The Role of the Home Inspector on the Real Estate "Dream Team"

Transcript

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Welcome to real estate. Common sense. I'm your host, Lisa Spencer, international trainer and real estate coach and author of the book real estate common sense. After you master the basics of launching your real estate business, it is essential to partner with other professionals to ensure a smooth transaction for consumers. You are the conductor of a real estate train that needs to glide into the closing station right on time, your ability to coordinate and facilitate the functions and roles of many other professionals will determine if buyers and sellers feel like their journey was a luxurious scenic ride. Or like having a seat on a runaway train. How can you find the perfect partners and create the dream team of professionals that will support your clients and your business? Season two is dedicated to interviews with top professionals. They will explain their role in the real estate transaction and how we can work together to provide the best experience for buyers and sellers.

1:01

So, in our last episode, we talked with the title company and prior to that, we spoke with the lender. So, in following the flow of a contract, the next thing we're going to do is we're going to make sure. That this home that our buyers have fallen in love with is exactly what they expect it to be. And that is when we call an inspector. And today we're going to be speaking with Dusty Amitangelo, who is the VP of strategic partnerships for Florida building inspection group. And of course, maybe some of you have heard their promotions that says new or old before you buy. Call the FBI. They don't mean that other FBI, they mean Florida building inspection group. And so Dusty, welcome to our podcast. Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with us and anything you want to share before I get started with my questions. Well, Lisa, it's always a pleasure to be partnered with you. You know, I think the world of you and we've had a great, what? Eight, nine years partnership. So, I'm honored that you've asked me to be part of your podcast. And, we've been in business now for 10 years and this year makes 11. So we are, looking forward to see what. 2024 is bringing we're saying roar into 24. So here we go more in 24. I like that. Great. So 1 of the things people that are listening have heard in my other podcasts, and it's just really my theme in life. Is I love to work with people who love what they do and one of the things I know in working with you for nearly a decade is you love your job. So why do you love working with Florida building inspection group? And what makes you a better partner for realtors than other inspectors out there? so I was the very first employee with Florida Building Inspection Group. So it was Tom in July of 2015. he hired me as, his growth person I've actually, uh, been given all the. Rain, so to speak to make the company what it is today. So that's been really nice to be able to have the, say and how this company grows and where we go. That has just been for me, um, just a blessing. I, I, I don't know if, you know, Lisa, but at that point in time, I was coming off of a very rough career choice and, feeling pretty worthless. When Tom approached me about coming on as his growth person, I was, I was unsure of my abilities. So, fast forward 10 years, we now have done over 40, 000 inspections, and we have a team of 13 inspectors in the field, and we have a whole team of admin that serves you. So why do I think that we're. A step above the rest is just simply that we have two words that appear in most of our reviews, and that is professional and knowledgeable. And I really believe that the time we take to, train an inspector or an office staff member 2 front lines of contact with the client. It just sets us above the rest. It really does. And this year, our focus is quality control. So we've taken our inspection teams, broken them down into 3 smaller teams. We're doing site visits, inspection, report, reviews. I'm doing quarterly reviews with the inspector so that they know how they're performing. So we're really trying to do everything that we can to ensure that you get a quality product every single time. And it doesn't matter which inspector you get. They should all equally be vetted

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Wow. Dusty. You just touched on all of the reasons why I like to use Florida building inspection group.

4:59

Usually they're pulling up. In a car that's identifiable to a customer, you have branded vehicles. Your inspection team is always professional looking. They put little booties on if the house is pristine and they need to keep things clean. Uh, they are respectful if the homeowner is there, they're very aware of how to present themselves and to do a thorough inspection. So you mentioned a lot of those things, but I also think that as a realtor, we have some agents that are newer listening to this podcast. It is not about getting a quick inspection. It is not about just getting someone who will rubber stamp approval of the house. But rather, we want to get someone who's going to give the buyer a clear picture of what living in this home is going to look like and what expenses they may be facing in the future. And I think you guys do a great job at that without being alarmist. I've also been on those home inspections where they're exaggerating the fact that there's not a ground fault interrupter in the kitchen and buyers are nervous that their house is going to burn down over a GFI. So I think that, there's a great balance and, um, always been pleased with the product. So we all know that we should recommend a structural inspection. Hopefully, everyone listening to this knows that if you're working with a buyer, you should never tell them not to inspect. We were in that crazy time, though, in 2021, where people were waving inspections, really dangerous, dangerous activity. And probably they're still settling some of the lawsuits that happened over that, because we should never. Prevent someone or recommend that someone skip any inspection that they should have. Most agents are aware. They should have a home inspection, a structural inspection. Yet. There are other inspections that also should be considered and I would love you to just detail some of the ones that you do. And some of the ones, even if you don't do them that you might recommend. The FBI really wants to be like a one stop shop. So we have done everything we can in the last 10 years to continually add services. The top 3 ancillary reports that are ordered with an inspection are a 4 point in a wind mitigation, which both of those are insurance reports and then a W. D. O. so that's what destroying organisms or otherwise a termite and the recent years, we've added several products, as I stated, so we also can offer sewer scopes mold radon, drone. We do docks and see walls. If you have a pool, make sure that you have it at least. Topically, which is what we do inspected because you never know if there's a hidden leak or whatever we do HUD certifications water testing. So, if you have an FHA loan that you're doing a water test is usually mandatory and then we also new to us this year. We are doing the FHA 203K consulting. So, we have a lot the other inspection, which we do not do. And if you are buying a home that has a septic, you definitely want a full septic inspection or a well. So we can test the well water, but we cannot test the integrity of the well. So we have referrals that we wouldn't send over to you. If you were in the situation companies that we vetted companies that we'd like to work with. So, if you come up against any of those, you can simply ask for a referral.

