Maybe you have a talent for spotting water damage in the toughest places, or you have a gifted ability for hunting down both concealed issues and hidden beauties in a house or building and you also take pride in helping people find their new, spotless homes.
But none of that matters if people have not heard from you or your home inspection business. Managing a home inspection service is not only about your competence in your field, but it is also about your business and marketing strategies.
According to studies, it is estimated that about half of all new home inspection businesses fail in their early years because they lack the marketing skills necessary to develop a sustainable business.
Here in this article, you will find all the tips you need to start and grow your home inspection business.
Steps To Start a Home Inspection Business:
You cannot start a home inspection service overnight. Learning the business, getting certified, and building a business relationship, ambitious home inspectors have a long way to go. Here are the basic steps you will need to take to get up and running:
- Get Outstanding Training
Training and licensing are the most important factors in the long-term success of your home inspection business. Without formal training and certification, real estate agents are unlikely to recommend their services to their clients.
Online home inspector training makes it much more convenient than ever to train for a career in this exciting and profitable business. From the comfort of your living room, you can learn everything there is to know about industry best practices, techniques, and tools.
In other words, you will need to take certain courses, online or in person.
- Field Training
A home inspection is all about learning and you often learn by doing. The American Home Inspector Training Institute (AHIT) provides this type of on-the-job training. You can also sign up for online courses as an additional resource so you can review the key principles at your leisure.
- In-person Training
Taking in-person lessons/classes with an established institute is an excellent chance to learn the basics in a relaxed yet engaging environment.
- Get Your License
After your training, you will be required to take the home inspection certification exam. Even the most experienced home inspectors will need to meet the requirements set by the state in which they hope to practice.
Although standards vary from state to state, most places have some sort of professional practice guidelines. Make sure you know these requirements and comply with state law before accepting your first job as a professional home inspector.
If you have any confusion about home inspector licensing, a quick online search can give you the basic steps you need to take to get certified and licensed.
- Have General Liability Insurance
To build a reliable home inspection business, you will need to have a comprehensive insurance policy to support your services. Home inspection insurance helps protect your investment from legal action.
For better or worse, your business has a responsibility to make sure homes are safe enough for your customers to reside in; If they discover any issues after you move in, you could have a costly lawsuit on your hands.
Tips To Grow Your Home Inspection Business:
- Create A Modern Website
Whether you’re a new home inspector or a home inspector that’s been around for 10 years, it doesn’t matter. You need a modern website that can be easily accessed on a computer, tablet, or phone. Your website should be up to date, easy to navigate, and provide regular updates.
If you’ve never built a professional website before, go online and get help. There are many blogs and web apps that can help you create one that is right for your home inspection business.
- Boost Your Home Inspection Business on Social Media Channels
Make sure to create a social media presence on sites and applications like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others.
By adding content that people find valuable and useful, you can slowly begin to establish yourself as an authority in your area for home inspections.
Additionally, when building your online presence, make sure to consistently tag social media pages that you have set to match your website. This means using the same logo, the same slogan, and the same contact details on all platforms.
Answer people’s questions, post frequently, and stay involved. Social platforms can become a home inspector’s marketing playing ground.
- Get Reviews for Your Home Inspection Service
The more positive reviews you get for your home inspection service, the better it is for your business. People love proof, and there is nothing better than someone who leaves a positive review about your business.
Add a request to your website with a link they can leave a review for. When you finish a job, be sure to ask your customer to leave a review. Follow up with them after a while to make sure they have. Once you have over 45 4 or 5-star reviews, your online ranking will increase dramatically.
Good reviews tell search engines that you care about your customers. So, it is in your best interest to help yourself refer to even more people.
- Get An SEO Plan
SEO is not a forecast or a secret. SEO stands for search engine optimization and it boils down to the simple idea that if your website is easy to search for by Google and other search engines and you have content that people find valuable, your SEO score increases.
Websites with higher SEO scores are treated better. Your website and social media pages should be tagged with location-specific SEO or search engine optimization, so people can find you. They should also use industry-specific keywords.
Besides the basics of your website design, SEO also means that you are providing valuable content to your visitors. It increases your SEO score. If people come to you for home inspection advice and to read what you provide, you are valuable and will get better results.