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Trade-Secrets-Home-Inspection-POST.jpg April 16, 2021

EP #3: Rick Takes the Mystery Out Of Wind Mitigation Reporting

Podcasts / July 20, 2021

Listen in as Rick explains the reason behind a wind Mitigation Report, and how is could-or could not!- save you money on your homeowners’ insurance.

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Charlie

Welcome to the Trade Secrets Inspections podcast because you need to know, here’s your host, Rick Kooyman. Hey, this is Charlie the producer of the Trade Secrets Inspections, podcast, and I’m back with Rick Kooyman in the studio. Rick, how you doing?

Rick

Excellent, excellent. How you doing, Charlie?

Charlie

Doing great, Rick, and you’re going to solve one of the big mysteries, for I know a lot of people’s lives and certainly was mine, probably still is I mean, hey, let’s be honest here- I’m not an expert. And that’s why you’re doing this podcast when it comes to home inspections. But, you know, a guy coming from Pennsylvania a few years back down to Florida- And this wind mitigation thing. I had no idea what it was about. And certainly, it’s a pretty big deal. When it’s all said and done, because I guess when a hurricane hit, it’s not so much the rain that does the damage. It’s the wind, right?

Rick

Yeah, absolutely. Now, we’re looking at wind storm resistance primarily with us this topic. But yeah, Florida is a difficult state for insurance in general. And recently, insurance has gotten even more tough. And there’s policies that have been cancelled, and lots of people are shopping and insurance rates have gone up. So this has been a big topic. There’s a lot of misunderstanding or just general, what is that all about? Yeah, let’s take a look at that.

Charlie

So yeah, what is Wind Mitigation, that whole inspection piece about where it came from anyways?

Rick

Why it exists in Florida. And honestly, most all, this stuff we deal with in Florida, and building is all a result of a Hurricane Andrew, essentially, you know, back in 92, Miami, and really caused a lot of damage. You know, it’s kind of hard to wrap your head around. But if you think about it, right after Andrew went through Miami, there were 250,000 people without, homes. We went through Irma, and that was a completely different story. If you can imagine devastation across, you know, the whole town. That’s what happened in the town of Homestead was virtually erased on the surface. When that happened, that there was a hard look to take that by, and what could we do about it. And at that point in time, insurance really just kind of ran out of the state because, of course, they were just getting hammered. So they didn’t want to write any more policies. And Florida had to come up with their own insurance, essentially, and created Citizens and Citizens, you know, established with these extremely high rates, essentially, because they were the only ones in town, in order to kind of qualify, what different homes were and how they could adjust the rates, they came up with this wind mitigation. certification, essentially, they call it an 1802 inspection. That’s per, you know, Florida Statutes and stuff. And they defined specific who could do it. There’s only about six different people under different license that can do it, you know, Home Inspectors, building code inspectors, general contractors, engineer architect that any one of those people can’t just go out and do this, you still have to be certified and take the course, to be able to do this and complete this form, because it is quite technical in its nature. And honestly, I’ve taken this class for the certification, I take it every year. And every year, I learn something new. It’s just, you just scratch your head over and over again, there’s just so many layers, but but ultimately, it comes down to seven different sections. And what underwriters are looking at and what they’re assessing is their risk based on these five different things that are honest. And one of them goes back to Andrew, and they want to know what building code was built to what you know, what standards was that house built under? And what year was it built? And you know, it was built pre 19. Let’s just call it 2000. There were no differences in the Florida building code. Unless you were in my day, because 94 Miami Dade said, you know, we’re not going to let Homestead build back to how it was right there in 94. They came up with what we all know is Miami Dade code or what we all hear is Miami Dade approved everywhere. And that’s where that came from. So then, in 2002, that the whole state adopted that building code. So houses built prior to 2002 don’t have the same building requirements that were established for hurricanes to begin. So right there. That’s what they want to know right off the bat. And when was this house built and what’s the standard it was built? You know, once they start with that question? Oh, okay, so maybe we want to look at this, maybe we don’t. And then the next thing they want to know is about the roof. The roofs in Florida and homes is like, they go hand in hand and topics of, you know, what status is this house? What value and risk is this house? And that’s the first place they look.

