Plainfield, IN

I receive a lot of emails and phone calls asking me the secret to my success in such a relatively short amount of time. While I am flattered to actually be recognized as being successful, it gets to be a somewhat daunting task of answering all of the emails and voice mails I receive. I decided to write this blog to give some tips and pointers to those who are interested in entering the home inspection field. While I will not divulge all of my secrets entirely, I will spell out in detail how to get started and some of the ideas that have worked well for me personally. Please keep in mind that home inspections are area specific and what might work in one part of the country may not work so well in other parts. Also please realize that the following is solely based on my opinion and experience in the home inspection field.

First off I will say upfront, that if you are thinking that home inspections are an easy way to make money, you really should give it some more thought. While you can make good money by becoming a home inspector, the task is not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. You should be prepared to work long, hard hours. 12-14 hours a day is not uncommon in this field. Dirty, wet and spider infested crawlspaces, 120 degree attics and many other assorted hazards are also a part of everyday life as a home inspector. It is not a profession for the faint of heart. Also you will need to remember that you are much more than just a home inspector. You are your own customer service representative, marketing representative, bookkeeper, webmaster, phone operator, educator etc. There are many things to consider prior to entering this field. Make sure you have the time, energy and willpower to accomplish the goals you set out to acheive. Okay, now let's get to the meat of how to become an inspector.

1) First and foremost you need to check with your states licensing agency to see if your state requires home inspectors to be licensed. Many states have adopted rules and regulations on becoming a home inspector and you need to be aware of what your state actually requires. While not every state requires licensing, we will assume that it will for the remainder of this blog.

2) All of your previous construction, building or engineering experience will help, but it will not give you a free ride to entering the home inspection business. You will need to become certified. In order to become certified in most states you are required to have a minimum of 60-90 hours of training by a qualified school. Some areas have local home inspection training in a classroom/field environment. There are also many reputable online courses you can take to become certified. Again you will need to do your homework in finding out if your city has a local school that offers home inspection training. If it does not, then I would suggest an online course such as PHII www.homeinspectioninstitute.com.

3) Once you have successfully passed all of your training and become certified, you will need to take the NHIE. National Home Inspector Exam. This is typically a 200 question exam that you will need to pass in order to become licensed. Information on where and when you can take this test can be found here http://www.homeinspectionexam.org/.

4) Once you have passed your training and the NHIE, the next step is obtaining insurance. In most states the minimum requirement is general liability insurance. You need to provide proof of insurance before you can obtain your state license. A typical liability policy should run you somewhere around 550.00 a year. While not required, it is a very smart idea to also obtain an E&O (Errors and omissions) policy as well as the general liability policy. The E&O will help protect you in the event that you miss something big during an inspection. It is a bit pricey, but well worth it in my opinion. It is a heck of a lot cheaper than if you didn't have it and you wind up getting sued for missing something that you should have found during an inspection. Be prepared to shell out somewhere around 2500.00 a year for a decent E&O policy.

5) Now you are certified, passed the NHIE and you are insured. You can now obtain your license. Here in Indiana for instance, the fee for obtaining a home inspector license is 400.00 every two years. You must provide the licensing agency with your school certification, the NHIE certification and your insurance binders. Pay the applicable fee and get your license.

6) Now you need to think about the tools you will need for your business. You just can't show up to your first inspection with a flashlight and a screwdriver and expect to be taken seriously. First you need a truck. Yes I said a truck. If you show up to your first inspection in a Hyundai Sonata with a ladder strapped to the roof, you will not likely be seen as being very professional. You need a truck and you need to keep it clean at all times. A professional appearance is everything in this business. Along with a clean vehicle, you also need to be wearing clean clothes. I know it sounds funny and cliché, but imagine how you would feel being the client and your inspector shows up in a rusted out old beat up pick up and he climbs out of it wearing dirty raggedy clothes. It is a good idea to have some "work shirts" made up with your business name and slogan on them. I personally recommend www.universityfashions.com . Now I am not saying that you should wear a suit and tie to your inspections. You can however look very professional in some clean jeans, work boots and a polo shirt with your business name on them. Some home inspectors will wear khakis and polo shirt, but trust me, jeans are fine, especially when you are crawling around on your hands and knees in a 12 inch crawlspace all day.

