

I have been having so much fun with Perfection Inspection’s fan page and my picture challenge I decided to branch out and have it help me get some Google juice.
The idea is: I post a picture, thermal/infrared or interesting visual picture that I capture on a recent home inspection.
Then you guess what the picture is.
Now enough with the legal disclosures and on the the challenge:
What is it?
The state of Oregon has a regulation system for home inspectors and home inspections (check out the Oregon State Standards of Practice for Home Inspections). These regulations have created minimum levels of competency and insurance and this has been a very good thing for consumers.
In some states it is still possible to hire a home inspector that has no more training than to buy a flash light and a screw driver. There will be good home inspectors in most areas but weeding through the new screwdriver/flashlight business owners can be more challenging.
My number one source of business is referrals. I dearly appreciate the agents that are willing to put their good names and the safety of their clients in my hands. This level of trust is not taken lightly. Local Real estate can be a very small community and inspectors that make a habit of providing less than the absolute best can get known for that.
If you are shopping for a home inspector start with the real estate agents. State licensing is a good start but the reality of day in and day out performance will only be realized on the ground an in the community.
It just makes sense for a person that does not work in the field of real estate to trust a good advisor. A good agent is much more than a creature that can open a door for you.
Probably the number one thing a home buyer/seller can do to ensure a trouble-free transaction is to- find a great agent. Through education, training, and plain old feet on the ground experience a good agent can help advise a home buyer/seller on every phase of a transaction.
Finding a good agent is not always easy. It will take time so start early. I spent about two years doing home inspections before I found a referral base that I felt really good about. Agents that cared about their clients more than the deal. Agents that realized that their job was that of an advisor and not a warm body to open a door. Two years of total immersion it took for me to find those agents. Most people don’t have two years to spend on the task of meeting an agent but a little more reasearch than calling the phone number on the sign should be considered.
First place to start is your circle of influence. Most adults have had experiences with agents. Ask local people like your doctor, repair contractor, and friends and neighbors. Get a few names of some good agents and then hit the web. Many good agents have blogs and a Google search for local agent blogs can turn up a lot of useful information.
The beautiful thing about an agent’s blog is that you can get to know that person before you actually meet! Face to face interaction is great but some times it can be difficult to get to know someone by having a few minutes if conversation in their office.
Google Docs people!!
My little garden of irritation for Windows products has been growing and thriving lately. I guess anything that you rely on day-in and day-out will let you down now and then. I don’t really have any experience with anything else, but I have heard some wonderful things……
One of the fantastic little products that I have started using is Google Docs. …Um, can you say, “suck-it ms Word?” Not only does G.Docs work every time, it is on-line so that there are no formatting issues when I cut and paste a blog that I have written and to which pictures have been added. Did you read that last part? Yeah, things just cut-and-paste like you think they should, weird huh?
It is important that you take warning from this post. As of today there are about 10 previously written blog posts on my computer that are locked in a bizarre ms Word purgatory. I can only partially open them and I cannot highlight to cut-and-paste. For me, there is little hope. But for all of you that read this, please do something today. Put down that widows pacifier and try the solutions that were created for the people!!
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
I think I may have an addiction. I hear admitting it is the first step to recovery.
I first realized I had an issue when I recently posted a blog about Home Inspections in Salem, Oregon and saw my standing in my town go from 10th to 9th. A few more blogs and a lot more time spent learning from others and commenting on their fantastic thoughts and ideas and I have moved up to 6th.
I am constantly thinking about SEO and how I can improve Perfection Inspection Inc’s web presence. I spend time at night brainstorming blog subjects that might be interesting for other people.
I am now starting to think about the copyrighting my blogs and other things I never thought would be concern me.
Yes I have a problem, but I feel that this network just might be the support group that will help me.