Thread: How is business

Just curious how things are going around the rest of the country. How is business?

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Up and down. One week I am busy, the next I am slow. More slow than busy.

Business is steady I can say. Not swamped by any means but have at least one everyday for awhile.

Hey Gunnar, want to swap cat recipes.

rick

I find cat is best when cooked very slowly.

Same as the others... Looking ahead to the end of the year it looks like 09 will end up just a hair better than 08. It's generally still just slow compared to anything I consider to be normal. October was actually really good but then November stunk. I guess I'm lucky in that I pretty much work everyday but often times my next day isn't booked until 3PM the day before.

Bookings dropped drastically the day after they extended the tax break.

Last month was very good. Full load on termite, Home inspection and Thermal Imaging.

Best

Ron
SANTA ROSA PEST CONTROL .COM
Healdsburg California Pest and Termite Control - Exterminating & Thermal Imaging
Santa Rosa California Home Inspection - Exterminating & Thermal Imaging

On a per-inspector basis (number of inspections, gross income, and net income, best year since 2001.

Last month was very good. Full load on termite, Home inspection and Thermal Imaging.

RB: That sounds like the typical "full load" you are prone (and miraculously find the time) to deposit on this fine forum. We certainly appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to share that bit of BS with us . . .

Say Bagdad Bob Dude what should I do with you... Let see we could step back and take the high road and say something - nice

Or we could have some fun with you this fine day

I just thought of something funny... You standing in some ones home looking all smart and stuff like Bill Murray in Ghost Busters looking for stuff with that Wis-bang toy ray gun of yours... L.O.L. L.O.L. L.O.L........I would give a $ 100.00 for a snap shot photo of you with you new toy...
Glasses and all...

You see any thing today Bagdad Bob? L.O.L.

Best

Ron

Originally Posted by Ron Bibler

Say Bagdad Bob Dude what should I do with you... Let see we could step back and take the high road and say something - nice

Or we could have some fun with you this fine day

I just thought of something funny... You standing in some ones home looking all smart and stuff like Bill Murray in Ghost Busters looking for stuff with that Wis-bang toy ray gun of yours... L.O.L. L.O.L. L.O.L........I would give a $ 100.00 for a snap shot photo of you with you new toy...
Glasses and all...

You see any thing today Bagdad Bob? L.O.L.

Best

Ron

RB: A pair of Brits once wrote something along these lines . . . "It never rains in California - it pours".

Doesn't matter what I do, October is bad for me every year. Nov, Dec, are always good for me. Shaping up that way again this year. Jan is usually good, February I could be dead and no one would notice.

I would say that it is pretty typical for the time of year. The seasonal slowdown started about two weeks ago. For those of you that have been around for about 8+ years and you can recall what it was like before anyone and anything could buy a home, I would say we are almost back to normal.

Up here in Alberta business is really good. We have been really lucky... the troubles affecting the USA and parts of Canada haven't really affected us too much. Still backed up 5 + days.

Fred Blanchard
LossTec Inc.
10215 - 178 street NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5S 1M3

Having a record year so far in number of inspections, gross and net. This area is a bit more stable than the coasts and one inspector retired opening up opportunities. Transaction counts for the Realtors is down about 5 percent.

Two years ago I had to let three inspectors go, after business dropped off. That's was a good thing and bad thing, The good was I don't have to spend as much time managing others and actually the bottom line is better. The bad is the the total gross is down. But, like most here, it's up and down. One week I'm busy, the next I'm slower, but I do see the markets changing. There would be more activity if the banks worked with clients and responded on time.

Originally Posted by Robert Pike

Two years ago I had to let three inspectors go, after business dropped off. That's was a good thing and bad thing, The good was I don't have to spend as much time managing others and actually the bottom line is better. The bad is the the total gross is down. But, like most here, it's up and down. One week I'm busy, the next I'm slower, but I do see the markets changing. There would be more activity if the banks worked with clients and responded on time.

RP: You are indeed a rare bird: an honest Californian. I knew there had to be at least one out there somewhere . . .

Originally Posted by A.D. Miller

RP: You are indeed a rare bird: an honest Californian. I knew there had to be at least one out there somewhere . . .

Thanks, thats how I have remianed in the business since 1994, being honest.

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

Hey Gunnar, want to swap cat recipes.

Rick, I found a really disgusting site on cat recipes. Pretty tasteless. Funny, though.

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

I find cat is best when cooked very slowly.

Depends on the age. Old, rangy cats, certainly. Kittens can be grilled with a little wasabi. Now dogs make a wonderful stew. (I wonder if Brian is going to kick me off IN for this?)

