Thread: Best Client Contest

We have the worst client contets, how about the other side.

I have had many many great clients.

I've had people tip me.
I've had several bring me lunch (one was a famous restaurant owner that brought one from his place).
I've been given dinner gift cards, movie passes (12 passes from a guy that worked for Regal).

This past week, we had someone tell us he was going to pay us more, since we worked harder than he expected, and spent more time than he thought we would.

I can't say how many thank you cards I've gotten, many from parents.

It's those people that make it all worth it to go out there every day and do the job we do.
JF

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Jack,

I like your attitude! Unfortunately, the reality is that many of us tend to remember the worst all too well. I too have had many really pleasant clients, many of whom walked from a house as being too problematic. I will ruminate on this one and get back to you.

For the most part I think our profession is one of the more under appreciated.

A referral that results in a paid inspection is a great compliment..

I have had many wonderful clients over the years. At least 50 percent of my work comes from referrals through past clients. Have some brokers that fit into that category too.

I had a client call me Tuesday to thank me for my report. I in turn thanked her for actually reading the report and following my advice.

I conducted her inspection back in May. It was an expanded cape with an addition on the right side.

While conducting the 'upstairs' inspection, I informed her the ceiling height did not meet habitable requirements (it was 6' 7") and the windows did not meet fire egress. There were numerous other problems (termites, asbestos, water entry, garage seperation Etc); at the end of the report, I always include the fact the buyer should contact the local building dept for any outstanding permits.

It seems she did contact the building department and found NO permits were obtained for any work. The local inspector met her at the house and confirmed my findings. The buyer then was able to reduce the final price (the house could only be listed as a 2 bedroom instead of a 3 bedroom) by $17,000.00.

It truly is rewarding when you can help a young, struggling couple.


Darren

New Jersey Home Inspection - About the House!

Why Hire B4U Close Home Inspections





Ya gotta love those that take the time to show their appreciation.-

1. Client selected me because I didn't ask for realtor information in addition to the home's size, age, etc. She wanted to make sure I was disconnected to the real estate community. As I began the summary - she politely asked the listing agent to go to her car so our discussion would not be interrupted. I smiled, leaned forward, laid my hand on the kitchen counter and told her she is amazing.

2. 15-minutes into inspecting a 4,000 square foot home, my client introduces himself and states "I want you to inspect this home like you're trying to talk me out of buying it." I rubbed my hands together and saluted. He is a construction defect attorney and has since referred me to others.

I had many great clients during my career and recall one who went on to become an HI. However, the client that sticks in my memoy was a middle-aged gal for whom I inspected 7 homes before she finally bought the seventh. Yep, some where dogs, but two of them where in dam near in perfect shape. She never asked for a discount, (her agent did, but I declined) never asked any questions, was always attentive, and always thanked me profusely.

Now if you want to discuss homes you have inspected and remembe, now that's another story. Don't you just love it when a client calls up 6 months after the inspection and gets miffed because you can't recall the details of the home you inspected for them off the top of your head or their names?

Most memorable is a young single mom with 3 waifs under tow.

House needed to be torched, literally.

The bug guy and I persuaded her to walk away and couldn't bring ourselves to charge her a dime after we gave her a jump start to leave, almost in tears.

Since then 11 more inspections are direct referrals from her and yes 4 years after that event she found her dream home that I finally got to inspect.

It doesn't get much better than that, for me anyways, and there are others.

Recently, I had the rare (for me) experience of everyone remaining calm, working together, and all parties expressing satisfaction with the outcome.

This was a one year old house. My Client was to be the second owner. I found several structural defects is the roof framing. My Client asked for the repairs, the seller called the builder, the builder came to the site with the engineer who had signed off and a second enginer. All three agreed the callouts were legitimate. The owner was informed. A crew showed up the next morning and all materials were on site before 8AM. The job was finished by 7PM that evening.

I got a note from the Client thanking me and have already received one referral from her. The seller's agent, who had never referred me in 10 years has now referred me twice.

I have a lot of satisfied customers, even a few who take the time to let me know about it. I recall one who insisted I take his Dallas Stars box seat tickets, another who gave me a $100 bill as a tip, many who have called or written to thank me for encouraging them through a detailed report to look for another house, et al.

My current favorite was this email:

Aaron,
You did a home inspection for me in February 2006 on my new home at 123 Redacted Circle, Corsicana, TX.
When the builder refused to even discuss the deficiencies found, I filed with the the Texas Residential Construction Commission. After going through their process which took over nine months, I was able to sustain more than 90% of your findings although I had to go through their appellate process on over half of them. (The Commission really goes out of its way to protect builders). However, with your excellent documentation, I was able to go to the source material and make an irrefutable case in almost every instance.
Even then, the builder would not budge. After filing a lawsuit, we finally settled with him buying the house back for what we paid for it.
Thanks so much again! You really made a difference (for the better) in our lives.
Regards,
Les Nicholson

My reports have been responsible for more than a few builders buying back the pieces of dung they try to pass off on my clients. Nothing pleases me quite this much. OK, maybe the thought of it accompanied by a nice Napa cabernet. . .

Aaron