Calling all home inspectors! Take part in JaxHomeSpy, LLC's "Book of Defects" contest!
Email JaxHomeSpy, LLC any photo you have of a defect that you have come across for a book I am putting together on defects. Any defect will do- and the most common ones and the most odd/obscure/funny ones will have a great chance of being used. You may send as many as you like. Please include a description of the defect along with your photo, as well as your name, address, phone, and email so that I may contact you for questions and winners. Winner(s) will receive a free copy of the book. Your information will not be shared.
The number of winners will be determined based upon the number of entries received; there will be at least one winner provided I receive enough material for a small book.
See http://www.jaxhomespy.com/home-inspectors-contest-to-win-free-book-of-defects for details!
A while back I was looking for a place to take some old cans of bug spray, harsh cleaners, old paint, and computers; I'm slowly going chemical-free in my household, switching hazardous ones for natural cleaners (think hot water and elbow grease, vinegar, baking soda, lemons, etc). I didn't want to toss the chemicals down the drain or pour them onto the lawn, and I didn't want to throw the computers away. I found a great website, Earth911, where you can search by zip code for places to drop off almost anything- chemicals, e-waste, paper, scrap metal, light bulbs, construction waste, automotive waste- the list is endless.
Bookmark it, spread the word, and start getting rid of those nasty old chemicals and stuff that's clogging up your garage. If you want advice on alternatives to what you have, drop me a comment!
Ahh... summer time. Parties, barbecues, swimming.... injuries? We sure hope not! May is Deck Safety Month, and if an unsafe or unproperly secured deck were to collapse, it could cause serious injuries to friends and family.
Between 2000 and 2008, there were at least 30 deaths reported as a direct result of deck collapses, and more than 75 percent of people on a deck when it collapses are injured or killed. With 40 million decks in the United States that are more than 20 years old, it's important for homeowners to check their deck.
JaxHomeSpy, Jacksonville, Florida Home Inspections can ensure that your deck is safe and code compliant with our professional Deck Inspection service. We will examine every inch of your deck, provide information on your deck's capacity limits, identify any dangerous problem areas and give you a list of what to keep your eye on in the future. If your deck is older, we can include a regular deck inspection schedule for you.
JaxHomeSpy, LLC uses a NADRA-created Deck Evaluation Checklist. The North American Deck and Railing Association, or NADRA, recommends ASHI-certified home inspectors for deck inspections.
It will be a resource listing terms related to the home inspection business, and eventually, when it has enough entries, I will be publishing it and distributing it to clients of home inspections that JaxHomeSpy, LLC performs in the greater Jacksonville, Florida area.
Feel free to email me your terms, with a definition and a photo, and I will be sure to give credit with a link to your website, if you have one.
Lead Inspector Mike Jewett (me), owner of JaxHomeSpy, LLC, a Jacksonville, Florida-based home inspection company, is proud to announce membership in ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. I am ASHI associate # 249544.
I will proudly perform home inspections that live up to the ASHI standards, and will continue inspecting with the utmost of integrity. All of my inspections go above and beyond the general standards of practice for your peace of mind. Call 904-534-0953, or email jaxhomespy@yahoo.com any time, 24/7 to schedule an inspection.
This post is geared towards home inspection professionals, but can be tweaked to apply to any industry. Please feel free to share this with others!
In the home inspection business, I hear all the time about how someone doesn't want to use Twitter because of its uselessness, pointlessness, or that they simply don't "get it".
I didn't "get it" either until recently.
The main problem stems from people's perception of Twitter- people posting inane thoughts about eating potatoes or combing their hair or what TV show they're watching. While there are people who do that, you don't have to and, as a business, there are many great reasons to start using Twitter today.
Imagine, as a home inspector, having the ability to get hundreds of people of your choosing listening to your message without worrying if you're spamming them. In fact, they've actually requested to hear from you! This is Twitter marketing.