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

Rick, I found a really disgusting site on cat recipes. Pretty tasteless. Funny, though.



Depends on the age. Old, rangy cats,

.
Mystery Meat Yum !
.

Originally Posted by Fred Blanchard

Up here in Alberta business is really good. We have been really lucky...

Yes, we are lucky in Vancouver too. We have almost zero inspection from October 2008 to February 2009. But full load since March 2009, always lined up for a week.
I think the reason is not only the crazy housing market. Also thanks to the licensing by the BC government at the end of March, it removed the sub-standard HI from the market.

It slowed down for a couple of weeks but its pickin back up over the last few days. A little nugget to help pay the xmas bills.

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

Rick, I found a really disgusting site on cat recipes. Pretty tasteless. Funny, though.



Depends on the age. Old, rangy cats, certainly. Kittens can be grilled with a little Mesabi. Now dogs make a wonderful stew. (I wonder if Brian is going to kick me off IN for this?)

Gunnar and Rick:

Your particular distaste for cats lies well within your inability to understand the nature of "pussy". It is mostly a misogynistic issue that can be cured by suicide, or lesser Baptist beatitudedinal activities.

Just when I start getting use to the steady flow of Inspections, the Dam phone stops ringing, so I purchased a new Office phone, well that didn't seam to fix the problem!

Only had 4 Inspections this past-week and Next week I have 3 already booked, hopefully 3 more come out of the wood work so I can break even for that week. I had a Record breaking January, February (normally the worse two months of the year for me), August and October were also really good months for me. The rest of the year was at best Ok! Lets all Pray that our Marketing effort for 2010 pay-off.

Originally Posted by A.D. Miller

Gunnar and Rick:

Your particular distaste for cats lies well within your inability to understand the nature of "pussy". It is mostly a misogynistic issue that can be cured by suicide, or lesser Baptist beatitudedinal activities.

I know it all to well. It is my only true profession.

rick

"Please don't let the cat out!"

Pretty much the same as others on here, up one week down the next. Jan. & Feb. of 2009 was the slowest I have ever seen in my 12 years in the profession.
But at my age who needs the money just like to stay busy with a little time for fishing, ha ha .

Ken McConnell
Quality Home & Building Inspection Consultants

If you go out of town for a few days, your phone will ring off the wall I assure you.

Just got back in from a few days in Vegas and booked several inspections while away.

Man, I sure love gambling in Vegas. Sure, I lost several thousand but the drinks are free so I figured it all evens out.

rick

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

If you go out of town for a few days, your phone will ring off the wall I assure you.

Just got back in from a few days in Vegas and booked several inspections while away.

Man, I sure love gambling in Vegas. Sure, I lost several thousand but the drinks are free so I figured it all evens out.

rick

Thats one thing that never works out for me. It always cost me...

Best

Ron
SANTA ROSA PEST CONTROL .COM

I went to Vegas several years ago, LOST $50.00. Feelings of remorse sickened me. I'm just not a good gambler, and I don't drink.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

I went to Vegas several years ago, LOST $50.00. Feelings of remorse sickened me. I'm just not a good gambler, and I don't drink.

Mannnnnnn

You cannot go gambling not drink. The drunker you get the better you do. The rule is that once your elbow slips off the side of the Black Jack table.....you have had to much and time to quit or you will lose it all

Tha only problem is you have to bring a couple thou for losing money because you will lose until you get your groove on. Once in the groove you will win twice what you lost until that elbow slip happens.

I see Ted, problem is, I must have slipery elbows all the time.

I've been very blessed. 2 a day 5 days a week for the last 12 months. Weekends are for God, Family and motocross...
Pretty slow the year before however. It'll slow down when inflation kicks in...

Originally Posted by Marc M

I've been very blessed. 2 a day 5 days a week for the last 12 months. Weekends are for God, Family and motocross...
Pretty slow the year before however. It'll slow down when inflation kicks in...

2 a day 5 days a week for a year ????? is not blessed, it's a miracle.

Good for you.

Miracle perhaps. We've found that 75% are 1st time buyers and the others are investors or the lucky ones who saw the market drop coming.

Wow... god, gambling, drinking and a cat house all in the same thread.... or, at least letting a cat out of a house.

This board is great

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

If you go out of town for a few days, your phone will ring off the wall I assure you.

rick

Other tried and true methods to get the phone to ring are as follows:

- sit on the toilet
- take a nap
- stuff your mouth full of food

It is not recommend that anybody attempt all three of these at the same time as your phone will surely explode.........and your spouse will have to explain to the paramedics why you were trying to take a nap with a mouth full of food on the toilet.

