The Changing Profession

I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with some veteran home inspectors. We have been colleagues and active ASHI members for more than 30 years. During our visit, we discussed old times, the changing technology, and the overall profession. Wow, have things changed in the past
30-plus years.
Frank Lesh became an ASHI member in 1990 and is the former ASHI executive director (2013 to 2018) and national president (2007). During his career he was a multiple ASHI award winner (2004 John E. Cox Member of the Year, 2012 Philip C. Monahon Award, and 2017 President’s Award). He’s been an ASHI member for more than 30 years. Frank is a retired inspector but occasionally assists other home inspectors with ancillary services today.
Jay Balin became an ASHI member in 1989. He is a former chapter president (Great Lakes) and president of the Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors. Jay was the 1999 John E. Cox Member of the Year and the 2007 President’s Award winner. Jay has been retired for several years and lives in the Milwaukee area.
I became an ASHI member in 1990 and have served on chapter and national boards of directors. I continue to own and operate my home inspection company and have no immediate plans to retire. In fact, we have a third generation of family in the business. I believe we are one of the few companies in the country who can say that.
During my visit with Frank and Jay, we discussed many things, including how much the profession has changed. Here are some of the highlights:
Tools
The tools have changed. Back at the start of our careers we had moisture meters, gas detectors, and various other specialty tools. However, I described how modern inspectors routinely use high tech tools like thermal imaging cameras, sewer cameras, chimney cameras, and other specialized tools. We all laughed when we talked about Frank’s invention he used to check furnace heat exchangers. When it melted inside a furnace, he was lucky he didn’t have to buy a new furnace. He was so sure he had the next greatest inspection tool.
Technology
We all remembered how we used to produce inspection reports using carbonless forms and handwritten reports. Our reports were 10 to 15 pages long and didn’t include any photos. The discussion about report writing sparked a conversation about inspection software and how multiple inspectors can work on the same report at the same time using cloud-based technology. Jay was surprised to hear that some of the reports inspectors produce are in excess of 100 pages and include video of various areas of the home or building. We recalled another ASHI inspector who was ahead of his time and would provide his clients with a VHS tape (remember those?!) to his clients after the inspection was completed.
Speaking of photography, Frank was the first inspector I knew who used digital photography.
He was doing this back in 1997. For my part,
we routinely started to use digital cameras
in 1998.
Jay was particularly interested in drones. I explained how using drones has allowed us to see things we never would have seen in the past—and how to do it safely. Safety should be job #1 for all home inspectors.
I also explained how scheduling software integrates with accounting, bookkeeping, and various other business related processes. This has become a huge time-saver (or sometimes time waster) for home inspectors—particularly companies with multiple inspectors or who operate in multiple areas. Jay was surprised to hear that there are some inspection companies with
hundreds of inspectors in multiple states.
Fees
We acknowledged how we’d all done home inspections for around $150 back at the beginning
of our careers. Jay was particularly interested in how on some of our inspections we send multiple inspectors and routinely charge multiple thousands
of dollars for the various services. While fees have gotten larger, we agreed that for the value we provide,
home inspectors routinely undercharge for
our services.
It’s still a physical job.
One thing that has not changed: Home inspections are a physical job. We all had examples of getting dirty and sweaty at inspections. Getting into crawl spaces and attics is still a part of the job. Accessing roofs and other out of reach areas is a necessary part of a thorough home inspection. While there are various tools to help reduce the physical nature of the job (drones, pole cameras, crawlbots), we agreed there is no substitute for putting your hands on something.
Camaraderie
Jay and Frank were single inspector companies their entire careers. I have had several iterations of our company and have gone from having multiple inspectors to being a single operator back to being a multiple inspector company. A common fact that we agreed on was that staying connected with other inspectors to share information, learn better techniques and practices, and provide the best inspections we can was invaluable. We all have mentored other inspectors and contributed to our profession. Staying involved with our profession has been a rewarding experience that has produced lifelong friendships.
In Conclusion
Professional associations like ASHI help to keep people connected and move the profession forward. I urge all inspectors to reach out to local competitors and work together to learn more about the local business, provide clients with the best inspections, and learn about new opportunities in the home inspection field.
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In this Issue
Postcards from the Field
Why “Code” is a Bad Word for Home Inspectors
by Henry Sander
Waving Goodbye to Waiving Inspections
Committees to Make a Difference
by Mark Goodman
Building Relationships and Community
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