7) Next you need to think about the basic tools you will need. The obvious things that come to mind are a ladder (6 foot step ladder as well as an extension ladder), flashlights (you can never have too many of these. I highly recommend the LED flashlights), assortment of screwdrivers, a small ratchet socket set, moisture meter, receptacle and GFCI tester, fire stick, respirator, and a digital camera. These things will at least get you started. You will most likely pick up many more tools the longer you are in business.

8) You also need to think about a logo design for your business. There are many places to have a logo design custom made. You will need to do your homework in locating the right one at the right price for you.

9) Next comes the promotional material. Business cards, flyers, brochures, pens, magnets etc. I highly recommend www.vistaprint.com for all of your promotional needs.

10) Now you need to think about what kind of reporting software you are going to use. Back in the stone age inspectors used to use 3 piece carbon paper and had hand written reports. These days that kind of reporting just will not fly. Real estate agents and buyers alike will want and expect to receive your reports electronically via email. This means you will need reporting software that you can easily transfer to a PDF file. There are many inspection software programs available. My advice is not to be taken in by all of the claims these manufacturers make. Many of them all do pretty much the same thing. You can expect to pay anywhere from 200.00 upwards to 1000.00 for some of this software. Personally I use PI reports www.bestvaluereports.com. Believe it or not it is only 50.00 and is so easy to use, it is ridiculous. It is also the easiest report in the industry for your client to understand. It has no confusing legends or acronyms built in that so many of the other much higher priced software use. I have literally received hundreds of compliments on my report, why? Because anyone can look at it and understand it. Your client will appreciate it, I promise.

Okay so now you are certified, licensed and insured, you have the truck, the clothes, the tools and the reporting software. Now you can begin doing home inspections. But where is your business going to come from? Obviously you can't just sit at home and expect your phone to start ringing with inspection calls, so what do you do? For years and years since Moses was a child, home inspectors have been under the impression that the only way to get business is by wooing real estate agents. Travelling from office to office passing out business cards and flyers, trying to convince the agents that they are the best home inspector on the face of the planet, some inspectors will even bring in lunch and little Hershey kisses trying to butter up the real estate agents in the hopes that they will get a referral or better yet, the grand prize of them all, by getting on one the real estate agents "preferred list of home inspectors" that they hand out to their clients. I am here to tell you right now that you do not need to do this. I am living proof that you do not need to compromise your integrity by succumbing to this pre-historic way of marketing yourself. Not to mention the incredible waste of precious time, money and energy involved in doing this. I talk to agents all the time concerning this subject and the response I get from them is almost unanimous. It honestly makes most agents sick to their stomach watching these grown men grovel, beg and suck up to them by using childish bribes like candy or lunch in hopes of receiving a referral. Not to mention the serious conflict of interest it poses. Nope, this business is just like any other business. You have to pay your dues the old fashioned way. HARD WORK.

I am giving you the straightforward truth here in saying that there are not too many real estate agents in this country that will take a chance on a brand new inspector, it just doesn't happen that way. You can bribe them all you want, it will do you no good. Most agents (unless they are new also) have been using the same old inspector for years and simply will not jeopardize any of their deals by trying out a new inspector. Get VERY used to that idea while in your first year of business. It will make you absolutely livid that no one will try you out. After all, you worked so hard to get this far, you have the ability, knowledge and tools needed to perform, but no one will even give you the time of day. So what do you do?

When first starting out, try marketing yourself directly to the consumer instead. Bypass the real estate agents all together and go directly to the home buyer. You will save yourself a great deal of grief and blood pressure medicine by not playing the ancient "suck up" game. So how do you market directly to the consumer? Without question your number one source to reach the consumer is the Internet. 87% of all home buyers look to the internet first when selecting an agent and or inspector. Place all that precious time you would be wasting in driving from office to office into building yourself a website. I recommend www.godaddy.com. I pay only 100.00 a year for a 10 page website and created it myself. You really do not need as much technical training as you might think. Go daddy makes it very easy for anyone to create a website. Your website is your meal ticket, I promise. Learn as much as you can about building and optimizing your website in your first year. Your second year will be well worth it. Also take advantage of all of the free classified advertising on the Internet. Places like Active rain, Craigslist, Kijiji, Topix and Olx are excellent mediums to get your business and website established. My website was only up for a week before the calls started coming in. Like it or not, the Internet is where it's at, and if you are going to succeed in starting any business, you need to have a solid Internet presence. I also recommend becoming a member of the Better Business Bureau as soon as you can join (typically 6 months to a year of being in business) as well as your local Chamber of Commerce. Both of these organizations are well known to everyone and will provide you with many networking opportunities with real people in the communities they serve.

