Relocating your inspection business

[Michael McElligott]

I'm considering a move to another state. I know some of you have relocated your home inspection practices and I'm soliciting any advice, etc., on doing so.

I'm a low volume, solo HI practice working more in the commercial project management industry, FYI so I could use all pointers such as marketing, etc. As I do little marketing as it is. Mostly word of mouth.

Thanks for any and all input.

[Ted Menelly]

I'm considering a move to another state. I know some of you have relocated your home inspection practices and I'm soliciting any advice, etc., on doing so.

I'm a low volume, solo HI practice working more in the commercial project management industry, FYI so I could use all pointers such as marketing, etc. As I do little marketing as it is. Mostly word of mouth.

Thanks for any and all input.

Basically moving any type of owner operated business to a new area, city, state, is tough at best. You are pretty much starting over. I did that about 9 years ago going from Florida to Texas.

As far as marketing, what might work in one area, city, state may not work at all in another state.

I am not an advocate of marketing Realtors but almost any home inspector would have to do this moving from one area to another

You may have better luck than most home inspectors as most just do Homes and very few businesses. Marketing commercial Realtors and of course throwing out as much advertising on Google as you can afford and slowly weed off the marketing that does not work would be the way to go.

As far as marketing for homes I would go with as much marketing as you can afford as well and weed out the marketing that does not work.

I guess I am saying is that there is no magic bullet to getting going again. Try and fail until yo find what ever marketing will gain over time.

[Scott Patterson]

What Ted said... Hey that could be a good tag line for a song!

7 years ago this July I relocated from Jackson Mississippi to Nashville Tennessee after being established in MS for around 11 years, in a typical year I did around 300 to 350 inspections. In other words I had a very good business, but I had to follow my bride.

With the crash of the real estate market it took me about 4 years to get my business to the point that I knew I would make it. Yes, it was touch and go for the first four years after the move. My salvation was my website, all I had to do was to change the phone numbers and update some of the location information on it.

I will never be back up at the 300 inspection a year mark, and I do not want to be. I'm extremely happy working M-F and doing about 5-7 inspections a week. Sometimes I can only do 3-4 a week due to the size of the homes and additional consulting work that I had to get into just to survive the down years. But it also opened up a new market of inspections for me to explore and work in.

[Rick Bunzel]

I moved from Boulder Co. To Anacortes. Wa in 2005. I wrote about it in the NAHI monthly publication and will see about posting a PDF of it on my website. Fortunately I moved earlier than Scott and was able to get established before the market went south. Today I am established and doing as much business as I can maintain.

I will let you know when I get the article online,

//Rick

[Jack Feldmann]

When I moved to TN from CA in 94 I had to start over. In the first five months, I did 5 inspections, then in the 6th month I did 30. I spent the first 5 months marketing almost every day.

[Rick Bunzel]

Here is a link to the article I wrote called Rebooting the Business
http://www.paccrestinspections.com/Articles/Rebooting%20the%20Business%20or%20Starting%20Over_ Rick%20Bunzel%202ndcopy.pdf

//Rick

[Nolan Kienitz]

I had a similar experience of basically starting over and I only moved from the Houston to Dallas area.

The one good thing is that I didn't have to go through a new licensing requirement.

If you plan on doing residential in Texas you need to become familiar with all the rules of licensing/inspecting at TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission).

BTW ... a new SOP has been approved and will go into effect on January 01, 2014.

[Jerry Peck]

I will never be back up at the 300 inspection a year mark, and I do not want to be. I'm extremely happy working M-F and doing about 5-7 inspections a week. Sometimes I can only do 3-4 a week due to the size of the homes and additional consulting work that I had to get into just to survive the down years. But it also opened up a new market of inspections for me to explore and work in.

Remember what I used to keep telling everyone: built it, they will come.

You built it (changed your business base) out of necessity, but the end result was the same ... build it, they will come. I did that many years ago and it worked quite well for me for the last 6-8 or so until I retired in 2006.

Keep 'building it' and you may be able to get down to 2-3 inspections per week like I did - made more money, spent more time at each place, and allowed me to mingle with those who passed my name around, and where they passed my name around was at the country club, on the golf course, on their yachts, etc., it all leads to a better 'end game'.

[Scott Patterson]

Remember what I used to keep telling everyone: built it, they will come.

You built it (changed your business base) out of necessity, but the end result was the same ... build it, they will come. I did that many years ago and it worked quite well for me for the last 6-8 or so until I retired in 2006.

Keep 'building it' and you may be able to get down to 2-3 inspections per week like I did - made more money, spent more time at each place, and allowed me to mingle with those who passed my name around, and where they passed my name around was at the country club, on the golf course, on their yachts, etc., it all leads to a better 'end game'.

Jerry, that is so so true...

If you do not care for the market segiment you are working in then only you can change it!

[Hank Spinnler]

Here is a link to the article I wrote called Rebooting the Business
http://www.paccrestinspections.com/Articles/Rebooting%20the%20Business%20or%20Starting%20Over_ Rick%20Bunzel%202ndcopy.pdf

//Rick

Thank you for the article Rick. It would be a difficult decision for me to leave this market which has provided well for me and my family for the past 10 years.

It seems like you have to really consider the market potential and other factors like variations in the seasons.

I can't imagine why anyone would not like living in CO though. :) I guess you have two outstanding options though.