Herspective: How did you get into this business?
Hello, my name is Molly Grady and I work for Panther Home Inspections out of Marco Island, FL. I live in Bonita Springs, Fl and I have been a Home Inspector for 5 years.
The most frequently asked question is: “How did you get into this business”? I always chuckle when I hear this because it is a really good question that I often ask myself! Attics are creepy, I’m afraid of heights, (who isn’t?) and all that “stuff” under sinks and in bathrooms is really gross!! But the short answer is: it was a combination of events and a matter of necessity.
I ran into a lot of “walls” and dead silence from prospective employers. It wasn’t until a friend of mine met Carl Pucci, owner of Panther Home Inspections, that I got my big break! It took patience, understanding and mentoring on Carl’s part (which is very uncommon these days) but it paid off for BOTH of us. So, I’m going to take my “15 minutes of fame” to thank him and tell the rest of the industry how much I appreciate him and they should learn something from him! If the country had more people like Carl, there wouldn’t be such high unemployment.
Surprisingly, at the beginning, the most resistance I received was from the female realtors and some female buyers. There were a few “macho” men buyers who weren’t too thrilled, but most resistance came from females (if the male realtors had a problem with it, they didn’t show it). This was quite intimidating to me, but as time went on, and I gained confidence and knowledge I didn’t run into that problem as much. Oh, I still run into the “macho” men occasionally, but by the end of the inspection, they are admitting they were wrong and are quite impressed with my inspections. Now, the most frequently thing I hear from people (realtors, buyers AND sellers and mostly females), is “oh, a female inspector- good for you” and “you are very thorough- better than the men”! The male realtors also make the comment about being thorough, so it MUST be true, right? ☺
To sum up my perspective on female inspectors: You have to want it, have very thick skin, work twice as hard as the men, believe in yourself but most importantly, be given the chance to prove yourself. Anybody can do whatever they want to if they just try and have perseverance!
(One comment I forgot to mention that I hear from the females is: “you have such nice nails”!)
Molly – the inspector with the nice nails.
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