Windsor Home Inspection Blog

My Opinions, Should You Choose to Read Them

Home Inspector Reviews

Posted by manorhome on June 3, 2008

For most people, the first time they meet their home inspector is at the house they are having inspected. The introduction usually takes the form of a handshake then the inspector hands you a pre-inspection agreement to read and sign. This is unfortunate, because if the inspector turns out to not be what you were looking for, it’s too late to change your mind. It would be great if there were some way to find out about the inspector before you commit.

Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there isn’t any local resource that will tell you an unbiased opinion of the inspector. Sure, some guys will provide you with a flood of testimonials, but how much weight do they carry if the inspector is providing them. I, personally, don’t use testimonials as part of my marketing plan; they simply don’t seem terrible valuable to me. How do you know if any of those testimonials are real or not? Another reason I shy away from testimonials is that the work I do for my clients is their confidential business. I serve a fair amount of upscale clients and I don’t think they would be terribly impressed if I started using their name to gather business. Interestingly enough, this is the same reason I don’t have my vehicle lettered like a rolling billboard - a real estate transaction can be a sensitive financial creature, you don’t need my truck telling the world what is going on.

OK, getting back to the reviews thing. Why not ask your friends and family who they hired as an inspector and their thoughts - this is after all Windsor, someone you know knows an inspector. Quite often those close to you can be the ones to trust when you have questions regarding big decisions (buying a house is a big decision, therefore your choice of inspector is important). Alternatively, why not call the inspector and have a little chat? Get a feel for the inspectors personality, knowledge and ability to communicate.

I try to make it a personal policy to answer a potential clients questions and concerns without switching on the sales mode. We may find after a few minutes of conversation that I am not what the client is looking for in an inspector (or vice versa :) ) and that is fine. I am the first to tell you that my style of reporting isn’t for everyone - fortunately my clients like it!

Go ahead, give me a call, shoot me an email, fill out the contact form on my website - find out if I am the inspector you are looking for. Better now than at the inspection. Better yet, start your own home inspector review website!

I look forward to hearing from you soon, thanks for reading!

-Brad Manor - Windsor Ontario’s very own home inspector :)

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Just a Little Windsor Home Inspector

Posted by manorhome on May 23, 2008

When I started this business a few years ago, I spent many nights trying to figure out what to call my business. The first thing I had to consider was whether or not I should purchase a franchise. There were certainly some benefits to going that route: I would have instant credibility (in theory), there would have been a marketing plan in place already, and there would have been help in getting the business rolling.

I mulled those perks around in my head for a few days when I decided to think of the negative aspects: first there was the money issue - if I wanted a recognizable franchise that was available, it was going to cost a lot of money (I didn’t want the added overhead), then there was fact that i would be forever linked with everyone else who held one of those franchises - if one of the franchisees in another area were to do something stupid and be found out how would that reflect on me? I decided that going the independent route was for me. It would be slow going, and lots of hard work but so be it - I’m from Windsor, we’re not strangers to hard work.

So, there I was - stuck trying to come up with a name for my business. I went through them all… every word or combination of words that involved inspecting, looking closely, homes, houses… well you get the idea. After a few days of that frustration, my wife suggested just using my name. Not a bad idea I guess. To further emphasise the benefits using my name she asked “define Manor”. I had to think about that for a while, to me it had always been my name. It’s my bothers name, sister’s, mom & dad, bunch of cousin’s etc. Manor is just my family name. Then it dawned on me, it means HOUSE!!! *slaps forehead* Not only that, it means a special house… as in Manor Estate, Lord of the Manor……

All of these points have led to what Manor Home Inspection is today. It is a small company - Windsor owned / Windsor operated (and staying in Windsor - you’ll never catch me seeking greener pastures… but that’s a topic for a later discussion i suppose). In addition to be a small local outfit, my name is on all the company paperwork from business cards, to inspection reports, to all those confusing papers the banks and lawyers had to review when I started in business.

Since my name is on all the paperwork, I make sure that I provide you the best service available. Naturally, I want people to equate Manor with superior service. If I am going to use my family’s name, I owe it to them to keep the name free of any traces of doubt. In fact - I think when someone uses their name in business, they should strive to elevate that name so that it is equated with quality… hence my efforts.

Well, now you know the story of why I used my name for my business. Naturally I would love the opportunity to show you the level of service you can expect when dealing with Manor Home, but I’ll leave that up to you. I don’t believe you should just give me your business (and hard earned dollars), but would like the chance to EARN your business. If you have any questions, naturally, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Until then, I remain YOUR Windsor, Ontario home inspector,

-Brad Manor

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