They want to know, again, when was that built? How old is it? What type of roof is it. And then, when they set up the Miami Dade code, they established product lines that had to meet the testing standards that went with those codes. So now there’s a products that are now called Miami Dade approved products, or there, they also have a mortar registration number. And then the county records, you see it as what’s called a NOAA or a notice of acceptance. And that means that it’s been evaluated by the state, and approved for use, and these are called high risk. We have the hurricane zone, we have a high wind zone. And they’re very close to the same. Ultimately, they’re going to be the same, but they have basic proximities to the coast that define them differently. This is the maximum expected high wind or what they’re designed for. So they meet the standards. And if you can, if you have your door, or your roof tile, and it’s tested to meet that requirement, then of course, that’s the product they only want you to use. And of course, there’s a premium to all those products because they had to go through all this rigorous testing. They want to know about that stuff. And then they want to know, how was the whole roof system built? Not just what kind of roof covering? Is it? They want to know specifically? What is the deck wall? What kind of sheeting Was it? What kind of nails were used? o with staples? What’s the spacing between those fasteners? They’re really nitty gritty on this stuff they want to know, was it on the edge of the sheeting? Or was it in the middle of the sheet? And there’s different levels for different classifications and all the different ways you can put a house together, right? So then they take it one step further. And they go, Well, how is that whole roof system attached to the walls? You know, not just the seat after the truss, but so now we look at how is the truss attached to the wall? And again, how many different ways can you come up with to do that. And then they came up with a list of different ones that they accept. And we call them straps or clips, the standard way homes were built forever, With the classic toenail, which you know, you just put the nail in on an angle on the side of the word pounded through the trust edge and end to the top of the wall. You put one on each side and was crossed and built. But essentially in a high windstorm. If you’ve built your house like that, it just pops right off. We’ve seen the videos where the whole system gives off when a tornado or a hurricane and you’re like wow, the whole roof just came off together. But that’s a classic toenail situation. You know, so here in Florida again, we have a myriad of different ways. We can attach that roof to the wall and what kind of wall it is. And again, they risk assess that, you know, and then they go Okay, so we’ve looked at what the roof and the walls and the clips and the straps and all these kinds of things and nails sheeting? What kind of roof is it? You know, is it a traditional gable roof with those big triangles on the end of it the catch when you know they look like a kite? Or is it what we call the hip roof where essentially around the perimeter of the house is one consistent law. You know, so there’s no big triangles up in the air. And that’s really what they’re looking for. They really like those hip roof styles. And then they take it because there’s lots of architects out there, they’d like to make fancy roofs. We’ve all seen the big fancy roofs, and they’ll go Okay, so is it within 90% of being a hip roof? And if so, you got to prove it by the plan and the numbers and you know, they want to see the map. They want to see the dimensions they want to see. Is it really a hip roof event? It’s not a small assessment they’re doing on this thing. So we looked at the roof structures, we looked at the roof types, and then what happens when the tile comes off the roof or the shingles get blown off the roof?

