Thread: Slow Start to the Month

I've only got three inspections this week and the phones are mighty quiet. I think the recent changes in the lending industry have put a big crimp on the ability of people with marginal credit to buy a house. If it weren't for repeat customers, I'd only have one job for the week. EEEEKK!!!!

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happens most years with labor day / Back to school. JG

Every year. Bad for the wallet, good for the golf handicap! What did they expect giveing 100 percent loans to illegal aliens.

Its seems here lately, its feast or famine.

Steak or hot dogs.

Take out or left overs.

Rick

I think the number has slowed but the price range of homes I'm inspecting has gone up. I only have three homes this week but I will bill over $4,000 for the week. All are large homes. Next week is shaping up to be about the same.

Only the strong buyers and those that need to move are buying homes now.

Have to agree with you Scott.

The inspections on the smaller homes have come to a halt it seems.

Everything we have done lately is like 4K sq/ft. and up. I prefer the bigger homes anyway. Bigger money and not as many clients to deal with.

Man, it's dead here. First time in probably 7-8 years. Currently, I am enjoying it. I get time to sit on my deck and work in my yard. Something I rarely get to do when it isn't cold and rainy.

Nick;

I've got someone looking for an inspection on a 1 story commercial building in Reading PA.

If you go there and are interested, e-mail me @ DMiller514@aol.com


Darren

New Jersey Home Inspection - About the House!

Sounds good Darren. Reading is part of my coverage area. I'll shoot you an e-mail.

I have to agree with the other posters. I inspected four houses this month and billed $5000.00. Seems to be the current trend.

It has really slowed here after a real good spring and summer.
For all you young people out there save your pennies! Some of you have been living in boom states or are too young and do not no what a slow down/recession is. We are past due. Last one here was in 1990 and it was not pretty. Every one I have seen started with housing slowdown and the ripple effect in jobs etc. The past ones I have seen have lasted 2-3 years.
Wish all well. There is always Burger King!

Originally Posted by David Banks

It has really slowed here after a real good spring and summer.
For all you young people out there save your pennies! Some of you have been living in boom states or are too young and do not no what a slow down/recession is. We are past due. Last one here was in 1990 and it was not pretty. Every one I have seen started with housing slowdown and the ripple effect in jobs etc. The past ones I have seen have lasted 2-3 years.
Wish all well. There is always Burger King!

BK might be OK but I would go for Starbucks! Starbucks has great benifits. even for part timers. I know one inspector who has worked at Starbucks for several years simply for the health in$urance benifits.

Scott forgot to post this.

www.starbucks.com/aboutus/application.pdf

Originally Posted by James Duffin

I have to agree with the other posters. I inspected four houses this month and billed $5000.00. Seems to be the current trend.

I did a double take - thought for a minute Jerry was back in business - but, thats less than he charged!!

Phones are super slow right now. I did manage 5 inspections last week and 6 the week before but the phones were very quiet last week and website hits are almost non-existant today. How is everybody else doing?

Nick,

I think it is slow everywhere right now. Some areas may not be but overall I think the housing market is down nationwide.

Last week I even called my own number to make sure the phone was ringing and to knock the dust off of it. LOL

I'm so sick of dealing with the foreclosure homes. None have utilities on and its seems that is all anyone is looking at right now.

There is going to be some good deals around here before long on some HUMMERS these agents are driving around with the ad wraps on them.

rick

Gotcha Rick.

Does anybody else notice this is the time of year where more phone solicitations roll in asking you to advertise or buy into a marketing program? Got a call for the Merchandiser Magazine this morning (NO) and a call from the Yellow Page a few weeks ago which I decided to give a shot. I got a call a couple weeks ago from a RE agent offering me the chance to join their office based marketing program and be on their select list of preferred companies. Hmmmmmm. Let me think about tha.............NO!!!!!!!

Thats funny you bring that up Nick. Have had 2 of those marketing people call me today. Referred by the top agents in the office, which I've never heard from or of.

I have had bunches of people soliciting me for advertising, folders for RE offices, phone books, phone book covers, etc. Glad I have already tried my share of stuff like that and got my stupid tax paid up.
It has been slow, but I am still getting a trickle of business.
The one I did this morning has been on the market for over 11 months, an investor bought it, but it was in pretty good shape except for the grow room somebody made inside an attic space. Lights, carpet, shelves, even disconnected the a/c duct so they could keep it cool.

Scott, this may be none of my business, but what do you consider a "large" home??

The last two weeks were very slow for us. I was able to get a huge amount of work done around the house though.

This week the phones have gone crazy (Monday), so who knows. I will probably still finish this month a little below lasts years Sept. total. I don't worry too much about it.

I put it to the heat, school back in, the heat, bad news on the TV (doom and gloom), and of course the heat.

JF

Jim,

Was the house with the grow room over in Rowlett by chance? I saw one over there a few months ago on a house that had been vacant for awhile I believe. They even left the fertilizer for the weed in the garage.

rick

Nah, this was up in Frisco. House was one of those big suckers (at least for my taste). This had to be an amateur though, just regular bulbs, not even grow lights.

