By: Sean Struckmeyer | Tech Inspect Home Services
Did you know that there is a new type of Home Inspector?
Have you had a home inspection in the past, where the inspector did the inspection handed you’re a checklist or word document and left never to be heard from again? Maybe you got a brief hand-off with a lot of information that left your head spinning? And that was it, no advice on next steps other than to contact a contractor? Did that leave you a little wanting? That’s why here at Tech Inspect, I’m not just an Inspector but your Home Consultant! A new breed of home inspector, who provides long term support and more value. When choosing a home inspector, you should really choose a home consultant.
Home Consultant: The Future
What is a Home Consultant? – Simply put, a Home Consultant supports AND advises you – the Homeowner. The Home Consultant is another partner, providing support to you during the home buying process.
I know when you hear the term consultant, you probably think of the ‘Bobs’ from Office Space, but don’t worry, I’m not that kind of consultant!
A Home Consultant goes beyond simply identifying defects, we choose to serve and support our clients as a trusted advisor and strategist. Rather than just ticking off what’s wrong, a home consultant helps clients interpret what matters most, assess renovation bids, plan maintenance or upgrades, and make smart decisions around energyefficiency and longterm cost savings. I carry no financial interest in contractor sales or repairs, and provide unbiased guidance backed by inspection tools and real-world experience.
We support you during and after the inspection, providing on-going advisory support. Have questions? Contact us, we’ll answer. If you don’t understand something, we’ll follow up with you, weeks, months, years later to answer any questions, we’re just a call, text or email away.
Why am I going above and beyond? Won’t that take more time?
You may already be asking, “How can you do this and run an inspection business?” “Won’t that take more time?”, Yes It will take more time, however, I believe my clients deserve more and I want to serve and provide world-class service and support for you. I’m local and willing to provide that support, to be the person you call for answers to better understand what’s going on with your home. It’s the type of support I wish I had. Information and education is the key to having a healthy home that you can enjoy.
How a Home Consultant Acts Differently
| Traditional Inspector | Home Consultant |
|---|---|
| Reports issues, Identifying General Defects, and Safety Concerns | Explain the causes, consequences, and homeowner goals along with tips for long-term management, solutions, and prioritization. |
| Delivery = standardized checklist | Delivery = modern reports, a guided walkthrough, annotated visuals and decision-support |
| What (issue) → out of scope | Why (impact and context matters), plus define next steps, and if it’s beyond scope of the home inspection, what are the options. |
A home is an interconnected system, not a collection of individual parts. Every component, roofing, walls, insulation, ducts, ventilation, plumbing, HVAC, landscaping, and how you live in the home, impacts every other component. Fix or do something to one part? It affects the whole. This approach is central to whole house building science, and what we try to explain and educate on through our inspections.
How do we provide consultation support for our clients?
1) What Matters to You: We care about what matters to you. One of the first questions I’m going to ask is, do you have any specific concerns? You’ve already been in the home and maybe spotted something that you weren’t sure about, or maybe you’ve had a bad experience with something in your current house that you’d care not to repeat. I want to understand those concerns, so that I can pay extra attention to that specific system, take plenty of notes, document it thoroughly and give you all the information you need to support the decision-making process.
2) The Inspection Itself: I deliver, thorough, quality inspections and after inspection support.
- We invite you to join us in the last 30 minutes of the inspection, so we can show and tell not only the report but also look at the issues together. This enables me to explain the issue in person why it’s a problem and give us a better chance to discuss potential solutions and go over where it is in the report for future reference.
- Can’t make the inspection window for a report out? I’ll schedule a phone call or zoom call so we can present the report.
- Have a question some months after you move in? Give me a call, I’m happy to advise and consult.
3) Inspection Report: Our inspection report has a multitude of benefits. This is not just a word document, but a mobile friendly, web-based report full of high-quality pictures, videos, diagrams, descriptions and more. It’s much easier to read and consume.
- You can read more about our inspection reports with the following blog posts:
4) Advocate: I work for you, I can provide you with information, facts, data and documentation to support any claims. Dealing with insurance on storm damage, I can help give you the needed information to support your claim.
5) Educate: I don’t simply state that something is a problem but provide context about WHY it’s a problem. My reports come standard with diagrams and explanations as to how systems and components work together, so that you have that refence material as a backdrop for any defects we find. This is intended to arm you with more information, for when you engage with contractors, you can ask questions with understanding.
- At the bottom of the report are some seasonal maintenance tips and we include the InterNACHI life expectancy chart as a guide to plan for future repairs / replacement or upgrades of various components.
6) Repair Options: To the best of my ability, we try to include in our recommendations what could be done to repair an issue. So instead of just saying, contact a contractor, we include what exactly you should be contacting them to assess.
- For some common defects, I call out how easy it is to fix them, and when possible, provide links to articles in the report on how to fix them.
7) Recommended Contractors: We provide a list of local contractors that can help support you. Rather than leaving you to go research and find someone, we’ve provided a list of contractors right in the report.
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8) Time and Budget: I understand the constraints of time and budget and can help you prioritize fixing things. I have plenty of personal experience with this and determining what’s important, what can wait and what needs to be fixed now. I choose to live in reality and understand that not all defects are created equal or that the budget and time may not allow for things to be fixed quickly, and that you may be feeling overwhelmed by the number of things I found. That doesn’t mean I can’t consult and provide guidance as to where on the scale of impact and urgency, things fall.
- I can help map out a plan of action, houses are built from the foundation up, some fixes will require a staged approach. My project management experience can help break down complex issues into smaller bite size chunks that fit your time, budget and goals.
9) I Continually invest in Myself: Continuing education ensures that I’m current on building standards and new technologies and I invest continually invest in more and better tools to serve you.
10) Annual Home Maintenance Inspections: Part of our services is to offer an annual home maintenance inspection. Want to keep your home in tip top shape and stay ahead of repairs? Have me inspect it annually, so you have an updated report on the condition of the home to support repair and upgrade decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Does this service make the inspection take longer? No, our inspections still take 3-4 hours to complete. The enhanced support happens first during the walk through, second through the report and over-time, after the inspection.
Does this increase the cost of a home inspection? No, our rates are still competitive, but you receive the extra value. Check out our instant quote tool for current inspection costs.
How should you choose a home inspector? You should look for a home inspector who is InterNACHI certified and state licensed, as applicable and who chooses to serve their clients beyond the inspection.
To Wrap Up:
Hopefully, I’ve successfully painted the picture that, with Tech Inspect, you’re not getting the same old home inspector and the same old home inspection. That I’m on a mission to set a new standard and that my mission is to serve, support and provide consultation to you, about the largest financial investment you’ll make. Remember, I’m not just a Home Inspector but a Home Consultant!