When does the water enter the home, essentially, because that’s really when the damage starts to occur when we start having flooding, that, you know, that’s where the big money starts to get spent. So that down here we, we come up with this secondary water resistance, they call it So, and the rest of the country, your roof covers your primary route, you know, your shingles your tile, that’s what keeps the water out of your house. In Florida. That’s not the case. Those are decorative items down here. The thing that keeps the water out of your home, is the underlayment. And it’s done in a different way. And they have qualifications for that. Is it a barrier? Is it a resistance layer? You know, these are all different levels of water resistance, if you will, or way they qualify? how well this home is going to stand up and these big storms. So, there again, you get another discount for, you know, what kind of underlayment you have? After all this stuff is about the roof is done. Can I put that all that they go? Well, what other hazards Can we look at in the house. And of course, the next big one is your windows and your doors. In construction Well, we call the penetrations. So a solid wall is a great thing. But if you put a hole in it, now you’ve got, you know, a riskier area. And they go to the extent in the testing of this things. They literally shoot a two by four and stuff. You know, it’s it’s, there’s a full size two by four shot out of a cannon, that if it penetrates it, it doesn’t qualify. So no hurricane rated, which is kind of funny. If you look at this, the real stats on the glass, a standard bulletproof window, doesn’t meet Miami Dade requirements. His window is a bulletproof window, and is actually stronger than a standard bullet. there’s a there’s a double benefit, if you will. These new windows because there is a huge security game. And having you know bulletproof glass in your home, you know, you can’t break through these windows with a bat, you cannot longer enter a home that way as you know, criminals. So that’s a big benefit to them. As a side note, but yeah, that they want to know what windows are there. They get a credibly specific about the glass and you may have noticed in your Windows this small etching in the bottom corner in your class. And it defines how that window was put together by the manufacturer? You know, what kind of glass was it? How thick is it? What are the layers? What standards was it led to? And then finally, some of them actually get to what’s called Miami Dade code approved. So what we’re seeing going nowadays down here on big money, but definitely worth it. If you spend that money, you should have that benefit in your insurance. Why would you not? Why would you pay the higher assessment than if you didn’t have, you know, the current cloud nowadays is you either have to have those or you have to have a large missile rated shirts. So they’re not letting anything built or get remodeled or changed out and not meet this requirement. It’s been that way in Miami for a long time you go over there or shatter your world locally, we’re just starting to get to that production, try and get to 100%. So we got a long way to go with that. Those are the big issues here. So, you know, in each one of those topics resulted in you know, anywhere from 500 to a couple $1,000 off your premium, you know, so depending on what materials and methods, your home were built, you can cut your rate in half. Right. Wow. So when I say nationals, it’s not a lot of money. It’s generally, you know, under 150 bucks to have this wind mitigation inspection down in the forms put together and you know, they’re not easy on the inspectors, that we can’t just make a statement on it and say it, this is how it was, we literally got to show a photo of what it is that we’re attesting to, so that any person could reasonably come to that same conclusion. So there’s no gray areas unless it’s literally This is what it is. And this is the proof. And then they take it and they write their assessment, and this is how much we’re willing to put a risk on that and that’s the value and that’s where your insurance rate comes from.

Charlie

So are you saying Rick that the onus is on the homeowner to prove that you know, they have a certain type of roof system to qualify or…

Rick

actually, really that’s what they hire us for..

Charlie

Okay…

Rick

Not so complicated you can download it yourself from the internet, the chances of you filling it out about zero. And then yeah, yeah, you’d have to send the photos that they’re asking.

Charlie

Yeah. Wow, wow. Sheesh, yeah. There’s this silly little discount form but yeah., and then there’s more to come, you know, the next podcast down the road we’re going to talk about the next other insurance things as house and they call that the four point inspection and that one’s yet even more to hear about. So that’s my other side of where your insurance policies come from. We’ll talk about that one next.

Well, I can’t wait. And yeah, this is great timing because, as you mentioned the beginning of the episode, you know, home insurance is a bit in a topsy turvy point at the moment. And yeah, so glad you’re able to spend some time sharing your knowledge and helping us homeowners who are kind of scratching our heads at this point, wondering what’s going on. So really appreciate it, Rick, and look forward to next episode.

Rick

Awesome. Great talking with you, Charlie.

Charlie

Thanks for listening to the Trade Secrets Inspections podcast. To learn more about Trade Secrets Inspections, go to www.TradeSecretsInspections.com or call to 239 537 1186

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

EP #3: Rick Takes the Mystery Out Of Wind Mitigation Reporting Read More »

EP #2: What’s Included in a General Home Inspection Anyway?

Podcasts / July 11, 2021

Ever wonder what a home inspector really looks for? Or were you curious what they’re not allowed to look at? Listen in as Rick reveals more secrets of the trades!

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Charlie

Welcome to the trade secrets inspections podcast because you need to know, here’s your host, Rick Kooyman. Hey there, it’s Charlie McDermott, and I am back with Rick Kooyman, Rick, the owner of trade secrets inspections, Rick, how you doing?

Rick

Very good. Good to have you with me, Charlie, Thanks.

Charlie

Yeah, yeah. And again, you know, this is awesome. You’re putting this podcast out there to help folks, not just in the Southwest Florida market, but all over and I really appreciate your expertise and really tap into that expertise. In this episode, I have a handful of questions here that you probably get all the time. And you could probably, you know, answer these with two eyes tied behind your back and your arms close, or maybe I have that reversed. But anyway, you get the idea. So let me start with the first question. So when it comes to general inspections for the home, you know, what, what all is included in that general inspection?

