HomeGauge News Alert December 2008

Year End Reminder | Work on Your Company | TREC

Latest news just in ... Santa reveals he is using HomeGauge!

Jim Begley is one of our HomeGaugers in Georgia — from now through the end of the year he does this: thatisreallysanta.com. He really is Santa! With Santa on our side, who can compete with that?

Year end reminder!

Time to inspect your own company and its strategies! Look in your local newspaper on home transfers each month, and total the amount of home sales for the month. Are you inspecting a fair portion of those sales? If not, then you can’t blame the economy. You have to blame your marketing efforts or operational choices. Then do something about it to change your strategy. Don’t become inactive in your marketing because the news media tells of doom and gloom. Sales are occurring and are going to get better.

“While everyone sits and waits, you can gain a huge edge on them by building relationships now.”

It is also time to nurture existing relationships. Many of your agents are hurting. Some are looking for other work.

Here’s what to do: You need to personally call each one, with a hello, how are you, and what can I do to help you or help us? What can we do together to help sales? As the owner of your inspection company you have a duty to yourself to see how many agents you still have in business and learn which ones are going to continue as agents. You want to make a list of all “your” agents. When you make that call, make sure it has direction in mind. When you call them you want to say hello, acknowledge the current market, and share some small talk. Ask if they need any help selling their listings. Many homes will not sell until the price comes down. Home owners are naturally reluctant to lower their price below their expectations. A thorough home inspection will either fortify the asking price, or give the agent the means to help convince the homeowner to lower their price or make repairs. If you go over this with the agent, the next question they will ask is: Do you have something I can send to my listings/owners?

Send them this: Sample Letter

Now is the time to work on your company!

1. Too busy to use our website builder? For $299 we will build your website using our website builder (domain name not included). Even though you can do this yourself, and do it easily, many inspectors would rather pay us to do it for them.
   
   
   • Brand your company name. Includes having them come to your site to pick up their report (must use HG Services)
     
   • Sample report (upload a sample report and we will do the rest)
     
   • Include pictures (send us some pictures and we will do the rest)
     
   • Upon completion you will be able to edit it all yourself and change templates for a different look or appearance.
     
     
2. Company logo. Need a logo? HomeGauge will design one for you for $199.00 (good for two phone consultations and up to 3 custom choices to choose from)
   
   
3. Are you uploading reports and branding your company name, OR are you sending big bulky PDF attachments, branding Adobe instead? Stop promoting Adobe and instead promote your company (branding) by linking them to your site to pick up their report. Why not separate yourself from the competition and use the HomeGauge Services upload feature? Agents and customers love it!
   
   Sign up now
   
   
4. Marketing benefits of adding an American Home Warranty to your inspection. For as little as $17 you can add a limited warranty to your inspection. Ask your spouse if they had two inspectors to choose from, and both were licensed and follow Standards of Practice, but one offered a warranty and the other did not — which one would he or she choose? Enroll in our warranty program and start offering warranties today! You can’t afford not to in this tight market.
   
   
5. Radon testing in granite countertops...here’s a great marketing idea and a letter that will put you not only in front of the agent, but at his or her home, with you perceived as the good guy!
   
   Note: We still have the detection devices for sale (click here)
   
   See sample letter
   
   
6. HomeGauge.com website is getting a facelift! We have been telling you now is the time to take action and improve your company’s image. The HomeGauge.com website will have a new look and feel soon. We are taking it a notch up on quality and superior service. Are you with us?
   

Texas template requires changes by Feb 09 to be TREC compliant

According to TREC, you must continue to use the current report form until February 1, 2009. After February 1, 2009 you must use the new form. This is a little silly to ask everyone to switch overnight without allowing a transition between now and then, but we are not TREC.

We have included the new template in the current download trial of HG so you can download the new trial to get the new template and import your comments in the new template, but WAIT until February 2009 before selecting the new Texas template named TREC REI 7A-1. Until then continue to use the regular Texas template.

HG Version 4 users can choose A or B below:

1. If you have never added to your comment library, you can start fresh by running the install of the latest version, which will install the new Texas template and the required software changes. Choose the Texas template TREC REI 7A-1.
2. If you have added to your library of comments and want to keep your changes, then you can export your comments out of the old Texas template (open the old template and choose from the menu "Template…Export Comments"). Then download and run the latest install and select the new Texas template. When it opens, select "Template ... Import Comments” from the menu. Here is a tour showing you how to export and import your comments from one template to another. Importing comments tour
   

To print the new Texas form the inspector needs to:

1. Use "File … Set Texas Print Options" to create a new print document that contains a pointer to the new cover page and also sets the page headers/footers correctly.
2. Select the new template.
3. When printing, select the new print document created in step A.

Version 3 users or earlier: Due to software changes required to comply, earlier HG versions will no longer be in compliance after Feb 09 with Texas TREC. You must upgrade to version 4.

Save $25 and upgrade now to version 4 for $250 (discount expires December 31, 2008).

It is interesting what TREC said about this when an inspector inquired about the new changes: "One inspector expressed general dissatisfaction with the proposed inspection report form, but did not indicate any specific issues other than implying a preference for the current form (REI 7A-0) because he purchased reporting software for that form. Response: The Commission respectfully disagrees with the comment because the new form incorporates substantial improvements over the old form, and the cost of new reporting software is minimal."

Until next time,
Russell Buchanan
HomeGauge, President
russell@HomeGauge.com
877-274-4299