Notes from the office manager

I know that you are used to hearing from the Home Inspector but he's been so busy in the last few months! Either the housing market is cooling down or home buyers are putting their foot down and insisting on having a full home inspection after hearing the horror stories from home buyers who didn't get an inspection.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you a perspective on the home inspection process from my angle. I've been managing the office for over 25 years and although I rarely get to meet the client face-to-face, I have come to know some great people.

After hearing certain realtors' voice over the phone for over two decades, it's funny when we finally meet in person.  It's like a deja vu moment. One time, I was walking into Walmart in Amherstburg and a guy in a pick-up truck had his window down and he was on speaker phone with a realtor. I immediately recognized the realtor's voice and the next time I spoke to that realtor, I asked him how his deal went with the guy in the pick-up truck in the Walmart parking lot lol.

Some clients call me from time to time just to chat. I love those calls. On several occasions throughout the years, I could sense panic in the caller's voice and I asked them if we can take a moment to pray together over the phone about their situation. No one has ever turned me down.

We work 6-days a week.  That is a full schedule but we still get calls for inspections on Sundays. Callers are amazed that we do not perform inspections on Sundays. Sundays are for church and family. Some will offer to pay us extra but I turn them all down. Once a caller was really trying to persuade me to book a home inspection for him on a Sunday. I politely told him that he could be the Prime Minister of Canada and that wouldn't make a difference!

We've performed home inspections for some pretty famous people too. These include world-famous athletes, authors, TV personalities to name a few. But no client is treated better than the next. Everyone gets 100% of my attention and time over the phone. I answer all their questions and set their mind at ease regarding the home inspection process.

What can I say...I love my job and talking to new people every day. Don't get me wrong, there have been a handful of cranky callers too (like the guy who insisted on a home inspection on a Sunday) but those are few and far between.

I'm looking forward to your call and don't forget when booking an inspection, it's always a good idea to have the house address handy - you would be surprised at how many people say, "Oh, yah, I guess you need that!".