Rick

Yeah, absolutely. I get asked that question all the time, what is included in the general inspection? To start with, you know, the basic definition, if you will, or what Wikipedia would tell you is that a home inspection is just a visual examination of what is essentially the major systems of the house, by Florida standards. And it can be limited to just a short list of things like structure, roof, exterior, your heating and cooling system, your plumbing, and your electrical, and, of course, parts of the interior. But depending on what inspection company you are working with, everybody’s got different what we call standards of practice, or SOP. And those are established by our training councils. We here at Trade Secrets, in particular, we follow what is known as FABI or the Florida Association of Building Inspectors, which, as the name implies, is focused straight on Florida. And the special needs, if you will, because of its environment, and its unique challenges. A lot of other inspection companies out there are following the international standard. So that applies to Alaska, just the same as it does Florida. Um, so you know, there’s a difference between who pick, it does matter. But yeah, we follow FABI where we have a far more detailed list of our standards. And then we follow it pretty tightly. It’s a pretty inclusive list includes everything from your kitchen appliances, you know, to the roof to the yard and how it draining, and everything in between.

Charlie

So interesting. Yeah, that again, another important piece, especially in Florida I never thought about how the yard is draining. I never even thought about that.

Rick

Wow. Yeah, for sure. Come rainy season, people find out they’re underwater. They’re not too happy when they tried to give him a dog.

Charlie

Oh, but you know, again, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a rainy season until we moved down here. And fortunately, on a lot on the higher part of the island here in Fort Myers Beach. But we have we have neighbors right down the street that you know, with enough rain, that water literally they’re there outside sometimes slowing the traffic in the in the neighborhood, slowing cars down, because the you know, the waves that are created. Yeah. Right. Go right in.

Rick

Right. For sure. Some of the older houses definitely out on the island communities that, yeah, that the water drains accumulates and these low spots that you don’t realize you’re there. And lo and behold, you’re like, wow, that happened really fast.

Charlie

Yeah. Wow. So how about the limitations was, are there any limitations when it comes to the Home Inspection?

Rick Kooyman

Yeah, unfortunately, there’s always going to be limitation. So, you know, obviously, we’re not like a futurist. And we can’t predict the future things, unfortunately. And as much as I would love the superpowers, and I can’t see through walls…

Charlie

wouldn’t it be great?

Rick

…but I have some special tools that can help me almost see through walls and and I make use of those quite liberally. But yeah, I still am just like every other human out there and fallible and have my limitations. So yeah, in that regard, for sure. And there are other things, you know, it’s not a property appraisal we’re doing. It’s not a code inspection, we’re not doing the same thing to cities, and in you know, in their inspection protocols going to do and we don’t do health and biological things and geological and you know, environmental hazards too much. We’ve just, you know, there are standards we stick to but for sure, some limitations do exist. That’s why we have that standards and practice to, you know, ultimately define exactly what it is we’re going to do. You know, so if anybody really wants to know and dig into it, it’s readily available. It’s on our website. They can go to FABI and look at it. It’s not meant to be a secret.

Charlie

Yeah. How about during the buying process, you know, a lot going on, what, you know, is there an optimal time to schedule an inspection?

Rick

Yeah, for sure. Particularly in today’s market, things are going very fast. There’s many, many offers being put in. And time contingency is becoming a big factor. So that alone, you know, has its own problems, or no, you want to get a three day offer period, that’s pretty tight to get some stuff done. And, get answers that are worth having. And maybe cost of, you know, what those problems are gonna entail. Outside of the radical type of markets where things are moving that fast, there’s normally a 12, or 15 day period for your due diligence. And right off the bat, as soon as you put that offer in, your very next step should be to search out the best inspection company you can get. That is where you are being looked out for. Your realtor can be your best friend in the world, but ultimately, they’re getting paid by a sales closing happening, we do our job straight from a fee for cost of doing the report, we’re not associated with any contract and service provider, the realtor, we’re completely independent, third party educated, knowledgeable on what’s what you were putting your heart in balance and into. So right from the beginning, you want to get that lined up, you want to make sure you’re working with the best people for your dollars, it’s not the place to save money on, you don’t want to save 100 bucks out of the inspection because one guy can get it done in an hour is half the cost. It’s just not where you want to save your money. But uh, you know, that’s where that happens at right after the inspection, or right after the offer, you set up your inspection, it generally takes about three to four hours to do a standard inspection on a typical property, you want to make sure that everything’s turned on, and you want the house to be as it’s going to be when you live in it as possible, because that’s our time to be in there. I can only assess it. For that amount of time when I’m there, I can only report on what I saw when I was there. You know, again, I can’t predict the future. So there’s, you know, the limitation of the report is just a snapshot, if you will, of that little three hour period that I was in there. And while I’m in there, my objective is to really go through and utilize all of it systems and components and mechanical systems that may or may not be used often.