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And dusty. This is just one more reason why I love working with the Florida building inspection group, because certainly, I don't know all of the inspections that are available to a certain property for a certain buyer, but I know that when I refer to you, your administrative team is definitely going to review all of the inspections that are available to the buyer. And when they call in that relieves a lot of responsibility for me as. A Realtor that I'm sending them to a qualified inspector that knows all of the inspections that may be required for the type of property they're purchasing.

9:21

Now, that doesn't mean that a buyer, especially 1, that's on a limited budget wants to go to the full level of every. Detailed inspection they can get. I know. I moved to Florida from New Jersey and in the Northeast radon is a major issue. And the realtor that I had says, oh, we don't even have radon in Florida, which, of course, is not true. And I did do the radon inspection because it's a. A big deal in the Northeast, and I was a realtor there. And sure enough, the home did have a little over 0. 303 microcuries. So it wasn't enough to repair, but it did have radon. And I have been in homes as a realtor in Florida that do have radon remediation required. So, again, as a realtor, don't ever do that. Don't ever say you don't need a certain inspection so, if a buyer says, should I have a sewer line scope inspection? You say, I would. Because you never want to prevent someone from doing something they want to do, even though maybe you wouldn't go for that extra cost yourself. You want to make sure the buyer is getting a thorough inspection to the level that they want. And and I love the fact that you guys have a wide variety, a cafeteria plan that people can choose from. Yes. So what does an ideal inspection look like? I like to talk about, um. There's certain E&O requirements, and so we should check with our broker as to procedures and best practices. So I don't want to go into this is how every inspection should look because, you know, each broker has different requirements for what they may want their agents to do. But I'm just saying, like, what's an ideal inspection? What are some of the key things that you'll look at that will make a buyer feel more confident in their purchase? Okay, so, I would say, 1st of all, you want to make sure that you are working with a license bonded and insured inspection company. There are inspectors out there that call themselves inspectors. and we are a licensed state. So that would be my number 1 piece of advice. tHe inspection itself is a visual examination of the mechanical and safety defects. So what does that mean to you? That means I can visually assess by looking at, because we've been trained completely different than say, An electrician or a roofer who dive a little deeper, right? We look at it from the top down, kind of like a general practitioner. We kind of look at everything as a big picture, and then we give you an evaluation. So we're going to take a look at your exterior, your roof. Up under your roof, because that has a lot of telltale signs that will give us hints. Like, do you have a termites? Do you have leaks? Do you have daylight shining through? So there's a lot with the roofs. We're going to look at the HVAC, your electrical panels. Your appliances, anything that turns on or off opens or closes windows. So, anything that you do on normal use, or use on a regular basis, we want to make sure that it's in good working order. When you take control of the property.

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That is such an important point and inspector is going to do a visual inspection, but they're not going to open up the walls and see what's going on in there. They just have to look at what they can visibly see without doing any destruction to the home. So, as I said earlier, you want to check with your broker as to what your procedures are. But I always found it so important to accompany buyers and inspectors on the home inspection, because sometimes if an inspector notices something. In a corner. Hey, this sheet rock looks a little soft. A buyer may want to go too far and start poking through it with a screwdriver. And that's when we have to stop things and say, this is just a visual inspection. If we need to further investigate that corner, we're going to need to do that with the permission of the seller.