I am finally starting to slow down here. I can actually use a little break. It's Been a hot muggy summer. I think that the bottom is getting ready to drop again down here. People have been watching interest rates and home prices which are just beginning to fall.
I have alway put money aside for the slow times and this allows me to have some fun like travel to away football games or hit a little NASCAR.

James. Fill out your profile. Where are you from?

Well Nick, did it work? Did the phone start to ring? You are a little supersticious arent you.

I keep hearing that it is slow here, but it has not been too bad for me. I will end up with 37 for sept, which is on the high end of avg for sept. I am on track for my best year in the 6 yrs I have been doing this. I think it has slowed considerably, but I have done a good job of staying in touch with my past clients. As I have said in the past, this works well. If you keep your name out there with satisfied clients and ask for there referals, they will come through for you.

It's been off and on here.... mostly off.... I'm with Rick - I called my phone to make sure it still works. An average week is 25.... this time of year maybe 20... a couple weeks ago we did 7..... yikes. This week is somewhat back to normal. It is overall slow though.... I can't imagine what new guys are doing. We've been around for 20 years and can barely stay busy.

Matt,

Just in case, I've been standing in front of a mirror saying things like:

Would you like fries with that?

What pump are you on?

Did you want de-caf on that cafe mocha frappachino?

Sure can, let me grab the keys and we'll take it out for a test drive.

Our blue light special today folks is....

Price check on 20 count Maxi-pads.

Lady, we don't have to porch the paper anymore.

Girls, Girls, please be gentle.

Or Its a Beautiful day, thanks for calling Remax. (It'll be a cold day in hell)

Rick

No luck Frank. Looks like I need a different rabbit's foot. For this week, I have zero inspections and only about 5 inquiries total. I rank on the first page of Google and Yahoo for most of the major keyword searches in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia but the phone is on life support this week. Seems the work volume is very regional with some of you guys staying busy while some of us are staring at the walls.

MATT SAID:

It's been off and on here.... mostly off.... I'm with Rick - I called my phone to make sure it still works. An average week is 25.... this time of year maybe 20... a couple weeks ago we did 7..... yikes. This week is somewhat back to normal. It is overall slow though.... I can't imagine what new guys are doing. We've been around for 20 years and can barely stay busy.

I was starting to think I was the only one not working much around here. The past few weeks were dead with more days off than on for me. Luckily, this week and next week are pretty full again..... hope things are picking up for everyone else.

If you really want to know slow. Try being new to the business again.
Too blessed to be depressed and to broke to know any different.

I am new to the business. Still trying to get my name out there. I've been very slow and it does get depressing.

But, at least I don't have a boss!

Good way to get your name out there 57plymouth!
Welcome.

How about now? I use the same username on all message forums. It's easy to keep them straight that way.

Originally Posted by 57plymouth

How about now? I use the same username on all message forums. It's easy to keep them straight that way.

HERE ... we all use our real names.

Keeps THIS BOARD straight and you know who you are talking to.

Click on the 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of these pages and send your request to Brian - I am sure he will change your user name to your real name. It will be painless and then you will be like the rest of us - a real person with a real name.

Request sent. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Hope I didn't.

Originally Posted by 57plymouth

I am new to the business. Still trying to get my name out there. I've been very slow and it does get depressing.

What I believe Rick was trying to say is that 'if you are trying to get your name out there, what are you not using *your name* here and other places?'

You will never be able to get your name out there is you do not use it.

Reminds me of businesses which do not advertise, then advertise that they are 'Going of out Business' because business was so poor. If advertising was considered 'not effective', why use it when going of business, and, if advertising is considered 'effective' when going out of business, why not use it before you get to that point?

"I didn't mean to offend anyone. Hope I didn't."

Nope. Not here.

I agree on the advertising. As I said, I didn't mean to offend anyone. I have been using the 57plymouth screen name on so many boards, it's just second nature to log in that way.

I try to advertise as much as my budget allows. I have been using several newspapers in my area. One was a real bust! I have been in it every week for six months, and every month I get a call from the same phone book company asking me to advertise with them. Since I have a contract with that phone book, you would think they would check their records before calling.

Some of the best advertising I have done was to have my two cars lettered with the Cooper Home Inspection info. Even though one is my wife's daily driver, we still get calls off the car being sighted around town. Since I paid less than $100 to get both cars done, and one is a magnetic sign I can move to the next car, it was money well spent. If you have to drive anyway, why not use it to your advantage?

Originally Posted by Barney Cheeseman

We are in South Western Utah and have not had a call in the past month. The housing market here is mostly middle income and it is in the dumpster. Lot of short sales.
Looks like we are not alone. Maybe it will be better for everyone next year.

Barney

Hello Barney. I recommend you study up as much as possible on how to market yourself better in slow times. For example I saw your post in the Electrical section, it sends the wrong message to anyone lurking here. You are not dead in the water, you are "going pretty steady, but we can always juggle the schedule to fit you in. Just give us a time that's good for you".

Maybe Rick H has some good opening lines for you to practice. See post #28.

I advise you to delete that other thing with your name on it.