How Much Should You Spend on a Home Inspection Drone?

You might be a die-hard traditionalist or a progressive forward-thinker. And whether you love this new technology or not, drones are beginning to flood the home inspection industry. Many inspectors believe it’s for the better. But setting a realistic budget and buying one isn’t as easy as you might think. If there is anything consistent…

Will Home Inspection Rovers be the Next Big Home Inspection Thing?

What would you give never to walk a roof or shimmy through a dank crawlspace again? With the direction that technology is headed, your days of working aloft and down in the dirt might be over. You’ve heard about drones. Now it’s time to meet Reggie. Drone technology has launched, and now a teenager has…

Thinking About Infrared Home Inspections? Now is a Great Time to Start

When infrared technology first became available, the cost of the equipment was so high that it priced itself right out of the market for many home inspectors. What appeared to be a great idea was unattainable. But like any new and interesting technology, the price is coming down as the popularity grows. Infrared technology helps…

What Can Home Inspectors Expect from an Infrared Mobile App?

The cost of an infrared camera is coming down but there’s another option for home inspectors that’s even more affordable: an infrared mobile app. We know what you’re thinking. How can an ordinary smartphone transform into a high-tech thermography device? It’s not a trick, not like the mirror apps that never really worked. Smartphone thermography…

4 Ways to Market Energy Audits as an Ancillary Service

Energy audits take the home inspector’s services beyond obvious (and not-so-obvious) defects and into green living territory. More and more customers are interested in energy efficiency, and the home inspector is uniquely positioned to offer that information on the front end of a home sale. At least if he or she has the right training…

What Can Infrared Technology Do For You? Plenty!

Infrared technology or thermography helps you spot more potential home defects than you could with just your eyes. And that makes your home inspections a better value for customers. It seems like a win / win situation, and in many ways it is. Just remember that the equipment is expensive, there’s a bit of a…

Are You Ready for Aerial Photography? It’s Closer Than You Think

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) relate to the same thing: drones. And drones equal easier, perhaps even more thorough roof inspections, especially when you deal with steep-pitched roofs that no one wants to scale. Drone technology has exploded in recent years. And although there was quite a wait for the FAA…

Do Home Inspectors Inspect Swimming Pools?

Swimming pools are permanent fixtures. So why are they often excluded from a home inspection? It’s a matter of choice. In areas where swimming pools are nearly as common as mailboxes, inspectors might need to brush up on pool inspection skills. But for nearly everywhere else, it’s often safer to either perform a limited inspection…

Do Home Inspectors Inspect Outbuildings?

Home inspectors inspect what’s visible and accessible inside and outside the home. That’s what essentially every Standards of Practice say. So why doesn’t it include outbuildings? Sheds, outbuildings, and other detached structures are certainly part of the property, and your insurance company might even include them. But as for home inspections, they fall into a…

Do Home Inspectors Inspect Kitchen Appliances?

Appliances don’t always convey when a house is sold, so many of the homes that an inspector inspects will have a relatively appliance-free kitchen. But where appliances are permanently installed, they require the same level of attention as the rest of the house. The newly updated ASHI Standards of Practice outline several changes that inspectors…