In The House

SimpleWater is an award-winning science and health services company founded at the University of California in Berkeley with the mission of improving your drinking water and long term health. Tap Score is a service for easy home water testing and reporting, created by SimpleWater. Sample Report TapScore Media Coverage Entire TapScore Team John Pujol - Chief Executive Officer John is a water expert experienced in contaminant research, testing and treatment. He has developed several new water treatment technologies for arsenic, fluoride and heavy metal remediation as well as advised on UV LED technology for pathogen and pharmaceutical inactivation. John has a Masters in Engineering from UC Berkeley and Bachelors in Economics from Boston University. Julio Rodriguez - Chief Technology Officer Julio is responsible for Tap Score software engineering, product design, data analysis, and online marketing efforts. He has a background in software product development and information technology, with a 15 year history of successful enterprise and startup projects. Julio is a graduate of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jessica Goddard - Chief Science Officer Jess' oversees SimpleWater research and data science with the ultimate goal of increasing access to water testing and environmental health knowledge in the U.S. She has an interdisciplinary background with 8 years of research on water issues at the intersection of policy, environmental health, and engineering. Jess received her PhD from the Energy & Resources Group at the University of California Berkeley, as a Berkeley Dissertation Year Fellow and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. During her PhD, Jess developed measures for household water affordability and sustainability in California and Mexico. Jess received Masters degrees from Berkeley in Energy and Resources and in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Water Quality track). Kate Wisialowski - Chief Operations Officer Kate manages Tap Score fulfillment and logistics as well as social media and blogging activities. She is responsible for scaling Tap Score fulfillment operations to accommodate our rapidly growing customer base. She has a BA from the University of California in Berkeley. Jorgen Stovne - Artistic Design Jorgen is responsible for graphic design and artistic direction for all SimpleWater products including Tap Score and ArsenicVolt. Christina Chavez - Financial Advisor Christina is an MBA candidate at the Haas School of Business in UC Berkeley. She has extensive experience with large technology businesses with strengths in strategy, financial planning and analysis, sales operations, corporate finance, audit and business process improvement. Pioneered key metrics and reports to analyze Microsoft's cloud computing business. Jackie Brosamer - Data and Technology Advisor Jackie advises SimpleWater on complex technology problems and data analysis challenges. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of California in Berkeley and has previously worked with the ATLAS experiment at CERN. She currently works as a Data Scientist at Square Capital. Dr. Susan Amrose - Science Advisor Dr. Susan Amrose oversees the technical development of the ArsenicVolt at SimpleWater. She has worked on scientific, social, and economic aspects of electrochemical (EC) water treatment since 2006. As an inventor of ECAR technology she has published research on both applied fundamental science relating to EC methods for arsenic removal. As a result of her water research, she received the Daniel Cubbiciotti Award from the Electrochemical Society. Dr. Amrose received her PhD in Physics from the University of California Berkeley in 2008. Edna Nyangau - Laboratory Liaison Edna coordinates with laboratory partners to ensure smooth collaboration and enforce testing standards. Edna has a background in laboratory operations and quality control. Henry McCann - Water System Specialist Henry conducts public policy research on community drinking water systems at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. His research focuses on identifying solutions for the technical, managerial, and financial challenges of providing safe drinking water in rural and small drinking water systems. He was the lead author of the Los Angeles County Community Water System Atlas and Policy Guide (2015), a system-level characterization of threats to water supply reliability and vulnerable populations served by community drinking water systems in Los Angeles County. He brings to SimpleWater an expert understanding of drinking water supply networks, water system operations, and safe drinking water regulations. Dr. Ashok Gadgil - Advisor Co-Inventor of ECAR, Lawrence Berkeley Lab Division Director, Professor, National Inventors Hall of Fame. Read More Chief Scientist Dr. Amrose - Courtesy of Berkeley Engineering

