Keep Moving

Rob and Lynn Robinson have a knack for running businesses. But after 40 years working in retail, Rob came home one day and told his wife, “I want to be a home inspector.” “She looked at me like, ‘What is wrong with you?’” he laughed. 

Today, the couple runs ATM Home Inspection. What started in Wichita, Kansas, in late 2009 has grown to include three offices—with one in St. Louis (where Rob is originally from) and one in Kansas City (where the Robinsons are based today). ATM completed approximately 600 inspections in 2024, and Rob was recently recognized with ASHI’s 2024 President’s Award. 

Starting Out 

When Rob first considered the move to home inspecting from retail, he enrolled in classes with ASHI and quickly became an ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI). 

He said he knew it wasn’t an easy business to get into, but having the support of ASHI helped tremendously. “I tell my new people it takes three to five years before you’re really established and the real estate agents will use you religiously. It’s like anything; you can go to school and get a master’s to be a lawyer, but you have to pay the dues and prove you know what you’re doing before you can actually be a lawyer. Home inspecting is the same thing.” 

ATM has grown to where other inspectors have wanted to join Rob. Two additional inspectors now inspect for ATM in addition to Rob, while Lynn runs the business. Another soon-to-be inspector was in training with the team in April. “We have taught them, and one of them is now in Tennessee and hasn’t decided if he wants to open his own business or if he wants to have me open up another office in Tennessee,” Rob said. 

Branching Out 

ATM has expanded the business beyond adding zip codes; they’ve added services, too. In addition to home inspections, they offer termite, radon, sewer scope, and mold services. They do special rental property inspections in some cities, too, like Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City that requires rental properties to be inspected. ATM completed approximately 400 of those rental inspections last year. 

“It’s a city-mandated thing. All the rental properties have to be inspected every other year. It’s a good side business that keeps us busy in the wintertime, so we don’t have that downtime like a lot of inspectors do,” Rob said. The rental inspections are short, too, taking less than 30 minutes, checking for up to 16 things for $100 per inspection. 

People Skills 

The Robinsons have always been good at working with people. Part of Rob’s retail background includes being a district manager for Toys “R” Us and training people across multiple locations. He liked helping colleagues and watching them rise through the ranks. His first-ever business was an in-ground swimming pool installation business he started when he was just 25 years old, and it was so successful he was able to sell it off. 

Rob and Lynn have also remodeled a number of houses over the years and been landlords. When they were finally looking to make the move away from retail, Rob thought, “What can I do where I work when I want, I can teach people, and I can grow the business if I want to? And where nobody is telling me what I can and can’t do?” He found the answer in home inspection.  

Past, Present, and Future

Of course, a lot has changed in 15 years, and Rob and his business have both evolved. “When I started out, you had triplicate paperwork and had to do everything by hand.” Today, most reports are written on laptops, and inspectors of all ages have to keep up with the times. Rob said some peers his age (he’ll be 70 this year) have not wanted to learn new technology, and he said that’s to their detriment. “I avoided cell phones for years because I liked my privacy in my car, but in today’s world you can’t avoid that stuff, so you might as well embrace it,” he said. “I think the technology and the growth has been exciting.” 

He’s looking forward to how he expects AI to improve the field, from its potential to improve report writing to providing plentiful data at your fingertips, he said. 

Rob said the biggest challenge for today’s home inspectors is being able to adapt, as you can’t always control the flow of business. “You get a downturn, you lose inspectors, you lose real estate agents. That’s what happens, but you’ve got to be able to adapt,” he said.

And with an aging profession, he said it’s difficult finding new people who want to work. He said many people prefer to sit at a computer, but that’s simply not how home inspecting works. “That is probably the biggest challenge I have—getting people to come to work for me who want to get out there, who aren’t afraid to get on a roof, aren’t afraid to get into crawl space, and learn what they need to learn to be able to do it.” 

Rob still gets on roofs and into crawl spaces, and he stays active and healthy, but he said he won’t be a “spring chicken forever.” “I’m past that age where I think I’m invincible. I know better,” he said. “So at some point we’d like to just have the inspectors and run the business,” he said of future plans. 

Still, every day offers something interesting, he said. He recalls inspecting one 1800s-era house built by a cattle baron. “You’ve heard of homes that have secret doors and passageways. This was one of those houses,” he said. It had an “octopus” furnace—a big steam furnace with a burner in the middle and pipes that go to each room. “It looks like an upside-down octopus. It still worked. I love seeing that kind of stuff.” 

Rob also spends a lot of time with his clients during inspections and encourages them to ask questions. “What’s made us grow and survive even during the Covid years was— one, that we expanded out of the little metro area where we were, and two, we take clients and say, ‘Follow me. Ask questions.’” 

Whether it’s understanding a water heater or wondering whether they can tear out a wall, Rob guides people through a property. “We teach them, and it’s driven our business to what it is because of the reputation we have and the learning you get from us.” 

Advice to Newcomers

Rob advises new or future inspectors to take an ASHI class. “I believe in ASHI. That’s why I went on the Board of Directors—because I want to make a difference, and this is a place you can do that.” 

Mentorship is a must, he said, and he’d like to see more of an apprentice system for home inspectors, just like a plumber or an electrician does. “I believe we should have that type of a system where we bring people in, we help them get going, and they eventually, like in my case, want to take over the business or buy the business when the time comes,” he said. 

Passing on knowledge, experience, and even personal connections is hugely beneficial, rather than someone starting over from scratch, he said. “It’s something like 80 or 90% of people who start a business fail. I think an apprentice system would definitely benefit this profession and keep the knowledge and the experience there so you’re not struggling for five, six, seven years to become successful.” 

No matter what, he said, never be afraid to stop learning.

“Even at my age of 69 I’m starting to blog. I’m redoing my website. And I’ve just written a book that is coming out in summer 2025 for the first-time home buyer,” he said. The book explores everything from types of houses to what to know about foundations and how to choose a real estate agent. It’s called Unlocking the Door to Your First Home: A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing, Financing, and Closing on the Perfect Property.