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David Steinman is the Owner of InspectOne, a home inspection company based out of Lancaster. David has been a member of the Association since 2005 and currently serves on the Association’s Affiliate Member Forum. In addition to being a home inspector, David is a Pennsylvania Registered Architect.
Please share with us your background and your career track.
Buildings-that is my career. I’ve been involved with them in one way or another all my life. As an Architect in New York City, I had the opportunity to develop designs and specifications for many types of buildings including custom homes and city condominiums, alumni centers, retail spaces, auction houses and even high rise office buildings. When returning to Lancaster to raise my family in 1994, I started InspectOne at the suggestion of my sisters. Since then, InspectOne has become a multi-inspector firm, and new “satellite” office plans are in the works to better serve our friends in neighboring counties.
What can a buyer expect in a home inspection?
Expect an inspection driven by knowledge. Experience cannot hurt either. At the very least, get a full time professional who is qualified and meets the Pennsylvania requirements. An inspector should, in my opinion, be engaging, efficient, and ready to answer questions posed by his or her customer. Most home buyers/sellers have no idea what comprises the framework of a good home inspection. A good place to go for recognized standards is the Standards Of Practice as published by the American Society of Home Inspectors. Log on to http://www.ashi.org/inspectors/standards/standards.asp to access more information. For report information/format, I believe content over technology should be the first consideration. That said, there is little that will compare to a summary report delivered at the close of the inspection, with a full report including photographs delivered “online.”
What advice relating to the home inspection process would you give to a new real estate agent entering the business?
First and foremost, seek out a true professional, who is as dedicated to his/her customers as you are to your clients. Then make sure you investigate information on home inspection companies through colleagues and your own research. Just as all real estate agents or companies aren’t alike; all home inspectors and companies are not either.Be certain not to choose a home inspector by price alone as you probably will get what you pay for.And lastly, get involved in the beginning of a relationship with a new inspection company. Find out what toexpect before you get what you didn’t understand, then let your chosen professional do his/her job.
What are your thoughts on pre-listing inspections?
Although an under-utilized tool, Agents that have used this system for selling a home swear by it. Many have used pre-listing inspections for years to help give them a competitive edge, including:
- The home may sell faster and for more money
- No more buyers walking away because of perceived problems with the home
- No more 11th-hour re-negotiations based on the inspector's findings
- No more helpless feelings that an inspector has raised an issue that is not a big problem
- No more buyers getting cold feet when they find out the home is not perfect
- No more buyers walking away because they don't have time for an inspection
- You choose the inspector based on reputation and credentials
- You resolve any differences of opinion about the house before it goes on the market
- All homes have room for improvement. Disclosing the condition of the home allows you to reflect the condition in the listing price, rather than have to negotiate again later when the issues are discovered
- You fix any conditions identified (if you choose to) or simply reflect it in the purchase price. This takes it off the table as a negotiating point against you
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How do you define excellence in customer service?
Wow, tough question. Excellence is a perceived value for which I believe there is no formula. It is an intangible feeling someone gets when their expectations have been met or exceeded. Often strived for, seldom met, don’t give up…
At the end of a busy day, how do you prepare yourself for the next challenge?
I go straight home, eat dinner with my wife and three children (we cook together every day) and gather strength from our shared experiences.
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