The first key to marketing on Twitter is to build your base- build a base of real estate agents, insurance agents, real estate attorneys, builders, bankers, marketers, countless potential home buyers, other home inspectors; anyone you would want to get a referral, call, or email from! You can build a following on Twitter MUCH faster than a blog or elsewhere. It takes ages to get a decent RSS subscriber list going from your blog; it takes much less time to get up to hundreds of followers on Twitter (thousands if you do it a long time or if you're a well known "brand", if you will). Use Twitter's easy search engine and you can look up keywords to your liking. Find who you're looking for, follow them, make comments to them (type @username and the comment where username is their Twitter name) and ask for them to follow you back. Once people are following you, they all see your posts. A simple search such as "Texas Realtor" could find you Realtors from Texas. Don't forget to follow their followers and who they follow too! You can also subscribe to your searches using RSS feeds- and it helps! Automation is good!
The second key to marketing on Twitter is being found. At least once a day, post your company name, phone number, email, website, what you do, your location, and where you cover. Be as specific as possible, and use as many relevant keywords as possible. It may take a couple of posts to do it, but it's worth it. If you can get all of that into one post- even better! Then, if someone on Twitter is looking for a home inspection company in your area, you're golden!
The third key is finding your audience. Use search to your advantage! Subscribe to feeds of search terms such as "moving to X" where "X" is your city/town/area, and you can reply to the user and offer them your help. Send them a link to helpful tips on your website and you just may have a client.
The fourth key is cross-posting! Increase your SEO. Putting a Twitter feed on your blog helps grow your Twitter base. Tweeting your blog posts with links brings people to your blog. It's multi-beneficial.
If you are a home inspector, use these keys to unlock the potential of Twitter. Have a plan of action- build your base, get found, find your audience, cross-post, keep your posts on-point, and post once a day (or more) to be sure you're found in Twitter search engines, and you'll be getting jobs and referrals before you know it!
You can follow me on Twitter @jaxhomespy. I promise I'll follow you as well!
Here's a great video on inspecting solar panel (photovoltaic) systems. With more and more homeowners providing some or all of their own energy, it is increasingly important for home inspectors to be able to inspect solar, geothermal, and wind turbines. If you live in the Sunshine State, specifically Northeast Florida (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Baker, and Putnam counties and surrounding areas) please call JaxHomeSpy Home Inspections at 904-534-0953 today if you are selling or purchasing a home with a photovoltaic system; we would love the opportunity to inspect it for you!
Here's a direct video link, as Active Rain doesn't allow scripts on its blogs so I can't embed the video.
Save your home from foreclosure by using three simple words- "Produce the Note!"
Most loan companies flipped and sold the mortgage loans and many are not able to be found. By forcing your mortgage company to produce the note you signed, it can provide good stalling time to find a job, enabling you to avoid foreclosure. Ultimately, you are making sure the lender suing you is actually the owner of the note.
I have signed up for a few draw inspection companies, and I wanted to remark about them. They are a great way to keep busy in slow times and help you to see varying levels of construction. Draw inspections are basic inspections on new construction and how far along a project has come. Scheduling a few near each other warrants benefits- and even though they may not pay much, if one gets many in a small area they can add up. I have heard of inspectors making up to $20K alone a year doing draws. Do any other inspectors out there do draw inspections? If so, which companies are you with, and which bring the most business? If you're not doing them- why not?
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
The first key to marketing on Twitter is to build your base- build a base of real estate agents, insurance agents, real estate attorneys, builders, bankers, marketers, countless potential home buyers, other home inspectors; anyone you would want to get a referral, call, or email from! You can build a following on Twitter MUCH faster than a blog or elsewhere. It takes ages to get a decent RSS subscriber list going from your blog; it takes much less time to get up to hundreds of followers on Twitter (thousands if you do it a long time or if you're a well known "brand", if you will). Use Twitter's easy 
Here's a great video on inspecting solar panel (photovoltaic) systems. With more and more homeowners providing some or all of their own energy, it is increasingly important for home inspectors to be able to inspect solar, geothermal, and wind turbines. If you live in the Sunshine State, specifically Northeast Florida (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Baker, and Putnam counties and surrounding areas) please call JaxHomeSpy Home Inspections at 904-534-0953 today if you are selling or purchasing a home with a photovoltaic system; we would love the opportunity to inspect it for you!
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