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A Little Goes A Long Way
by Shayan Moghaddam, Assistant Editor
It’s rare to come by something that provides significant benefits for both yourself and your clients and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg. Most business owners might call that hitting the jackpot! For home inspectors, one product that can go a long way for both your business and your customers is a 90-Day Warranty. Here’s why.
Try to imagine you are a homeowner looking for a home inspector to hire (if you can), and you notice that one inspector is including a free 90-Day Warranty with their inspections and others are not. All other things being equal, which inspector would you feel more secure hiring? As the home inspector looking at this from the other side, the good news is that you can add a 90-Day Warranty to your service offerings for as low as $12.50 per warranty (OREP insured price), letting you put your client’s mind at ease, while reducing your own headaches; if something goes wrong in the first 90 days and it’s covered by the warranty, you can rest easy knowing your client will be taken care of professionally. How much is that worth?
In a Near-Perfect World
Let’s put things into perspective. Imagine you decide to try out 90-Day Warranties in your business. You adjust your fees slightly ($10 to $15) to cover the cost of the warranty. As a result, your customers feel more comfortable and secure hiring you, and your business picks up as a result. Typically, as business increases, so does the likelihood of “problem clients,” with calls all hours of the day and night. But that doesn’t happen! It turns out the warranty company you use offers customer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and any client who has a problem is able to go straight to the warranty company – bypassing you! The result? More business, less stress.
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Tom Sullivan, the owner of Inspec10, a thriving multi-inspector firm in Arizona, says that offering 90-Day Warranties has been a positive experience, both for him and his customers. “The warranty program fits squarely in line with our approach to business. They stand behind everything they say and the commitment really shows,” says Sullivan.
OREP offers one of the best 90-Day Warranties available and at a discount for its insureds. Marketing and other materials are provided free of charge. “OREP has been offering home inspectors 90-Day Warranties through Complete Appliance Protection (CAP) for several years now, and it’s worked out very well for our clients, mainly because the protection is real,” says Isaac Peck, Vice President at OREP.org. “Not only does it give the home-buying client peace of mind, but it gives the home inspector security as well, because there’s an extra layer of protection for the inspector.”
Expanded Coverage
Peck says that one of the reasons OREP chose CAP is that unlike some other home warranties, this one offers real protection to homebuyers. “Making customers happy is good business,” Peck says. The warranties offered through CAP have a zero deductible with no exclusions for lack of maintenance, rust or pre-existing conditions; there are no age restrictions and no deductible, copay, or limit on mechanical repairs for appliances. Plus, claims can be submitted over the phone by the homeowner without them having to turn anything in, which makes it seamless for everyone.
Coverage for the CAP 90-Day Warranty program (through OREP) has been expanded to include up to $2,000 toward the homeowner’s insurance deductible for foundation, framework, and roof issues. “One of the things we were hearing consistently from home inspectors was that they wanted expanded warranty coverage that would include higher liability items, like the foundation and the roof. So we worked with the warranty company to find a solution to provide this expanded coverage so both inspectors and their clients can rest easy,” says Peck. The best part? This new coverage for the home’s foundation, framework, and roof is being provided at no extra cost to the home inspector!
Half Price
“We believe the use of a low-cost, broad coverage warranty will help OREP insureds and all inspectors grow their businesses and reduce their headaches,” Peck said. “We say, try it for a month and see if we’re not right. So, here’s the deal: buy 10 warranties and get 10 FREE. This is over $140 savings and means home inspectors can try it for about a month at very little risk,” Peck says. The offer is open to all inspectors. OREP insureds enjoy a discounted rate. “Our goal is to help home inspectors lower their liability, enjoy a marketing edge and deliver even more value to their clients,” says Peck. Differentiate yourself from competitors today! Visit OREP.org/warranty for more information or call OREP at (888) 347-5273.
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About the Author
Shayan Moghaddam is the Assistant Editor of Working RE Home Inspector and Marketing Coordinator
at OREP. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Marketing from San Diego State University. He can be
contacted at shayan@orep.org or (888) 347-5273.
Note: The Summer 2019 issue of Working RE Inspector is mailing now to over 20,000 home inspectors nationwide. OREP Insureds enjoy guaranteed delivery of each print magazine and many more benefits.
