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Stuart Brooks
11-25-2009, 11:45 AM
I just saw an inspector's website where he states that he shows up dressed as a professional in a white shirt and tie. I guess I'm doing something wrong. I don't think a white shirt would last until I got to an inspection and it would be so messed up in such a short time that it would have to be classified as throw-away. I'd probably hang myself from the attic trusses if I wore a tie. I guess my khaki pants or shorts and short-sleeve shirt puts me down in the common laborer class.

The problem is that I'd really like to wear a white shirt but I'm a dirt positive person. Dirt flies to me even in clean rooms. I can shine a light through a crawl space and see nary a spec of anything floating in the air. But let me just get in the there and all of a sudden there is a storm cloud of dust, insulation, and mold (mould) racing towards me. Can you imagine what my white shirt would look like after I got down on the floor in the basement to see the condition of the gas water heater burner?

OK. I know there are Tyvek coveralls and the like, but I'm also very SWEAT positive and that Tyvek stuff causes an in-the-suit rain storm when I wear it. Cotton coveralls are better, but then I would have to strip out of the white shirt, and pants to be able to wear the coveralls comfortably so why bother?

The white shirt guy must be dirt negative. I was once at a crab feast and there was a young Army Lt. there dressed in white shorts and a nice shirt that was of the summery type. He was dirt negative. He had this very neat pile of crab shells and crab parts in front of him and not one spot of crab juice or anything else on his clothes. Of course he had the benefit of me, a very dirt positive person, sitting near by.

Tie? No away, reduces blood flow to the brain, resulting in pointy-haired management types.

Have a great Thanksgiving!:)

Nick Ostrowski
11-25-2009, 12:15 PM
At this point in my life, the only time I break out a tie is a wedding or a funeral. Inspections??? Pfffftttttt

I'm sure buyers don't give a flying fart how you dress for the inspection as long as you do a good job for them and you don't look like a hobo. I'm sure that inspector is making a name for himself as the only inspector who shows up wearing a tie. But it's nothing more than a gimmick.

John Arnold
11-25-2009, 01:05 PM
What a slob. This is how I dress for work.

Nick Ostrowski
11-25-2009, 01:11 PM
John.....you CAN'T be serious??? That tux has no cumberbund.

John Arnold
11-25-2009, 01:28 PM
That's my crawlspace suit. I have to take the cucumberbund off for crawling on my belly like a reptile.

Markus Keller
11-26-2009, 12:18 PM
Great insurance and checkbox report comes with the fancy clothes.
I wear regular street clothes. If it's a high end client, khakis and a 2nd tier dress shirt.

Bruce Ramsey
11-26-2009, 02:25 PM
Seems we have had this discussion before. It eventually degrades into those who wear blue jeans, shorts and T-shirts vs. those who wear khaki pants, shirts with collars and/or a "uniform".

You only get one chance to make a first impression. I have a closet full of button down shirts embroidered with my company logo. I have several hats and a jacket with the logo emblazoned across them. I have my company shirts professionally dry-cleaned and pressed. I press my slacks and wear shined leather shoes. I wear one set of plastic booties during the exterior portion of the inspection and change into a clean set of booties when I enter the home. Remove the booties if I step out onto the deck or out a window on to the roof and put them back on when return to the interior. I wear tyvek suits with integral footies and hood while in the crawlspace.

I believe it sets me apart from the jean and T-shirt wearing inspector. The less formally attired inspector may be just as competent. My customers are paying for a professional inspection. Part of the professional image is showing up at the inspection in a neat uniform of sorts.

imported_John Smith
11-27-2009, 12:36 AM
100% in agreement with Bruce. At least look like a professional when you show up for the appointment. Dressing the part makes you think like a professional also. I too work up a sweat in my part of the country (~8 months out of the year), but so what, would work up a sweat in jeans and a tee shirt. The docker type pants I buy are cheaper than my Levis and look good longer.

Never show up for a job in a wife beater T shirt and shorts. Word gets around, and no matter how good of an inspector you are, it will be a negative.

stanley frost
11-27-2009, 06:22 AM
white shirts can be bleached, The tie seams to be a bit much. Some people arn't cerative enough to come up with something that sets them apart from everyone else.

Ron Bibler
11-27-2009, 09:58 AM
If you start off every inspection in coveralls and walk up to your buyers say hi and then say I'm going to start in the attic or the sub-structure your buyers are going to think this is the guy... what you have under the coveralls after that point is not important to them...

In fact if you are a mess coming out of the sub-structure or the attic all the better. Found some good info in the attic:D

Best

Ron

A.D. Miller
11-27-2009, 10:07 AM
Once upon a time there was a multi-inspector firm in my area which required their inspectors to wear white shirts and ties. They also all drove old Plymouth mini-vans loaded down with ladders so as to resemble nothing more than gypsy wagons. They were hands-down the most incompetent inspectors in the D/FW area.

Their fearless leader at the time has now moved on to fleecier pastures as the Reverend Mike Crow of Millionaire MF Inspectors Community fame.:D