Congrats! You just became your own boss and started down a highly profitable path. But now what?
Becoming a professional home inspector sets you on the path to a lucrative career. Once you’ve set up shop and insured against claims that could potentially take a devastating financial toll, it’s time to get proactive about building your home inspection business. Marketing can seem like a time-consuming—and costly—prospect, but it certainly doesn’t have to be.
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How do Home Inspectors Get Clients?
Home inspectors get clients by forming partnerships with realtors, investing in marketing, and getting referrals from satisfied customers. Here are some tips from EliteMGA for How to start a home inspection Business and grow your home inspection business, even with a minimal (or no) marketing budget:
1. Research Competitors in the Home Inspection Industry
Research the competition by visiting their websites and reviewing their ads to better understand your local market and consumer expectations. The good news is that the home inspection industry is expanding creating more opportunities for new home inspectors where they don’t have to directly compete with the well-established inspectors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of home inspectors will increase by 10 percent in 2026.
2. Grow Your Home Inspection Business with Realtor Referrals and Networking
Network with area realtors in person, by phone, and online, as they are a great source for home inspection business referrals. According to a survey conducted by Porch, 88% of homebuyers used home inspection services for their most recent home purchase. Therefore, realtors are connected with your customers, and home buyers, and can refer your home inspection services to their clients. You can join area realtor associations and boards for good networking opportunities.
3. Become a Member of a Home Inspection Association
Join a local or national home inspection association, such as InterNACHI, to optimize your visibility within the industry. Home inspector associations should have local chapters near you. They offer help with branding and marketing, cultivate advice from established inspectors, and most importantly offer continuing education credits and specialty inspection training.
4. Establish Professional Branding
Design a memorable logo and create a simple website with details about your Home inspection services, experience, and pricing. Illustrate what sets you apart from other home inspectors in your area. Print up professional business cards with your logo, website, and contact information clear and readable. Carry them everywhere and give them out often to everyone that you meet. You never know who could give you a referral in the future or might need your services themselves. Additionally, when inspecting a home, leave your Home inspector business card with the seller if possible. They are hot leads!
5. Activate Social Media for Your Home Inspector Business
Start business pages on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to build a web presence. Use these social networking pages actively for social media marketing, sharing useful information for realtors, homeowners, and home buyers looking for a home inspector to establish your expertise.
6. Utilize Digital Paid Advertising
Pay-per-click is a great way to reach a large potential audience of leads. You can use Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Facebook Ads to target home buyers, sellers, and realtors within a specified geography. Online advertising requires some investment, but if managed correctly, you can convert leads into clients and partnerships successfully. Another benefit of online advertising for home inspectors is the data to measure how your advertisement is performing and track your ROI.
7. Focus on Building a Positive Reputation
Manage your reputation online by keeping track of what people say about you on reviews and social networking sites, such as Yelp, Google My Business, and Facebook. You can use constructive criticism and respond professionally and fairly to comments when possible. You can also ask your clients to write a positive review if they were happy with your home inspection services. More people read reviews before purchasing products than ever and the same goes for home inspection services. It might even be worth it to offer a coupon or discount for a positive review. Always treat customers respectfully and delight them with your services. Enthusiastic word of mouth is the single most effective way to grow your home inspector business.
8. Start Sending Email Newsletters
Send out a free monthly or bimonthly newsletter covering home inspection, realty, and related topics. This will keep your network of contacts engaged and keep you top of mind for referrals. Additionally, the newsletter can establish you as an expert in your fields further improving your brand image. You can add special offers to your newsletter recipients and social networking followers to incentivize them to keep engaging with your content.
9. Find a Mentor to Guide You in Home Inspection Career
Find a mentor to help guide you through the process. InterNACHI offers mentorship programs to help new inspectors learn the ins and outs of the business and help established inspectors earn continuing education credits.
Now you are equipped with a variety of free and paid marketing options to help you grow your new home inspection business. Don’t forget to fully protect your business with home inspector insurance. Learn what insurance is required in your state and surrounding states before you begin on your first inspection. Contact EliteMGA to speak with one of our experienced staff about E&O insurance for home inspectors.
4 Tips to Improve Your Professional Image As An Inspector
There are several things that you can do to improve your professional image to build your business.
- Be cognizant of your public image. Keep your professional social media clean, don’t post controversial or inflammatory things, and invest in a company-branded email address to increase name recognition
- Remember the golden rule. Treat your clients the way that you would want to be treated. Keep any promises you make, be on time, remain professional even under pressure, and ensure that you are communicating in a clear and concise fashion. Always dress and act in a manner that puts your best foot forward and represents your company in a positive way
- Relationships are key when you are growing your business. Your clients will be your best advertisers, so treat them right and you will go far
- Plan for all possible occasions. Planning ahead can only get you so far, but insurance can help you fill in the gaps. Home inspector insurance can help protect you from errors, oversights, personal injury, and much more.
Professionalism is all about image. How you present yourself to your clients will determine how successful you will be. However, in business, there are always unknowns. Prepare for them by investing in home inspector insurance.