13:40

We leave the house in the condition that we found it and that the inspector may show some concern, but he's not going to dig deeper. That's when you go back to. The seller, if you either cancel the contract, or you say, look, we have concern about some softness in this 1 room in the sheet rock. And we feel like that needs further investigation. We would like that to be done. We're going to cancel. So there's ways to address it and then go back and do it again. This 1st inspection is really just, as you said, a visual inspection. So, thank you for clarifying that. So, do we need to get an inspection on new construction? Do you think that that's helpful? This is my favorite topic Lisa. I know that, like, mentally, I could see why everybody would say, oh, I don't really need an inspection. It's being built from ground up. Right? Everything's going to be sparkling brand new. Well, you know, we have had a shortage of inventory for what? Yeah. 4 years now, right? So we've had some very excessive building. And so when you're trying to build at that rapid of a speed, you know, things just kind of naturally get missed, right? Nobody's doing anything. To harm anybody, but you know, when you're when you're working quickly, things happen, right? So it's good to have a 2nd set of eyes that are employed by you, the potential buyer, right? That will help to oversee the build. So we do a 4 phase new build construction. we come out pre foundation, so we want to see it before they pour the foundation. There are things that need to be in place, prior to pouring the foundation, because if the foundation of your home is wrong. Everything can be wrong. Then we come out and we do a pre lentil, which is where they're shoring up the doors, the windows, tying the walls together. And that's a very important part. What process and then we do a pre drywall and that's really a milestone. So we want to see it's the only time we get to see behind the walls. Like, everybody thinks that an inspector can literally see behind the walls, but we cannot. So that's a great opportunity for us to make sure that they've done the. Quality craftsmanship of the work, the quality of the products that they use, that everything's in the proper place, according to the plans. So that is a huge milestone. Typically that inspection will take about 2 to 3 hours, depending on the size of the house. And then we do a final walkthrough and that final walkthrough actually is very nice because it gives you your punch list to give to the construction manager. Hopefully we can get it done prior to you taking the keys, but that doesn't always work out. So, new construction inspections, absolutely you should not buy a new construction without a new construction inspection. And if it's already built, Treat it the same way you want to have a home inspection regardless. So if it's a spec home and it's been completed, you still want to have that home inspection. Yeah, I think that that when we're buying a new home we're so excited. We may overlook things that we shouldn't overlook and I think that's great. One of the things I think we should point out at this point though is When you want to have an inspector involved in the new home process, you need to speak with your representative at the new home site to incorporate that into the expectation of the building, because we don't want to have an inspector going to do an inspection and be arrested. By the home builder, right? We definitely want to talk to them ahead of time and say, look, I work with Florida building inspection group. They're going to do four inspections. One is going to be pre-pour. 1's going to be during the lentil work and then 1 during, um, the pre dry wall. And we'd like to be notified at those 3 points and let them know because there's nothing worse than expecting something to be able to be inspected and then getting resistance on site. Yes, and Lisa, just on a footnote, this is something that you actually, um, said, like, as the agent, you want to stay in contact with both the salesperson and with the construction manager, go introduce yourself, make sure they know who you are, that you're the agent on this home and make sure that you're taking. I don't know, Friday afternoon, and maybe taking visits on anything that's new construction, take your construction manager, some donuts or six pack a beer or something like that, where they're saying that they know who you are. And when you call to ask what phase they're in, because that really does go back to the agent and to the homeowner, they have to alert us at what phase they're in. So it's very important that that line of communication be open and fluid. So, we don't mention you also mentioned how busy the new construction sites are, how busy the builders are because we do have this pressure right now where we have more people looking for homes and we have homes to sell them. And so the builders are very, very busy. And I think this is critical, especially some good advice for agents, once you put a buyer under contract for new construction, how do you continue to service them? Because you're going to be in a relationship. Unlike when you put them under contract on a resale, where it's going to be executed within 30, 60, 90 days, maybe at the. outset. A new construction could take six months, nine months, a year. And as a realtor, you're going to provide so much more value and also have the potential for other referrals. If you're keeping that buyer informed as to each phase, just drive by the house. You don't even have to get out of your car, roll down your window, take a picture of what phase the house is in, send them a quick text message with the. Picture and say, look at how your home is coming along. People really appreciate that. They might not have time to drive by. Now. We have all worked with that obsessive buyer that drives by every day while their house is under construction. We hopefully we have to navigate any of that, but, you know, as an agent, we can, especially if someone's out of state in Florida, we have that a lot, and help them see their, their new home come to life. That's great advice there. And we'll definitely take that.. So, Dusty, we're going to go into my typical questions and we're going to start out with a little negative, but then we're going to go super positive and the questions are. Can you name three things that an agent should never do during a home inspection? And then we're going to go into 3 things they should always do. So let's start with the negative. Let's see if we can overcome it. But what are the 3 things an agent should never do at a home inspection? At a home inspection, follow the inspector around, pulling them away with questions about this or that or this. My recommendation to you is write down your list of questions and at the wrap up, you can then ask your questions in the order. That you have them all written down. Our inspectors are happy to answer any questions that you have and explain the reasoning behind that. I would say the 2nd thing that I see agents doing all the time is they don't attend the inspection and, we see that more often than I would like to see. I can tell you 1st hand what my daughter bought her property. Her agent never showed up. I was there. I just was not happy because I felt, I feel, and this is my feeling, right? Like that should be part of your responsibility to be at the inspection, holding your client's hand. And I'll share it with you why I say that. When my daughter bought her home, she was so excited. She's 20. I think my daughter was 24. 