Another thing to consider is how much you are going to charge for your services. Make sure that you have a set fee structure for all of your services before the phone starts ringing. When I first started out, I went to every home inspection company in Indianapolis and found out how much they charged. I wrote everything down, studied and studied and then placed myself strategically smack dab in the middle of all of them. You do not want to be the lowest priced inspector on the block, nor do you want to be the highest priced. Too low and they will wonder why? Too high and they will think you are just out to rip them off. Other inspectors hate to hear me say this, but like it or not it is a fact. If you want to put food on your table, you need to price yourself according to your competition and not by how good you think you are.

Now it is really all up to you. You control your own destiny. Obviously all of the above fore mentioned will do you no good if you do not do a good job. You need to be a people person (whether you really are or not), you need to be professional, in your speaking, report writing and your actions. Be honest and straightforward with your findings during an inspection. (Do NOT be afraid that if you call something out that the agent involved will never use you again). Most importantly you need to be thorough. If it takes you 5 hours to do an inspection, let it take you 5 hours. Customers like and appreciate thoroughness. Customers also like conversation. Ask them about their kids, jobs etc. Take a genuine interest in your client. After all, they are paying you good money to inspect their future home. That's a pretty big deal in most people's book. Inspect their home as if you were inspecting it for yourself or a family member. You will notice over time that by doing so will pay big dividends in the end. You will start noticing that you will be getting referrals to your past clients family members, friends and coworkers who are buying a home. You will even start noticing a few calls from real estate agents who have heard about your work from your client and are impressed with your personable, professional and thorough self. It will take some time before this happens however. Be realistic in your expectations. When you first start out, do not expect to get 5 inspections a week. You will be lucky to get that in your first month. It is a very slow process, like starting any other business. It takes lots of patience, common sense and hard work. You have to beat out your competition by providing superior work and customer service. You have to give people something that they are not used to or do not expect from a home inspector. Word will spread like wildfire after your first year in business and if you do it right, and handle yourself right, you will be a successful home inspector. Good luck.

What is factoring?

Factoring is the purchase of your accounts receivable (invoices) in order to provide you with the cash flow you need. Factoring is a widely accepted financing option used by companies of all size.

How long before I can receive funding?

Typically within 24 hours of receiving your company's information, we'll issue you a proposal. Upon acceptance, we conclude our due diligence and complete documentation. Funding can happen as early as within a few days of initial contact with your company. Ongoing, it is common to fund within 24 hours of your invoice submission to fairydust lending

Do I need to sell or factor all of my invoices? No. Depending on the amount of additional cash flow you require, you decide which invoices we factor from your company. Our service allows you flexibility while providing your company with the cash flow it needs to thrive.

How will I know the status of my factored invoices? We have an on-line service that allows you access to your account and reports any time you wish. Additionally, you will be assigned a Client Service Representative, who will be your contact for any questions you may have throughout your relationship with us.

Is factoring a recent financing option? Factoring has been around for centuries. It's one of the oldest types of financing, first seen in the United States in the garment and textile industries. Today however, factoring is a funding solution for companies in all industries.

How does factoring differ from bank financing? Factoring is faster and less complicated than bank financing. Factoring companies make decisions based primarily on the credit worthiness of your customers, while a bank's credit decisions rely mainly on your company's financial history, cash flow, and collateral. We fund quickly, often within days of receiving an application, when banks generally take weeks or months. In addition, when you factor your accounts receivable, your company incurs no debt, as there is no interest to pay or principal to repay. Factoring can also help companies that banks traditionally shy away from, such as start-ups, companies with tax liens, or even companies in bankruptcy.

Why would a business sell its accounts receivable? Businesses with cash flow problems cannot wait 30 to 60 days or more for payment on their invoices. They need immediate cash to meet the financial obligations of their companies. Factoring provides this cash to businesses through the purchase of accounts receivable.

Which companies benefit the most from factoring their invoices? Factoring is a good fit for many companies for a variety of reasons. Start-ups and high-growth businesses need cash from factoring to help fuel their growth. Companies who have suppliers to pay or service-based companies with high payroll and payroll taxes use factoring to assure they can meet their financial obligations.

