“Every girl crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed man” – ZZ Top, 1983.

For Elaine and me – Murray Klingbeil was truly that sharp dressed man. He came highly recommended from Coldwell Banker/Horizon Realty. We were bubbling with anticipation. On March 10, he arrived on time at our newly contracted lakeside love nest ready to give it a thorough once-over. That’s his job – professional home inspector from AmeriSpec® Inspection Services.

 

 

 

 

Murray looked every bit the part of a GQ front man. Crisp white shirt with the AmeriSpec logo, dark tailored slacks, perfect coif, and a welcoming demeanor. He was dressed for success, but still had to traverse the roof and adroitly maneuver through a four-foot-high basement crawlspace. Don’t get them purdy britches dirty, dude. Murray said not to worry.

 

 

 

 

 

For about the next two hours, no-hurry Murray was a flurry of activity. Checking the foundation, wiring, plumbing, appliances, heating and cooling, fixtures, gutters, insulation, vents, and much more. No stone or switch left un-turned. No stonewalling on structural strengths and weaknesses. Before skedaddling, he walked us through his detailed inspection report assembled in a spiffy binder.

 

 

 

 

 

Case closed. Our townhouse-to-be passed muster. One leakage issue to get resolved. The bigger issue was that Copywriter Jim was impressed and wanted to dig deeper into once-bitten, twice-shy Murray’s inspection insights and the Gold Bars he once found:

 

How many years have you been a home inspector and how many homes do you estimate that you have been in over your career?

I have been in business in the Okanagan area for the past 23 years. I have personally performed more than 10,000 pre-purchase home inspections and energy assessments. My company has performed approximately 12,000 additional energy assessments for the Government and Utility Home Improvement Grant Programs when they were available.

 

How did you get into the home-inspection business, why have you stayed so long…..is it a fun job and career, and why?

I was introduced to the Home Inspection industry by a lady that I was with at the time. She was always looking for business opportunities and was reading an article in a magazine that was rating top franchises. One of the featured franchises was “AmeriSpec Home Inspection Services” rated as the top franchise in that category. As it turned out the franchise was holding a “discovery day” the following weekend in Calgary, and by chance we were to be in Calgary at that time to visit friends. We attended the franchise presentation and I was so impressed that when I discovered that the Okanagan Valley territory was still available, I whipped out my cheque book and bought it right then and there! At the time, I was a production supervisor at a big sawmill in my home town in Alberta and had other business interests there as well. Talk about “pulling the pin!” The next week I put in my resignation from my six-figure job, sold my house, sold my business interests, and packed up the U-Haul to head off to the Promised Land to start a new life. I landed in Kelowna and only knew one soul in the whole valley….my God Mother! My first friend here was the fellow who was cleaning the carpets in my new rental suite. 

 

 

Was it difficult for you going thru the licensing process….who taught you how to be a home inspector and what words of wisdom did this person pass along?

When I first started in business in the early 90’s it was the Wild West in the home-inspection industry. Any “Chuck with a Truck” could hang out a shingle and call themselves a home inspector. There were some inspectors that were very good and, of course, some that did the industry a great disservice. My franchise “AmeriSpec Inspection Services” had a fabulous training facility with industry leading instructors that was located in Orange County, California at that time. Currently, the Franchise is part of the “ServiceMaster” family of franchises, and the Canadian head office is located in Mississauga, Ontario with the corporate head office located in Memphis, Tennessee. The new training centre is the very best in the industry and fun to attend if you are an Elvis fan like me! I was mentored by the best inspector in the industry at that time, a true gentleman named Bill Ross. To this day his words ring true on every inspection I perform: “The truth shall set you free”, “it’s black and it’s white….there is no grey”, “the most faded ink is 100 times better than the sharpest memory” (in other words, document everything!) and finally, “inspect every home like you’re inspecting it for your grandmother!” British Columbia was the first province in Canada to implement government licensing for home inspectors. This has been a real positive step forward as inspectors in BC now have to pass stringent testing and reporting requirements, and must carry sufficient E & O (errors and omissions) insurance to compensate home owners if the inspector was negligent in the performance of his duties.