22, 23 years old, very young to buy a home, right? So excited. She literally bought the home for the backyard. I knew it the minute that I walked into the home, but while the inspection was going on, she was driving herself crazy. What do you think they're going to find? What happens if, what do you think the roof is okay? Is the AC okay? She was bouncing off the walls. You know who calmed her down? Me. That should have been the agent. They're holding her hand, calming her down, saying, look, I trust these guys. They're going to take really good care of you. Right? We're going to walk through this 1 step at a time. So that you understand everything that they find today. So, really, I just want to put a pin in that dusty because I have spoken about this before and there are a lot of podcasts out there. We know there's like, 44Million podcasts and I'm sure a lot of them about real estate haven't listened. to many of them, but there are some, proponents of not attending the inspection. And I think that's absolutely the worst advice. And it is 1 of the reasons why consumers don't feel we have as an important role as I have, uh, had in the lives of my buyers and sellers that I've been working with since 1994. In the time when I got my license, we would never think about not accompanying a buyer in every phase of their home buying process. But lately, with the onset of specializations and everybody doing different things during the transaction and. Agents getting busy, I guess they skip this step and I think it's just so so sad that we're abandoning consumers at a critical moment. Like you said, your daughter was just so excited, but also so nervous about the process. And if you weren't there, she would have just been distracting the inspector with all her questions. And you bring a valid point in not interrupting the inspector because I'm sure they're following. A checklist they're following a process, just like we do in our transaction. And if we keep interrupting them, they may miss something. And so I think you bring up some really valid points. So, what are 3, let's stop on the negative. What are the 3 things we should always do? What do you love that your best agents do during a home inspection? Um, come prepared so have a conversation with your clients prior ask them. Is there any concerns that you currently have that I should share with the inspector? Right? We like to know a little bit about the client. Before we get to the inspection. So even if you got there a few minutes earlier and had a conversation like this, client is super detail orientated. They're going to want to know everything about this house, or I have a client. Who's a very high D. He just wants to know the high points and he wants to get in and out of this. So you giving us some feedback helps us to know how we need to respond to your client and get the best service, right? So that's very, that's very valuable to us. And then, um, the inspection itself, if they decline, if they tell you, I do not want a home inspection, I would just encourage you to make sure you have a form that you have signed. that clearly states that they have declined the home inspection. It just covers you, as the agent, you did recommend it, they chose not to do it. So I would say out of all of those, that's, those are kind of some tips that I would give the agent and make sure you attend the inspection. I, that's me though. Right. I agree with you. So we are in 100 percent alignment with agents attending inspections. Well, thank you so much for your time. I've learned a lot. I hope our audience has learned a lot and I always like to end our podcasts on a high energy note of gratitude. So, whether it's professionally, you did share in the beginning, such a wonderful appreciation for Florida building inspection group and Tom and the great. Privilege that he gave you to lead the growth of his company. And, is there anything else that you're grateful for either professionally or personally? Let me be honest with you, Lisa. I mean, I am grateful for a multitude of things in my life right now. but I would have to say personally, it would be my family. We have been blessed with, four granddaughters who are just, the light of my day. I thought I was good as a parent, but. Dang, I'm nailing it as a, yeah, yeah. So I love the little girls and, um, yeah, it's, it's just a true blessing to see another generation so that's that's my gratitude. And as far as professionally, you know, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm looking at retirement. What does retirement look like? And, you know, putting the right people in the right seats at the FBI group so that we're here to successfully continue to serve you in the years to come. That's kind of my role right now is finding those people and making sure they're trained and that they're ready to step into, my role as the leader of the company. Dusty, I love that. You heard it here first. Breaking news. Dusty's thinking of retiring. And if you want to take on a really tough job, but a tough job that you'll love, you can talk to Dusty about some opportunities at the Florida Building Inspection Group. We appreciate you. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your wealth of knowledge. And I don't think we should go. Without mentioning Tom Fry, who is the owner of Florida building inspection group, who started all way back when I knew him before I even knew you. So we're so grateful for your group. We're, we're grateful for the influence that you've had in our real estate community and basically a benchmark for other inspection companies to measure themselves against. So thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you. Have a great day. Thank you Lisa.

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We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the role of the inspection company on the real estate dream team and hope you're enjoying our interviews with the professionals that help us serve our customers and clients at the highest level. We hope you'll join us next time as we interview more partners that you should include on your real estate dream team. This is your host, Lisa Spencer, sending love and wishing you success.