Download an infographic of this topic:  WATER DAMAGE - Key Takeaways In an effort to make more money, it’s not uncommon for sellers to attempt to take care of existing defects prior to posting their properties for sale. And if those sellers are on a budget—which they often are—poor do-it-yourself repairs may occur. While, as a home inspector, it is not your job to diagnose repairs’ proficiency, it is important for you to draw attention to repairs. Your clients need to know that just because the seller repaired a defect does not guarantee they repaired it well. Including clauses that identify repairs and your clients’ duty to monitor those repairs, as the home inspector in this example did, is a good way to deter and combat claims. In addition, it’s common for third parties, like the construction contractor in this example, to cast doubt or blame on home inspectors. Therefore, it’s important for home inspectors to be particularly cautious and vigilant. One way to prevent future contractors’ condemnation is to work with them from the beginning. Since receiving this claim, our inspector home inspector has a contractor verify all repairs at the time of the inspection. While such a practice goes beyond the SOP and does require extra work, our inspector feels more at ease being able to report on repair work more thoroughly. Lastly, in this particular example, whether or not the water damage existed on inspection day is still largely up for debate. Be sure to emphasize that you can only diagnose the property’s systems and components on the day of the inspection and cannot predict what may occur in the future. In so doing, you protect your business from defects that reveal themselves after weather, use, or time alter conditions. To learn more about water damage claims, read our stand-alone article on the subject here. Read the full report (on all 5 Categories) here.

Hi I’m Gary Smith - welcome back - My next guest is Paul Zak. What a treat it was to speak with Paul. He manages the largest office support services company in the home inspection profession. America’s Call Center or ACC is more than a “call center”. It’s a 60+ employee and growing “Home Inspector Partner”. Whether you are a one may shop or a growing multi-inspector company their approach and commitment to your business success is something they take very seriously. So - - enjoy my conversation with Paul Zak. https://americascallcenter.com/  

Our vendor spotlight features James Truscott - over the years James worked as a building inspector in the Dallas Metro - Often his job included testing smoke detectors - sometimes he’d ask a tenant to borrow a broom or mop or walking cane - anything that would help get to the unit in out of reach spots. I’m sure you’ve been there - - if not a stick - you’re carrying a ladder or a stool. In some cases the housing unit was vacant - so...no broom or mop or cane. To fulfill the need - he invented his own - but it’s not just a pole - it’s collapsable and - - - there are a few other features - we’ll let him tell you in his own words...enjoy our conversation with inventor of the Smoke Detector Pole - James Truscott. SmokeDetectorPole.com  GET IT HERE: 

VALUE PROPOSITION 1) What sets you apart? Why should I hire you? Keep reading and listen/watch - - because you want to give the client a "Unique" value proposition.   2) Who is your target audience? If you can't answer this question you can't answer Question #1.  3) What are your client's pain points? How well do you know your client? You should be able to very quickly identify with your client's challenges. 4) How will your inspection service remedy the issues? Once you have a good understanding of how your services remedy your target audience's pain points, you can begin to present your opinion in a way that is meaningful and delivers value. This episode is also available on our YouTube Channel. We have a HOW TO video that dives a bit deeper into the tools we used to create the video reviews and offer a few tips and tricks. Our Channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/user/todayshomeinspector  Video Part I: https://youtu.be/WMhjN8vsBKU  ...and Part II: https://youtu.be/gcJmaJG_T2k  We mentioned HomeBinder in this episode: https://homebinder.com Need an inspector? GO HERE and find them on a interactive easy to read MAP: https://todayshomeinspector.com 

Innovation Competition leads to innovation. If you’re the only inspector in your area it’ll be difficult to improve. And if you’re working in a crowded market, you won’t succeed by doing what everyone else does. Healthy competition encourages change. Customer Service Home inspectors offer similar products - they compete for customers. Improved customer service leads to loyal followers and the best marketing in the marketplace - word of mouth. Complacency Competition shakes off complacency. If your inspection company is consistently trying to innovate and better itself, you’ll be encouraged to push yourself - leave complacency to a rock. Understanding Your Market Competition forces you to focus on your core audience. Inspectors target local markets and your competition will encourage you to better understand that setting. Education Watching your competitors do well can teach you things about your business. Their practices will provide you with valuable insight into the state of the market, and help show you what works – and - more importantly - if pay attention - what doesn’t.

My one minute shot of advice and opinion - I called it my "ad-inion"! Thanks for listening - subscribed yet? Please be my guest - it highly appreciated and hope you visit often!