Charlie

Good stuff, good stuff. So, Oh, my goodness, you know, what 1000 people moving into Florida every day, the latest reports. There’s a lot of new construction out there. What about, you know, these new builds? Do we need an inspection for new construction?

Rick Kooyman

Yeah, that is a fantastic question. Absolutely. Now, you will talk to your builder and they might have the best intentions in the world in they’re always gonna say we want to offer the best product. And I and there’s oftentimes a lot of limitations they’ll put on having a third party inspection done regardless, it is very important. Again, it’s the third party thing. It’s the independent eye, but you know that there’s no, there’s no skin in the game for it for me other than keeping you happy and making sure that I tell you everything you need to know, why does the new home need inspected? It was built by people like humans. And especially in today’s market, they’re pressured under time these houses are being put together in record amount of time. It is not uncommon for a trade to have to make do with what they have on site when they’re there, put something together. And that generally means it wasn’t put together, specifically maybe perfectly. know, getting done with that day’s goal is sometimes more important than you know, making sure everything was done exactly perfect. And if you can’t get what you need to use what you have be a creative, which happens a lot. For once you get in that house, your biggest opportunity is right before you sign the contract for acceptance. So your walk through is when you have the most leverage with your builder because they want that final payment. So that’s the really key time to want to find out what’s right and what’s wrong. And that’s when you’re going to get immediate attention and repairs from the builder. The other time we do we recommend this regardless is your home goes with a 12 month warranty, typically, you know, a new home builder gives it a warranty. Well, 11 months, you should be calling your local inspection company and saying, Hey, we want to have an 11 month inspection. And again, it’s the same thing we’re going to tell you, what’s up, what’s working, is it installed correctly? You know, are the systems functioning? Are they functioning together efficiently? No, this is a new home, it’s gonna never be better than it is. Generally, at that 11 month time, you know, people think it’s at the beginning. But it’s really after the initial Shakedown, that that houses, that’s as good as it’s gonna get, until something else happens or changes is added to it. So yeah, once again, that list that timing that 11 month period, seem very important stuff, especially when you’re spending the money you’re spending on housing.

Charlie

Thats a real good tip, wouldn’t have even thought of that! good stuff! So, how about engineer versus home Inspector? Do I need an engineer? Or do I need a home inspector?

Rick Kooyman

Yeah, another super question. I just got this one the other day, I had a customer call me with a bunch of questions about how the Home Inspection was gonna go and, and what was important and whatnot. And she was decided that she only could have it done by an engineer, she was from a different state. And that was their general practice up there. That was what she expected to happen. My advice to people on that: engineer comes at things with a whole different approach. If you think you need a serious structural analysis of something, that there’s something deficient with the home, then at some point, yes, you will probably want to discuss it with an engineer, it’s actually part of my protocols to point these things out, and specifically tell you, hey, you need to speak with an engineer, or maybe not, maybe you just need to go speak with a general contractor, I can assure you engineers charge a lot for their time, their reports are going to be much more expensive than ours. And ultimately, our whole industry is focused around doing that product, writing that report, we go through hundreds of hours, literally of training, with that focus that priority. That’s not the role of an engineer, that’s, you know, they can produce a report about a property for you. But it’s going to be written in a whole different form with a whole different set of protocols. And ultimately, when a customer chooses that route, they end up paying a lot, and being disappointed in what they got, because the engineer was concerned that, you know, things were built to the math, and it worked. Right. And not about functionality and quality or, you know, installing workmanship and life expectancies on things and, then there’s the topic of insurance. Insurance is one of the huge concerns in today’s market. And it’s one of the specialties in home inspectors that, you know, we are the agent to the insurance industry as far as writing the documents that they write their protocols and their underwriting use, for writing those policies. So ultimately, we’re the ones that are going to have the best answers for you on what is going to happen or what to expect insurance engineers, not even involved in that field.