Who makes a good factoring client? Companies who sell a product or service to commercial or government entities and need cash fast to make payroll, payroll taxes, pay suppliers, or fulfill other financial obligations make excellent factoring clients.

How will our customer be treated by fairydust lending? We respect the relationships you have developed with your customers. We understand they are the backbone of your business and treat them with the highest level of courtesy and professionalism.

What is the major benefit of factoring? You receive cash immediately from your invoices instead of waiting 30, 60 days or more for your customers to pay. It is as if you have COD terms with your customers. You receive our collection and credit expertise, while enjoying increased cash flow. You can then concentrate on running and growing your core business.

What does factoring cost? Rates are based on the amount your company factors and how long it takes your customers to pay. We are happy to provide you with a QUICK QUOTE if you give us a bit of information regarding your business.

Is factoring a type of loan? No. Factoring is not a loan. It is the purchase of an asset, your accounts receivable. While approval of a bank loan considers all of your company’s assets as well as your financial history and balance sheet, a factor relies mainly on the credit worthiness of your customers. Factoring is often the ideal solution for businesses with poor financial histories, little or no track records, or weak balance sheets.

What type of invoices can my business factor? You can factor almost any valid invoice for a service or product that’s been delivered to and accepted by your creditworthy commercial customer.

How much cash will I receive from factoring? We can advance you up to 90% of your receivables immediately. The balance (less our fees) is released to you upon payment of your invoices.

Does it matter if my company has a bankruptcy, bad credit, poor financials, or other derogatory information? As we base our financing decisions mainly on the credit worthiness of your customer base, generally the financial strength of your company is not going to prevent you from obtaining our factoring services.

What can I do with the additional cash flow I obtain from factoring my accounts receivable? Our clients use the cash to meet payroll, payroll taxes, pay suppliers, and take advantage of supplier discounts, purchase inventory or equipment, and take on more orders.

Will my customers think that my business is experiencing financial difficulty when they learn that I'm using a factor? Absolutely not. Factoring is a long established and mainstream financing option for businesses. It is likely that some of your customers do business with vendors using a factoring service.

What does factoring with fairydust lending mean to my customers? Basically, factoring will require a change to the address where payments are mailed. In addition, we handle collections for you, allowing your time to be used on your core business. Otherwise, your working relationship with your customers will remain the same.

I have customers all over the United States. Are there any restrictions? No. We can work with any business or government agency in the U.S. What matters is that your customers are creditworthy.

What types of businesses do you factor? We finance companies from a broad range of industries including, but not limited to, distributors, telecommunications companies, temporary personnel agencies, nursing registries, manufacturers, wholesalers, consulting companies and security guard services. Companies from the above-mentioned industries with creditworthy customers will benefit greatly from our factoring services.

What size businesses does fairydust lending finance? Our clients are companies who invoice a minimum of $10,000 each month. We help small start-ups as well as mid-sized businesses with needs up to several million dollars.

Who will be responsible for collections from my account debtors? fairydust lenidng teamed up with Working Capital Company and they have over 20 years of experience and handles collections with expertise and finesse. Our collection service allows you the freedom to concentrate on growing your company. Throughout the process, we stay in contact with you and ask for your involvement when necessary.

Factoring is financing for companies that have too much cash tied up in their commercial accounts receivable. By factoring, your company can immediately receive cash for accounts receivable instead of waiting 30 to 60 days or more, for your customers to pay.

Instead of having your receivables tied up in the billing cycle, factoring allows your company to use that capital to grow, buy inventory, make payroll, take advantage of trade discounts…or anything else that demands your financial resources. Factoring is a simple and fast solution to a company’s cash flow needs.

When factoring your accounts receivable, your company incurs no debt. It merely exchanges one asset (accounts receivable) for another asset (cash). With factoring, there is no interest to pay or principal to repay.

While the history of factoring can be traced back over 4,000 years, factoring became common in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century in the garment and textile industries. As industry in the United States has progressed, first with the industrial revolution and more recently with the growth of service-based industries, factoring has evolved to keep in step.

Over the last 30 years, factoring has found its way into virtually every industry, largely because of the ease and flexibility which factoring has to offer. Today factoring is a worldwide, multi-billion dollar business.