Here are some sample questions a home inspector should be prepared to answer: How much do you charge? What exactly do you look for? How long will the inspection last?   When most buyers think about questions to ask a home inspector, it’s usually about things before they hire them. Real Estate professional Bill Gassett  wrote an article titled “Questions to Ask The Home Inspector After The Inspection is Completed”. Today on Open Mic - Charles and I will answer Bill’s 5 questions, we’ll discuss a few of our favorite threads posted on our Open Group and we’ll hope to share information to help you grow your home inspection business. Today’s Podcast is sponsored by The Drone University -  Whether you’re new to drones or a seasoned pilot, they can help you fly safe, fly right & make your business soar! Visit them at www.TheDroneU.com. We mentioned Inspection World in our show. Here’s a link to the event: https://www.inspectionworld.com/ Find Charles Buell in Seattle Washington:  www.buellinspections.com Find Gary Smith in Central Mississippi: www.garynsmith.net JOIN The Professional Home Inspector GROUP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProfessionalHomeInspectors/ Please follow our YouTube Channel and never miss our helpful videos and free unbranded content: https://www.youtube.com/user/todayshomeinspector

Hi I’m Gary Smith - you know the internet has made the world smaller. No doubt about it. The websites you use every day may originate here in the US - or - from any country in the WORLD! We’re in the house today with just such a company. Actually two companies - - both companies originate from Australia but are offered online here in North America.   As you may recall a few weeks ago we spoke with Pat Butler and the things he’s doing with Homeworthy. Well - we’re back with Homeworthy  - - today we’ll speak with Homeworthy founder Bob Sternberg. He and Pat talk about another product called DOME - - - -  and they have some exciting new news to share as we talk about the home inspection profession. This is Part 2 of a two part session - enjoy my conversation with Bob Sternberg and Pat Butler. GET DOME AND HOMEWORTHY HERE FREE

My conversation with Mike Young. Mike is a national 203(k) Renovation Loan Expert. The FHA insured loan helps homeowners purchase and remodel a home and finance the purchase and rehab with a single loan. Mike's team of consultants, home inspectors and contractors are ready to help you take "blah" - to WONDERFUL! Learn from Mike as we discuss changes to the program and learn how home inspectors can get support and consultant training. Join Mike's Team and Contact Information my203kconsultant.com/ Mike's Radio Show: Love My Renovation Project my203kconsultant.com/radio-show I'm Gary Smith and we've worked with the 203(k)program for 20 years. Call me or drop by my website for support in central MS: www.garynsmith.net Catch Today's Home Inspector is online: www.todayshomeinspector.com

Hi I’m Gary Smith - you know the internet has made the world smaller. No doubt about it. The websites you use every day may originate here in the US - or - from any country in the WORLD! We’re in the house today with just such a company. Actually two companies - - both companies originate from Australia but are offered online here in North America.   As you may recall a few weeks ago we spoke with Pat Butler and the things he’s doing with Homeworthy. Well - we’re back with Homeworthy  - - today we’ll speak with Homeworthy founder Bob Sternberg. He and Pat talk about another product called DOME - - - -  and they have some exciting new news to share as we talk about the home inspection profession. This is Part 1 of a two part session - enjoy my conversation with Bob Sternberg and Pat Butler. GET DOME AND HOMEWORTHY HERE FREE  

How well do you know your home? If you’re like most people, you have a vague sense of all the various systems and components and who to call when they don’t work anymore. Did you know you can avoid expensive repair bills by discovering major defects before you buy a home? If only you knew what to look for before you even made an offer! GET THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/2D5YQyd Of course, you’ll get a home inspection once the contract is ratified. Then the inspector’s report turns up all sorts of issues that you had no idea would add up to huge investments in repairs and upgrades. So you start the hunt over again. And you’ll pay for yet another inspection. GET THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/2D5YQyd Instead, take a tip from Welmoed Sisson, an ASHI-Certified Home Inspector in Maryland. She has written this helpful guide that walks you through some of the major issues that appear over and over again in her reports. Most of them are readily visible to someone who knows what to look for. The book is peppered with stories from her career, along with original cartoons and, of course, lots of pictures. While it’s not a substitute for a home inspection report, it’s written in non-technical language that makes complex issues more understandable for anyone wanting to know more about their homes. Catch Welmoed and Bob Sisson: https://www.inspectionsbybob.com/ Stop by our home - Today's Home Inspector - - online: www.todayshomeinspector.com Visit me - Gary Smith - www.garynsmith.net

