“Whether you’re buying something that’s 100 years old or brand new—whether it’s 5,000 square feet or 500—you should inspect. It’s money well spent and it’s about being a smart buyer or seller,” says Larry Wallenstein, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Consultants Realty 1 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Wallenstein knows the true value and importance of a home inspection and the effects it can have on his transactions. For the past 17 years, he’s used HomeTeam Inspection Service for all his inspection needs.
“It’s about reality,” he says, noting the significance of always attending inspections. “The inspectors point things out that you can feel and touch…I think that’s very important. If you read something on paper, you don’t always understand it. If an inspector walks you up to something and says, ‘Look at this,’ that makes a huge difference.”
Unique to most inspection companies, HomeTeam sends a team of inspectors onsite, helping to keep inspections and transactions efficient. In fact, HomeTeam of Southeast Florida will send as many as five HomeTeam inspectors. They make sure the job is thorough and the property is well-assessed.
“I’ve never been a believer that somebody can be a jack of all trades. When you use a company like HomeTeam, you get people who are trained in specialties, so you’re going to get a better quality of results,” says Wallenstein.
HomeTeam delivers a robust variety of tech tools to support everyone involved, from online scheduling to text and email reminders about inspection dates. Electronic reports are also delivered, chock full of photographs reminding buyers about what they saw in-person at the inspection. Working with HomeTeam has proven to be invaluable for Wallenstein and his customers, which is why he’s stuck with the company for so many years.
The local HomeTeam that Wallenstein works with is owned by Colin Conroy. Every time a new category arises in the inspection process (such as when mold and defective drywall became issues), Conroy would personally call Wallenstein to fill him in on the new details.
“When I started in the business I knew nothing. I remember sitting on the floor of an empty house listening to Colin say, ‘This is really important because…’ and ‘This is how we’re going to look at it and how we’re going to explain it to the customer,’ so I respect him tremendously,” says Wallenstein.
Home inspections can save buyers and sellers a lot of time and many headaches along the way. Wallenstein even stresses the value of pre-listing inspections, so sellers can deal with problems head-on rather than having to budge on the price down the road. But whether he’s representing a buyer or a seller, home inspections remain a very important piece of the puzzle, and HomeTeam Inspection Service is always there.
“They’re always responsive,” concludes Wallenstein. “Working with HomeTeam is about knowledge, it’s about efficiency, and it’s about being accessible for the customer and willing to help them understand.”
For more information, please visit www.hometeam.com.
Nick Caruso is RISMedia’s senior editor. Email him your real estate news ideas at nick@rismedia.com.
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