Originally Posted by John Kogel

"Please don't let the cat out!"

How many times has this happened... Do you guys get the "can you please remove your shoes" question? ( lead to stocking up on booties) Nothing worse than walking a 3000 sq ft house in socks.

I remove my shoes most of the time. There are a lot of very expensive houses around here and most are second homes. So if no one is living there and people come in and see muddy foot prints after the inspection, well it's easy to point the finger at the inspector. And I have found wool carpet is very very expensive,in excess of a 100 per yard. So if you track mud or dirt on it people tend to get pretty pissed. I saw an oriental rug that was ruined by a fie suppression leak, and the rug cost 85,000 bucks. If the place is a dump thats different.

Now lets see if I can follow this whole thread,

Business was OK two a week plus radon test, all first time home buyers.
Dropped off right at the end of the tax credit original deadline. Hopefully right after Christmas it will pick up.

The only good kitty is a dead kitty

Can't take off my shoes because of orthopedic inserts, will but booty over my shoes.

When gambling if you hit a hot roll cash out and walk away yes I play craps and it is hard to do but why more profitable.

Merry Christmas to all and a prosperous New Year

My business has been up and down this year, but so far, I have completed 388 inspections. My average inspection fee is going back up, and the average price home I'm inspection is going up too (more of the bigger houses are selling). The big houses are selling well, albeit at reduced prices to the sellers and banks. I do not discount, and typically charge $25 to $50 more than other inspectors. I'm even sending business to a few other inspectors who I trust with my clients. My area is not depressed, but it is not booming either. I have noticed builders buying lots from the banks, offering new homes at $100K under the previous builder, and selling out in weeks( D.R. Horton just sold 41 in 4 weeks). Good product in the right areas still have plenty of buyers. Other inspectors in my area are quiet or leaving the business, but I'm thriving in the downturn. Hope you do too.

I have been doing about 2-3 inspections a week for a while. It was pretty slow here, but seems to be picking up.

I don't know how the cat got out.
and after living in So Lake Tahoe for several years I learned it is cheaper to buy the expensive drinks than to gamble and get the free ones.

We live in Los Angeles, or more specifically Northridge (94 quake area).

Pacific NW is doing OK. Most of the so-so realtors have sought alternative employment and working real estate nights and weekends.

I think we will end 2009 slightly ahead of 2008 but if month stays as quiet as this week then we will end up about the same.

Although the remaining Realtors are brimming with optimism I am forecasting that business remain stagnant or about the same as 2009. We will see.

//Rick

We actually have an inventory problem here. We dont have enough inventory for the buyers. The agents are working hard making multiple offers. Unless you have cash, lots of that going on here.I loose more inspections to investors looking to save a few bucks on the inspection. I usually add $50-100 for those calls.

Originally Posted by Jim Radcliffe

but so far, I have completed 388 inspections.

I do not discount, and typically charge $25 to $50 more than other inspectors.

I'm even sending business to a few other inspectors

Other inspectors in my area are quiet or leaving the business, but I'm thriving

WOW! you must be the best!

Originally Posted by Rick Bunzel

I think we will end 2009 slightly ahead of 2008 but if month stays as quiet as this week then we will end up about the same.

Exact same thing down the road here in Oregon... I think I'll beat 08 by a hair.

As an AHJ of a large County, I can state that things have picked up a little the last half of this year.
Having said that.....I must also state that we used to have 5 full time E-inspectors and 3 part-time. Now there are only 2 of us left for a whole county.
Since it is the permit costs that run the building dept and pay our salaries, were now on our own as far as health care is concerned.
Allot more 'home owner' permits these days, which equates to less contractors making a living and more for U HI's as well as us AHJ's to enjoy writing about for years to come.
I feel for my fellow E-contractors in these times.

Bob Smit, County Electrical Inspector

Originally Posted by bob smit

As an AHJ of a large County, I can state that things have picked up a little the last half of this year.
Having said that.....I must also state that we used to have 5 full time E-inspectors and 3 part-time. Now there are only 2 of us left for a whole county.
Since it is the permit costs that run the building dept and pay our salaries, were now on our own as far as health care is concerned.
Allot more 'home owner' permits these days, which equates to less contractors making a living and more for U HI's as well as us AHJ's to enjoy writing about for years to come.
I feel for my fellow E-contractors in these times.

Bob Smit, County Electrical Inspector

Bob, it seems like that state has taken quite a hit all around. Gov not doing much to help.