Bryan Orr says: The HVAC School is a free, online community that compiles and shares the best, most applicable HVAC/R training material we can find. We source from real technicians who work on equipment everyday to keep the content from getting stale. We publish a weekly podcast, daily tech tips, resources, quizzes, videos and more…. We love to share his knowledge and this episode is no different. The conversation speaks to techs but in plain and simple language fit for homeowners, inspectors and anyone interested in learning how to save money and stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.   In this episode Bryan talks about: Checking the charge completely 02:22  Superheat and Subcool Checking Evaporator Coil Inspecting the filter Looking for wire rub outs Checking the drain line and drain pan Checking capacitors and contactors And Much More… Catch this original episode here:

Dylan is Washington State licensed home inspector #365 and Structural Pest Inspector #65540, and a licensed real estate clock-hour instructor # I 4978. He is also the vice president of ASHI Western Washington - 2017. Dylan has made a business out of his personal mission to advocate for home buyers, homeowners, inspectors, and real estate professionals. Honing his talents from carpentry in his youth to construction and remodeling through college, and eventually establishing a career in home inspection, Dylan understands houses from the ground up. His new book, The Confident House Hunter draws on his experience to help readers make informed decisions in the important process of purchasing – and maintaining – a home. Get the book here: Dylan is educationally certified by Inspection Training Associates (ITA), a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and has performed more than 5,500 structural home inspections. He has been certified as an Energy Star Tune-Up Verifier, and a certified Tune-Up energy audit inspector.

Inspecting Crawls Spaces - They’re right up there with attic spaces in terms of “places homeowners don’t or won’t enter”. But they’re super important and when drainage is poor water can hide out there and create mold and if the home’s floor system is leaking that bad air can enter. Listen to my conversation with professional home inspectors Charles Buell from Washington state, Dusty Jameson and Michael Conrad from Tennessee and Energy Expert Brent Loya in Florida talk about inspecting crawl spaces. Catch More Podcasts: www.todayshomeinspector.com/inthehouse Email The Inspector: todayshomeinspector@gmail.com   ASK THE INSPECTOR and we'll include your question on the next show! GO HERE: www.todayshomeinspector.com/contact and leave us a voice message!

  My Client Wants a Refund - NOW WHAT?! First of all, it’s not the end of the world. If you’re in business long enough - sooner or later you’ll be confronted with this situation. What is most important as it relates to this topic? Priority #1 is to SAVE THE RELATIONSHIP with your client. Do you have a SUPER CLEAR refund policy?   Is this the first time you’ve ever considered refunding your fee? If so - take a deep breath and look inward. State a refund policy your contract - it’s first step to avoiding refunds...right?...if you’ve addressed the topic already - you’ll be in a stronger position, especially if it’s in writing. Remember priority #1? Save the Relationship with your client. Don’t React First -    By all means - be prompt - but find out why they feel they need a refund. In our profession - that means you’ll want to visit the job. Help them understand - most disgruntled clients want to be heard. DO NOT give them the feeling they are being ignored or disrespected. Remember priority #1? Save the Relationship with your client. Use THEIR insight as a tool to change YOUR perspective.    Unhappy customers can be a goldmine for how you can improve your inspection service. Listen to them, and see the situation as a GIFT to you and NOT a burden. Change your perspective. Remember priority #1? Save the Relationship with your client. Don’t communicate with your client when you’re angry.   It’s paramount that you DO NOT communicate with the client when you’re angry - that’s not going to work out well. Acknowledge you’ve received their concern and respond in a pre-formatted email - send it to them right away.   Ask your client for details.   Have your client describe the situation in writing. They should be a specific as possible. Once in writing you can now investigate. It’s best to repeat their complaint and determine if the request is reasonable.   YouTube: www.youtube.com/TodaysHomeInspector  

