best, and best part of the community that’s making home inspection better every day.