Home Inspectors should take care not to misappropriate trade secrets from their employers. This includes promptly returning files or documents to the employer when leaving a job, not downloading information to a USB or emailing it to an outside address.

While statutory initiatives may alleviate some issues, there are still significant challenges to a uniform trade secret law. This paper investigates these issues via an analysis of the divergent sources of trade secret definitional law.

1. Taking the Time to Understand Your Client’s Needs

Home inspectors take their job seriously and genuinely care about helping their clients make informed buying decisions. They have the right and responsibility to disclose problems with a property, but they also have an obligation to respect their clients’ decisions.

Many real estate professionals understand this, and so they avoid recommending inspectors who may have a reputation for being pushy or difficult to work with. Rather, they tend to refer inspectors who are thorough and take their time with each property they inspect.

Then there are those inspectors who aren’t afraid to say what others might not want to hear. Chantay Bridges, a Realtor who works with home inspector Jim Stewart, tells Reader’s Digest that some homeowners are shocked by what they discover during their inspections. She says she’s seen everything from animal skeletons and an old beehive in an attic to a moldy basement and a chimney filled with termite droppings.

A good home inspector is methodical and covers every part of the house, from the roof to the foundation on the outside and then moves inside where he or she checks things like heating and cooling systems, electrical wiring, plumbing, insulation and fireplaces (if applicable). And they will never skip anything that’s easily accessible, warns Miller.

It’s important to know that a home inspector isn’t an engineer, a building code expert or a general contractor, notes McGonigle. That means that while he or she might be able to identify some problems, they probably won’t be able to offer solutions. That’s why it’s always a good idea to have auxiliary specialists on hand, such as structural engineers, chimney inspectors, waterproofing experts, roofers and mold remediation experts.

Whether you’re looking for a thorough home inspection or want to learn more about how to be a better inspector yourself, Trade Secrets From Experienced Home Inspectors will provide the insights you need. Thorough enough for professionals, but written in plain language suitable even for first-time home buyers, this book will reveal the secrets that can’t be learned from a book of checklists or a video clip from Holmes on Holmes.

2. Listening to Your Clients

When a client speaks to you, they may be giving you more information than they realize. In addition to the words they’re verbalizing, you’ll find a wealth of information in their facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. A good inspector will be able to listen and understand these signals, which can provide important clues about their fears and desires for the home they’re buying.

It’s a secret some inspectors keep from clients, but many real estate professionals recommend that buyers get a pre-inspection before making any offers. This is because a pre-inspection can give buyers a leg up in the negotiation process, particularly when competing with other buyers. In addition, a pre-inspection can provide peace of mind and help buyers feel confident in their offer.

While home inspections are thorough, they’re not exhaustive. For example, an inspector is obligated to inspect only what’s readily accessible, so they may not be able to detect problems in the walls or under the floor. As a result, it’s often wise to bring in specialized professionals such as structural engineers, chimney inspectors, mold remediation experts and roofers.

Another secret some inspectors keep from their clients is that they sometimes have to deliver bad news. Los Angeles Realtor Chantay Bridges says she’s had to warn buyers of issues such as skeletons of an animal family in the attic, an alarming attic beehive dripping honey on the roof and the discovery of an active drug lab inside a home.

Mike Crow founded the Home Inspector Marketing and Business Community which coached thousands of home inspectors via coaching programs and annual events, including his own local inspection company which did over $2.5 million in revenue before he sold it. He currently leads a team of experienced coaches and produces online events like the Big Bang Marketing Bootcamp and the Big Bang Online Accelerator to teach other inspection business owners how to adapt proven marketing systems and strategies into their businesses.

3. Taking the Time to Explain the Process

The other kinds of IP discussed in this blog series – copyrights and trademarks – are registered with the government, and protected by laws in many states. Trade secrets, however, are not registered in any way and are only protected as long as they remain secret. This makes them much more vulnerable to exploitation by competitors and others who may want to use them to their advantage.

The law defines a trade secret as any formula, pattern, physical device, compilation of information, or other idea that is not generally known and that provides the owner with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. It also requires that the owner take reasonable efforts to preserve confidentiality and prevent disclosure or unauthorized exploitation of the information. This includes maintaining confidentiality by limiting access to the information, requiring employees who have access to the information to sign non-disclosure agreements and by monitoring activity in which the information is involved.

Virtually every business has at least some information that qualifies as a trade secret. This includes anything from a customer list to manufacturing processes. However, the information must meet two essential criteria to qualify as a trade secret: it must be secret and it must have economic value.

While it is difficult to measure the economic impact of the loss of a trade secret, it is important for small businesses to protect this intellectual property. They often don’t have the resources to develop and maintain a portfolio of IP rights, such as patents, and therefore are more dependent on the protections offered by trade secret law.

Home inspectors are no exception. The law describes the kinds of activities that can be classified as a trade secret, and many home inspectors have proprietary information about their inspection processes that they would like to protect. This can include information about the way in which they evaluate a home and identify potential problems, the equipment and tools they use to do the job, the reports they generate, or the methods by which they conduct the inspection.

These are all valuable assets for home inspection companies, and they deserve to be treated with the same care and caution as any other type of business asset. However, the fact that trade secrets are vulnerable to exploitation by competitors and others should not be ignored. This is especially true because, unlike other types of intellectual property, a trade secret’s protection ceases the moment it becomes publicly known.

4. Taking the Time to Answer Your Clients’ Questions

When you work in the home inspection business, it’s important to take the time to answer your clients’ questions. This will help build trust and show that you care about the quality of their home. It will also ensure that your clients understand the home inspection process and what to expect from their inspector.

If you don’t take the time to answer your clients’ questions, they may feel frustrated or left in the dark about their home’s condition. This can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication, which may cause problems down the road. In addition, not taking the time to answer your clients’ questions can cause a negative impression about you and your company.

A good home inspector will take the time to answer all of your questions. This will help ensure that you are happy with the results of your home inspection. A good inspector will also take the time to explain any issues that arise during the inspection. This will help you feel confident in the results of your home inspection and make you more comfortable with the purchase of your new home.

A home inspector should be prepared to spend two to four hours at a property, depending on the size and complexity of the house. If you hire an inspector who doesn’t want to spend this much time at the property, you should consider finding another one.

In addition, a good home inspector will be open to discussing even the most unpleasant issues with you. For example, he or she will be willing to discuss mold growth or a dripping ceiling, even if they are not necessarily related to the current inspection.

A home inspector should also be prepared to recommend auxiliary specialists if necessary. For instance, if an inspector notices a problem with the structure of a building, it is a good idea to bring in an engineer to examine the issue further. The same is true for other specialized areas, such as chimneys, plumbing, roofing and termite and water-proofing experts. The right specialist can help you avoid costly repairs in the future.