Charlie

Wow. Wow. Well, good luck, love it. I’m learning. I’m taking notes here.

Rick Kooyman

Fantastic.

Charlie

Yeah. Great, great information. appreciate you sharing all that. And, you know, we’ll look forward to learning more in the next episode, who knew there was all this to learn about home inspections…

Rick Kooyman

I got hours and hours of stuff, I can teach about, please I can’t wait to share.

Charlie

And yeah, it’s our number one most important asset right. Not only do we live in it, but especially in Florida, it’s appreciating seemingly every day in this market. So let’s take care of it right.

No doubt about that, for sure. We’ll talk in the next episode. All right, Charlie, thank you. Take care.

Thanks for listening to the trade secrets inspections podcast. To learn more about trade secrets inspections, go to www dot trade secrets inspections dot com or call 239 537 1186

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

EP #2: What’s Included in a General Home Inspection Anyway? Read More »

Interview with Good Neighbor Podcast

Podcasts / April 28, 2021

What Makes Trade Secrets Inspections a Good Neighbor…

Charlie:

This is the good neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. I’m your host, Charlie McDermott. Welcome to episode number 397 of the good neighbor podcast. And today, it’s a secret interview. Here we have Rick and Hollie Kooyman. Their company is Trade Secrets, Inspections, guys, how you doing?

Rick

Wonderful.

Hollie

Thanks for having us.

Charlie

Absolutely. And if you listen to our shows, we we love husband and wife teams because I’m one of them. Barbara myself. And we know it takes a special couple to work together and play together and all that. So Great job guys. Number one. So let’s start with your company trade secrets. inspections. Tell us about it. Right, how’d you take this one?

Hollie Kooyman

Alright, so Trade Secret Inspections, we’re a new business just under five years, we provide quality home inspection reports. And really, we’re the advocate for the Client, as well as, you know, the realtor, but really, we, we inspect residential properties. We’re located in North Naples, we serve Collier and Lee counties, we go down to Marco and up to Lehigh if necessary. We like to provide a holistic solution for you and your home inspection needs.

Charlie:

love it. Love it. And I love how you say your new business. And then you said under five years old, so you know, what’s your definition of old? Five plus. There you go. There you go. I love and certainly you guys, and I spend some time on the website. You’ve seen a lot and in in those years and have learned a lot. So it’s great. Rick you have anything to add?

Rick Kooyman

Yeah, sure. We are a one call shop. We want everybody to know that you just give us a call when you are in the property buying part of your world and we will take care of all the needs for you. If you need insurance stuff, I will do that for you. If you have outside, you know things going on at the property. If you have septic and pools and stuff like that, we will get all that stuff done for you just one call and we’ll take care of humans.

Charlie:

Wow. And I would imagine that’s especially important in our where you get a lot of folks from out of the state that come in and they really don’t know anyone, right?

Rick

Yeah, we get we get people from all over the world. In fact, yeah, people are here or not here. It’s not a big difference. We’ll take care of them just the same either way.

Charlie

That’s awesome. about your journey. I mean, how did you guys get into the secret inspections? business?

Rick

Yeah, exactly. The Secrets part. That’s a, that’s my secret. So I have about three decades of background in residential construction and remodeling and all the fun stuff. So I’ve actually worked in the field doing the jobs and the trades, and some sort of form or fashion throughout those 30 years of doing this stuff. So I bring the secrets of actually the trades. So that’s the name trade secrets that I’m bringing the secrets of the work to the the version of the job where we get to teach people about it instead of do the work. So

Charlie

Wow, yeah, that’s got to be so darn valuable to really having me on the background on the other side and know what good construction is versus that not so good. And

Rick

yeah, I’ve been there seen it, know how it gets to be the way it is, and all sorts of different fashions. So, you know, I bring a different perspective to the job. And I’m ultimately here to help the customer and I want to bring that experience for their benefit.

