John Cranor on Life in the Industry

John Cranor jokes that he basically grew up with a hammer in his hand. His father and grandfather were both roofing contractors who were “all work and no play.” Growing up in this environment and being around talented, no-nonsense contractors, he quickly picked up the trade. “I was building additions, renovating, soldering copper pipes, laying bricks, and countless other home repairs all before I learned to drive,” he said.
Eventually Cranor became a licensed contractor himself and, in the mid 1990s after buying a 1920s farmhouse to renovate, he hired a home inspector on the advice of his real estate agent. It was his first experience with a home inspector and, while he wasn’t exactly impressed by the inspector, he was intrigued by the industry. In 1998, after taking a home inspector course, he was hooked. “It launched me into a career I truly have a passion for,” he said. “The best decision I ever made in my career was joining the Central VA chapter of ASHI.”
Learning the Ropes
Cranor has been a full-time ASHI Certified Inspector since joining in 1998. From day one he was impressed with the then brand-new chapter and how members so openly shared their expertise. His first mentor was the late Robert (Bob) Anderson, who he said was professional and helpful beyond words. He cites others, like the now retired Barry Irby, as mentors, too. “He was one of the first inspectors in my area. He was like a walking encyclopedia on everything related to home inspections.”
It’s these relationships that also helped Cranor build his business, as Irby, for example, has referred his previous clients to Cranor since retiring. “I have countless home inspector friends all over Virginia and in other states, and most are due to my involvement with ASHI.”
Cranor has continuously served his ASHI chapter for more than 20 years, both as president and in many other roles, including almost always on the educational committee. He has also served on the Virginia Association of Real Estate Inspectors as president. As chair of the ASHI Technical and Standards Committees for six years, he got to interact with knowledgeable colleagues who he’s learned so much from. “I have inspector friends who I talk to almost daily—and some I have known for 24 years,” he said. “The value in having veteran inspector friends is hard to measure, but I am so grateful for it. I have had many referrals from inspectors from outside my area over the years, and most came from ASHI inspectors who I have met along the way.”
While Cranor is slowing into what he calls semi-retirement these days, he continues to be passionate about his work. Now he does about one inspection a day, sometimes supplemented by specialty work like taking a look at a roof or synthetic stucco inspections. He has been transitioning to focus more on education and recently accepted a position with the ASHI School in Virginia to teach pre-licensing classes, while he also made the move in 2022 to focus on new house construction inspection. “There’s a really great need for a good inspector to do new houses,” he said. “Personally, I think new home construction has slowly gone downhill over the last 10 years or so. I see the same things over and over again—improperly installed siding, improperly installed roofing, poor workmanship.”

Award-Winning
John Cranor was recognized with ASHI’s 2021 Ironman Award, awarded to an ASHI Member who has given time, energy, talent, and determination to ASHI over a long period of time and with little recognition. Cranor has served his chapter in many capacities, including several terms as chapter president. He also served several times as a national committee chair, regularly contributes to the Reporter, and has served as president of his state home inspector association and as a member of the state licensing board. He owns Cranor Inspection Services in Midlothian, Virginia and has a New Residential Construction specialty endorsement. He also has the additional credential as a Exterior Design Institute Certified Building Envelope Inspector and Moisture Warranty Corp EIFS Inspector. He served as chairman of both ASHI’s Technical and Standards Committees.
Challenges in the Field
Cranor said marketing has long been one of the industry’s biggest challenges. He said he’s tried a lot of methods, but not many of them have been that successful. One thing he does think helps is letting people know you’re ASHI-Certified. For him, that includes proudly wearing the ASHI logo on his shirt. “It’s free marketing for you because the real estate agents see it,” he said. “I’ve always worn the ASHI logo. I don’t feel right when I don’t have it on when I do an inspection. It tells everyone who you are and that you’ve got the credentials. It’s recognizable.”
But the biggest challenge facing home inspectors, Cranor said, might be themselves. Continuing education is extremely important in the ever-changing industry of home inspections. While time-consuming, he said it’s important for inspectors to continue to seek further education, especially in the area of report writing. “In this industry, the report is a true representation of your work. Too often, with current workload demands, many inspectors are unable to take the time to ensure reports are compliant with ASHI SOP or state regulations—making them difficult to understand, which can leave the reader with more questions than answers. A good and thorough report can also be a great marketing tool as it can lead to word of mouth referrals,” he said.

An Evolving Industry
What’s expected of inspectors is also constantly evolving, and inspectors who don’t keep up with ASHI or stay educated will likely get left behind. When Cranor first started, for example, home inspection reports were simply paper carbon copy reports where you checked boxes. The reports had no photos. Today’s reports are computerized and have many photos—it’s expected. He anticipates the field will continue to evolve to include more technology, like thermal cameras.
A little thing called a “walk-and-talk” is also changing the industry—Cranor said for the worse. A walk-and-talk (see Reporter July 2021 issue) is widely understood across the industry to be that hour or so of time when a licensed home inspector quite literally walks and talks an interested home buyer through a home’s most obvious issues in lieu of an actual inspection. Walk-and-talks are typically sought by very interested buyers only, in a time when there may be many competing offers on a house.
“There’s a lot of inspectors doing walk-and-talks,” Cranor said. “That’s market-driven, where they just do a verbal consultation.” Some colleagues think they should be outlawed. “I really wish people wouldn’t do them, but I understand that they feel forced to do them because of the market. I don’t think it does our industry any good.”
Cranor fears that even after the market calms down, some real estate agents could encourage them, but he notes that they are not a true inspection. He himself won’t do them, and he said they are not covered by the E&O coverage inspectors have.
Instead, he focuses his time on those who need real inspections. “I don’t really ever get tired of doing inspections,” he said. “Sometimes I get tired of the people, but I don’t get tired of the inspections. It’s a very interesting career. You never stop learning.
Read more at: House Whisperer.
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In this Issue
Countdown to InspectionWorld
Pole Cams: Seeing in the Air While on the Ground
The State of the ASHI State
Inspecting Old, Double-Hung Windows
Member Relations Committee Update
Postcards from the Field
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