Developed by the Department of Energy, the Home Energy Score provides information about a home’s energy use. Similar to the MPG rating for a car, it reports the home’s efficiency  on a simple one-to-ten scale, where a ten represents the most efficient homes. The inspection needed to provide the data is performed by home inspectors. Brent Loya has been presented with the Innovation Award for 2018 by the Department of Energy and he and his company IDENERGY helps inspectors become assessors. Obviously - as a homeowner - What if my home scores a 2? What next? Let’s address the politics…It’s still voluntary...right?...this type inspection is elective. Last month a Massachusetts Senate bill introduced to “mandate” the energy score was killed - citing  the requirement would   interfere with the real estate market… add cost and complicate an already complex transaction could "stigmatize" certain properties target homeowners who cannot afford certain upgrades/repairs and...raise constitutional privacy concerns   Proponents of the bill argued:   “it's a consumer protection issue" automakers were once strongly against miles-per-gallon stickers on cars. providing information and incentives to button up the housing stock would provide broad economic and environmental benefits and would help lower-income homeowners who pay high energy bills   When marketing the service - how do you pitch this inspection service? How do we stay out of the weeds of the political battles? FIND AN ASSESSOR I’ve taken the course - how do I get hired? I’ve seen the Find an Assessor map on the DOE website. But when I click on each state I see a link an inspector association or a state power association. I noticed the links are set up as a partner? Talk about the network of partners. Can a home inspector be a partner? IT’S NOT A “FOR SALE ONLY” PROGRAM You’ve finish an assessment - now what? You can market this program to existing home owners as well.   WHERE’S THE MONEY? How can a homeowner pay for the repairs? Are there funding options? Energy Score Website https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/home-energy-score   Senate Bill that was killed: https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/06/panelists_mass_home_energy_sco.html

This week I had the pleasure to speak with Bryan Orr - he and his dad operate a large HVAC company in FL. Bryan has a strong background in the heating and air business and shared some great tips on the techniques, tools and methods of how a home inspector can effectively inspect and report on a home’s cooling system. I think you’ll learn something - I know I did. He has a simple approach - listen in to my conversation with Bryan Orr. Catch Bryan online: www.HVACRschool.com  He mentioned the Testo 115i and the Testo 605i. Find them at www.Trutechtools.com.  

In today's world your inspection calendar is probably totally blank two to three weeks and beyond. The way I see it, you'll know 50K to 100K in revenue is already booked each year! :: Jack Huntress Meet a really smart guy building a product that encourages homeowners to maintain their home and helps inspectors keep their brand alive - long after the inspection.  Jack is introducing a concept called "Annual Property Reviews" and believes inspectors are leaving tons of cash on the table.  Check out HomeBinder www.homebinder.com

Whether you are planning a 2 man team or growing a large multi-inspector group listen to our pros share inside tips and helpful advice. Reuben's Blog: structuretech1.com/blog/ Catch Chris Murphy: www.houstontexashomeinspection.com/ Keep up with Charles Buell: www.buellinspections.com/ Reuben's Presentation at inspection world (as mentioned in the show) can be found online at ASHI Inspection World Presentations: softconference.com/ASHI/ Follow us: www.todayshomeinspector.com     Sunday OPEN MIC - Multi-Inspection Companies 101 by Today's Home Inspector is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

We're speaking with professional home inspectors Charles Buell, Dylan Chalk and Reuben Saltzman. Are you adding too much minutiae to your report by including code related details that could increase liability and pull you away from the Standards of Practice (SoP). Find home inspector support at: www.todayshomeinspector.com Gary Smith www.garynsmith.net Dylan Chalk orcainspect.com/ Charles Buell www.buellinspections.com/ Reuben Saltzman structuretech1.com/     Sunday OPEN MIC - Performance and Functionality VS Design and Code by Today's Home Inspector is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Just say, “You clearly have a moisture problem.” I’m sure you’ve seen this condition, water seems to be either leaking from or forming on the air supply register in the ceiling. Why do we have a moisture problem? Most often it’s because we’re adding water to the indoor air space. We know that water is tricky. It can enter the space as a vapor or a liquid. Once it’s inside - if the space is too cold, you’ll have a moisture driver from the outside. The risk of having the thermostat set point really low is the risk you’ll drive the inside temp below dew point. So what can you do about it? Well - there are a lot of things you can do. I follow Bryan Orr, an HVAC Professional in Orlando, Florida. The name of the Podcast is The HVAC School Podcast. Here’s a short sample of his show, listen to Bryon talk about the “M” word. You don’t have to say Mold or Mildew, just say..."You clearly have a moisture problem." Bryan's Podcast on iTunes itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hvac-…d1155660740?mt=2     You Clearly Have a Moisture Problem - with Bryan Orr by Today's Home Inspector is licensed under a Creative Commons License.