Thread: Stumbled upon this gem / How Do You Really Feel About Realtors

Hey Fellas,
I've been in the field for the past 4 years and have recently launched my own HI business here in New England, but have just today stumbled upon this site.
My introduction to what I call the built environment was actually as an Architectural Historian. Over the past 4 or 5 years I've expanded my study of the built environment to include contemporary buildings as well. So, having returned to New England, I've united my Home Inspection business with my Historic Preservation training and experience. I've only been in business here for about 9 months but things are slowly building. Feel free to check out my website.
This brings me to a general marketing question for new and experienced HI alike, (one that I'm sure has never been tabled here before [wink, wink]). What value do you place on relationship-building with local realtors? I'll reply with my own comments a bit later but I wanted to see what you'd say first.
Great site. A tad overwhelming at first glance but seems like a source that can live up to its slogan.

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Hi Todd, Welcome!
I looked at your website, and you indicated you are an active member of ASHI, but I couldn't find you listed on the ASHI site. You may want to check with them .

As far as Realtors go...........here is my opinion, and experience.
There are a lot of ethical professionals in the Real Estate profession. I know several, and they send me a lot of business.

There are also a lot of unethical Realtors in the Real Estate business. I steer clear of them.

There are several Realtors in my market that go out of their way to discourage people from using me. We have either crossed paths before, or they are friends with a Realtor that has me on their HATE list.

When I first started out (in 1989), I relied on Realtors to send business my way. The longer I was in business the less my referrals came from Realtors. They started coming from my past clients.

Of course back then, there wasn't much in the way of web sites or internet marketing. I printed flyers and put them in RE offices. It was harder to market to home buyers then.

Now days, at least in the Knoxville, TN area, most Realtors give their clients a "list" of home inspectors. While I do get some direct orders from Realtors, its a very small part of my business. I guess that less than 10% of my business comes from Realtor referrals.

While there is a lot of dialog bantered about here on IN about the Realtor devils, I have found they are not all that common (at least in my area). I can count on one hand how many times a Realtor actually asked me to compromise my inspection/report to "make the sale go thru".

That said, I know several inspectors that go out of their way to do "soft" inspectors to try to gain favor with (the less than ethical) Realtors. I have a lot less respect for those inspectors than I do for the Realtors. There is one in Knoxville that has the reputation (from ethical Realtors and Inspectors alike) as being an idiot.

I see nothing wrong with developing relationships with Realtors, as long as you don't compromise your ethical standards and responsibility to your clients. Just keep them at arms length, especially until you know what kind of person they are. But that can be said for any business relationship.

Good luck.

Jack. . .he's an ASHI Associate Member

Todd didn't come up on my search. The Find an inspector sometimes misses members.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

Todd didn't come up on my search. The Find an inspector sometimes misses members.

J.F.:

I don't recall ever finding a candidate or associate member on the "find an inspector" search features, by name, state, or metro area.

He's listed under associate/candidate members with web presence under Mass. Massachusetts Associate Search | ASHI, American Society of Home Inspectors


Todd Goff,

Welcome.

There's a great search feature here, and hundreds of posts. Some under chit chat, some under association ethics category, some under business operations, and more than a few other topic discussions have devolved into discussions on same. More than a few topics making mention of marketing, open houses, etc. and Agents & Brokers.

One thing to be sure, not all Real Estate Agents or Brokers are "Realtors(R)". Realtors are members of a particular organization - it is not necessarily required to be a "Realtor" to be a licensed real estate agent or broker. IOW, Real Estate Agent or Broker does not mean one is a "Realtor", or for that matter a "realtor associate".

I have no opinion one way or the other comparing a non-"Realtor" with a Realtor, the professional association makes no differance one way or the other with regards to my personal opinion of a particular real estate professional's integrity, ethical performance, effective or non-effective representation of their client's actual interests in their agency performance in prospective real estate transactions, marketing, communications, etc..

Like any field, service, performance/commission dependant - there are "the good, the bad, and the ugly" on many levels.

This brings me to a general marketing question for new and experienced HI alike, (one that I'm sure has never been tabled here before [wink, wink]). What value do you place on relationship-building with local realtors?

I don’t know what Todd is inferring with the <[wink, wink]>????????

When I first meet the salespeople at the property I have been hired to inspect I find them friendly and pleasant.

I am always friendly and pleasant and sometimes have to state that I am not a mercenary hired by the buyer to leverage concessions for him. I sometimes state that “I serve only one master –THE TRUTH.”

I rarely receive a cordial adieu from the salespeople as they see me as a threat to their commissions and at a minimum create a situation that will require them to earn their commissions. IT IS A RARE SALESPERSON WHO LIKES A THOROUGH AND COMPETENT INSPECTOR. I am proud of my integrity.

The laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts forbid solicitations from and to salespeople, unless they are hired by the buyer (i.e. a genuine Buyer’s Broker).
I rarely meet a buyer’s broker. The good cop broker calls himself the buyer’s agent to differentiate himself from the bad cop (the listing or selling agent) However, in the good old days there was more honesty and the so called buyer’s broker was referred to as the CO-BROKER. (not a mellifluous title) In fact, the co-broker is just a sub-agent of the listing broker and the property seller. There’s quite a bit of Taurean Scatology about dual agency but you can’t expect anyone to serve 2 masters.

So you won’t find me schmoozing with salespeople. Never have; never will and it’s not because I’m afraid that the home inspector licensing board will start enforcing the law but because of integrity. I have been threatened many times to be black listed by real estate people and it does not bother me.

I am not sure why you are so concerned about RE agents because all you have to do is perform the same unbiased inspection each time regardless of who hired you. It is that simple!