Charlie

Yeah. And, and Holly, how about you have Have you always been involved on the business side with Rick.

Hollie

I’m actually a recent more of a recent addition, I I dabble part time, and I try to keep the office. So I’m still I’m actually working my way in a little more and more. And the goal is to be able to leave my other full time job and help Rick that’s great. So he hasn’t scared you away yet. He’s he’s been a boss lets me get away with a lot in the office. So I can’t I can’t knock it.

Charlie

It’s awesome. How about when it comes to myths in the home inspection business? What do you guys hear that you can talk about?

Rick

I hear a lot. One thing I hear a lot of is a any inspector will do the service for you that to me. That’s not true. It’s kind of like the food industry. If you want better good meal, then you can go to the franchise and get one of those. But if you want to five star meal, then you’re going to have to go find a good job. It’s the same with inspections as contracting. So that’s a big myth. And you can just one size fits all shop. And then the other one I hear all the time is, well, it’s a new home. Why does it needs inspected? Please, but it does or more reason than any that it needs inspected? Because it just got put together a whole different crew people were there and they weren’t working on the same page all the time. So it’s important that

Charlie

yeah, if you ever had a new home bill purchased a new home, you now understand the importance of inspection. If you didn’t do it. You’ll learn right away. It’s great. It’s great about when you guys aren’t working in the business, what are you doing for fun?

Hollie

We tried to get out, take some trips, we’ve made some local trips across the two other coasts with to this space of the space. The space close?

Yeah, down to the keys to the beach, the water, snorkeling, parks, stuff like that. Every time. Yeah.

Charlie

Are you guys originally from the area?

Rick

No, actually, we’re both from Ohio. We were born and raised in Ohio. And we moved from the west coast actually from Colorado to Florida.

Charlie

Oh, wow. Wow. Good for you guys. We talk about one place to another. Exactly. Exactly. Wow. Love it. Love it. So if you were to give a travel tip being that you guys are now experts in travel. Florida. What would you recommend? What’s your favorite destination so far? Ah, the mountains of Colorado are my favorite. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. The Rockies, you guys

Rick

in Florida, my favorites? Probably the keys is probably the keys going to be key?

Charlie

Yeah. Love it. Love it. How about when it comes to a hardship or a challenge in life or in business? What comes to mind? You know, looking back now you can say, hey, it was rough, but we got through it. And we’re better for it. We’re stronger.

Rick

Yeah, that’s a funny story. Oh, it actually coincides with the business because, you know, being that we I have all this background in construction, when we moved to Colorado, we were in a kind of a high pressure situation, ended up buying a house kind of expectedly and went with a recommended inspector and it didn’t go well. And he ended up buying a house with a bunch of problems that ended up really weighing us down for quite a while. So as I as I grew through construction and had several back injuries, unfortunately, I decided that you know, I wanted to do what wasn’t done for me correctly. And that’s, that’s essentially why I got into doing inspections.

Charlie

And how about that? Yeah, yeah, that’s that’s the wonderful thing about if we’re open to it, you know, these challenges painful this all get out, but we tend to make the best out of what you got. Yeah. And that comes with that attitude, right? It’s like, Alright, you know, this sucks, but I have faith itself in my our abilities. We’re gonna get through this, and then you go, wow, you know, I’m not the only one that kind of got screwed here. And maybe I can turn this and help people. Good for you guys. probably better off for a bad situation. Yeah. How about one thing you wish our listeners knew about your company? What would that be?

Rick

Basically, that I’m here to help people. You know, it’s not just home buyers, it’s home owners. We’re here to answer all the questions and help you live with your home. help you deal with your contractors help you deal with your realtors and contracts for that matter.

Charlie

we have listeners who want to learn more, and where should we send them?

Rick

Oh, please just go to the website and give us a call. You can find us at trade secrets inspections, calm. You can get a hold of me anytime. Phone 239-537-1186 emails, the same rep at trade secrets, inspections, calm. Whichever works for you. Just reach out and we’ll help you.

Charlie

Terrific. Well, Holly, Rick, it’s been a pleasure. great meeting you guys and we wish you the best going forward there. Appreciate it. Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast and nominate your favorite local business to be featured on the show. Go to good neighbor podcast calm that’s good neighbor podcast.com or call us at 239-224-4105

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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