I asked Jay how he has weathered the recent downturn in housing sales. Jay tells me that the company has been proactive by having a long term marketing plan in place that they execute each and every day. The plan emphases staying in touch with clients and referral sources, with radio advertising, a sales force of 5 who canvass the city speaking to every participant involved in the sales transaction, and a tradition of having someone personally answer the phone everyday, from 7 am to 10 pm. Hey Jay, those are some long business hours! In addition their marketing plan calls for attendance at all local business socials, real estate association events and service organization meetings. Jay tells me that having the marketing plans in place before the downturn have enabled him to cruise smoothly along, though at a bit slower speed, missing the deep potholes the real estate market is now experiencing. Jay states, “We have an obligation to provide our inspectors with steady work and that means 3 inspections a day, 5 days a week, so we take our marketing pretty seriously.” Competitors who are scheduling 2 or 3 jobs a week would probably agree!
I asked Jay about the type of reports Tiger Inspection provides. Here Jay hesitates for a moment before explaining to me that early on, the company decided to deliver reports in the field at the end of the job, so they settled on a modified checklist report on NCR paper. He explains, “From the beginning, the marketplace demanded instant reporting, and the handwritten forms accomplished this for us, particularly with local people who could attend the inspection.” Absentee purchasers can opt for a Platinum Inspection, conducted to the same rigorous standards as their on-site inspection, but performed with a tablet computer running 3D Inspection Systems. Jay has been able to replicate the graphical format of his handwritten forms along with standard comments, so now it’s easy to provide a neat and legible report with standardized explanations to clients not able to attend the inspection, followed up with a phone consultation if needed. Tiger offers upgraded report delivery by both printing and emailing reports in PDF to whomever the client specifies should receive it. Jay adds, “We do all our commercial inspections with 3D too.”
Jay explains that with 3D software, he is able to easily upgrade his inspection reports to reflect recent changes mandated by the Home Inspection Licensing requirements in Massachusetts. Jay is irked that there are many competing inspectors in his area that simply can not or do not meet the ever changing requirements of the licensing law. He says there is much lack of uniformity in the reports he sees by competitors in his area. Some give little detail as to the location and ramifications of an issue, while others are so full of disclaimers and “puff” that it becomes obvious that the reports were cut and pasted together with little regard to the actual house. Consumers can file complaints with the Massachusetts Home Inspectors Licensing Board about inspection reports not meeting current standards.
I asked Jay, “What new projects are you working on now?” Jay says he has recently completed the modification of his reporting format for clients who speak either Spanish or English, and is currently working on computerizing his reporting so he is on top when the real estate marketplace recovers. “That”, he explains, “consists of training all our inspectors to be proficient with tablet computers and 3D software so inspection data is collected and delivered electronically. Responses from mail-out evaluations have shown Jay that clients and Realtors in today’s marketplace want both instant report delivery and reports in a standard and easily readable electronic format that can be stored, sent and recovered instantly by anyone from anywhere. When asked whether he considered himself busy these days, he answered, “Yep, I’m busy now doing maintenance and upgrading the operation.” Gee, sounds to us like a smart move for the future!
Jay Rizzo
Tiger Home Inspection, Inc.
969 Washington Street
Braintree, MA 02184
United States
Telephone: (781)849-0088
Website: www.tigerhomeinspection.com