Our factoring program offers many benefits to companies in a variety of industries. We offer high advances (up to 90% of the invoices that you are factoring), low rates, on-line reporting, credit and collection services to name a few. We have been factoring invoices nationwide for over 20 years and pride ourselves on the quality of relationships we develop with the companies who use our factoring services.

Please contact us to discuss whether factoring is right for your company. We have no application fees and are happy to answer your questions and give you a preliminary quote. Fairydust Lending has teamed up with working capital they have helped hundreds of companies over the last twenty years with their cash flow by factoring their accounts receivable. We look forward to helping you and your company as well.

I know it is COLD outside! There are many things to do in Plainfield even though it is cold and sometimes snowy, although this year we have been on the low side of actual snowfall,is that a good thing or not? Anyway, from a previous blog post you might be aware that I am a advocate of the Library system. It just so happens that the Plainfield/Guilford Library is a *wonderful* library and did you know that there are many events that you and your children can attend? Or just you.... :)

I thought that it would be a nice idea to let you in on this "well kept secret" in the heart of Plainfield. Our beautiful library located at 1120 Stafford Rd. has a venue that would suit most tastes as far as something to do on a cold day goes! Some of the things that you can do at the library include things like - listening to LIVE music or join a reading program. You can view art or watch a movie, I happen to know that the library is showing The Producers with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane on March 4th 5:30 to 8pm.

I am just going to name a few of the things that you can do at the library...

Here goes, help with taxes,read a book,watch a movie,browse some art, learn a craft, take guitar lessons, discuss a book, play a game, learn rubber stamping, learn Basic Massage, learn about the Peace Corps, learn your family genealogy......oh my goodness, what CANT you do at the library?! I feel like I should keep going and sing this to the tune of the William Tell Overture! LOL

There is so much more on the calendar at the Public library! You should just take a look. www.plainfieldlibrary.net I don't know about you but I had no idea that you could do this many things at the library!!!

Have fun and remember.... THE LIBRARY IS NOT JUST FOR READING ANYMORE!

www.christinemartinhomes.com www.christinesellshouses.com

The reading of all good books is indeed like a conversation with the noblest men of past centuries who were the authors of them, nay a carefully studied conversation, in which they reveal to us none but the best of their thoughts Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650)

I have a LOVE for BOOKS! I have passed this love on to my children and they have passed it on to their children. Books....what can I say about books? Writing is a gift that I do not possess but I CAN read! And I do! Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life-Mortimer Jerome Adler.

With this thought in mind- Have you visited the Plainfield public library lately? No you say??? Well, let me tell you just a little bit about the library and how it serves it's community.

First things first, if you would like to visit the library's website you can do so at http://www.plainfieldlibrary.net/indiana/plainfield_history.html Okay, now that is out of the way, let me tell you about this outstanding library!

I have to acknowledge that the reason I know this library is outstanding is because my grandchildren's other grandma works there. Her name is Laura Appleby. She has introduced our grandchildren to the library and how it works. I think it is important for children to grow up using libraries. And the Plainfield/Guilford Public Library is a good example of a library.

The Plainfield public library opened its doors on June 4, 1901. at 120 East Main St. it was started with 414 gift books for public use. The current location at the corner of Simmons Street and Stafford Road opened on October 4, 1968. It has undergone renovations and expansions over the years with its most recent being dedicated on Sept 30,2000

The library holds many events that serve the community. It is not just a building full of books, as good as that is! The people that work at this library care about its visitors and the children. I have attended ONE of the events that I refer to. The one that I attended was held this last Christmas,it was their annual Gingerbread making event. The kids come with their parents and spend a few hours decorating gingerbread houses that are provided by the library, you bring the candy!! a great time is had by all that attend! The children love it and you get some great pictures of the kids as they build their gingerbread houses. Besides this fantastic annual event there are other events held monthly at the library. Events such as "Shaking the Leaves of Your Family Tree" a Genealogy expert holds a "session" if you will, to help you understand how to trace your family tree! And then there is "Top 10 Gardening Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)" a expert gardener holds a seminar of gardening tips!! These are just TWO of the events to be held in upcoming months. There are many more, many interesting classes or seminars that will be held. To see what events will be held in the months to come visit the library on the web.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go visit your library and hopefully you are blessed to have a library in your town as good as the one in Plainfield!

Good reading!