 

 

 

What do you like about the home-inspection business?

I thoroughly love the home inspection business. I am spoiled as I get to cruise around the fantastic Okanagan valley (the greatest place on earth, in my opinion), and meet wonderful people from all walks of life. There is never a boring day as I can be inspecting a terrible, problem-ridden $25,000 mobile home in the morning and a fantastic $5,000,000 water-front property in the afternoon! I love to be able to look at all the housing stock. Every home tells a different story! I also love the freedom that this business affords me. I can take time off anytime I want without a boss to worry about and be in total control of my schedule. To me, that is freedom! I also love the evolution of the housing market and how things are constantly changing in making homes more efficient and safe for the occupants. We are continually upgrading our knowledge to stay abreast of changes in the industry. There is always something new to learn and it keeps it fresh and relevant. It feels wonderful to be a resource to my valued clients.

 

How has the home inspection business changed over the years?

Home inspection has become more professional than when I began. Acquiring a home inspection prior to making one of the biggest investments of your life is now the norm. I find that a Home Inspector is viewed as a professional, knowledgeable, accountable, and licensed part of a Real Estate transaction.  When I began, a home inspection was not as common as today. It has been a great advance to be able to work with Realtors and past clients to help guide them in terms of educating buyers about their investment.

 

 

 

Are AmeriSpec inspectors required to wear a certain uniform or dress in a certain way?

Yes, we are required to wear a uniform of some type with an approved AmeriSpec logo visible.

 

 

What is the #1 misconception, in your opinion, of home inspectors and the job they are hired to do?

Sometimes the public is misled that an inspector will do destructive damage or an invasive investigation of the subject property. We as home inspectors are guests in the owner’s home and we are generalists that perform a visual inspection of the home on inspection day. We record and document our findings via an inspection report with photos. 

 

What is the #1 responsibility, in your opinion, that you (the home inspector) have to the home buyer?

My number-one responsibility is to educate the buyer (my client) about the home and prepare them for any significant future expenses/costs/maintenance requirements that may arise with owning that particular property. Disclosure, discovery, and education on the home and its systems are what I consider my top priorities when I am hired to inspect a property.

 

 

If you take your car in for mechanical service, the mechanics do not let you roam around the service bay and hover over them as they work. Why do home inspectors welcome home buyers to be present and active during the inspection process?

Having the potential purchaser join me at the property gives us both the opportunity to see my findings first hand. Of course, technology is a beautiful thing. I can take many photos and email them to out of town clients that very day, and we will do a virtual walk through and go through the report line by line over the phone. Back to on-site service; this reinforces to the potential buyer what I can visibly see at the home, and they can visibly see it as well, in person.

 

 

What is the most common problem area/issue you find in the houses you inspect?

The most common issues I see are:  Moisture and water damage, non-professional “handy man” alterations by past owners, structural issues and components that have reached or exceeded their useful service life.

 

 

Do you think home sellers sometimes try and “hide” things….explain?

Yes, some home sellers routinely try and conceal problems or are less than honest on the claimed dates of the ages of components (i.e:  a NEW roof is not 10 years old). Some home sellers have attempted to conceal problems with piles of stored household articles.

 

Can you tell us about a crazy experience or experiences you have had on the job over the years when you drove home shaking your head?

Always entertaining is when a young couple buying their first home and both Fathers-in-Law attend the entire inspection and shadow me. They try to upstage the other or the inspector to save the day for their kids from purchasing a potential money pit (in their mind anyhow!).

 

 

What is the weirdest/strangest thing you have ever found in a basement, attic or crawlspace?

One of the most memorable things that I have discovered during my career was in the crawlspace of a home owned by an elderly German fellow was 14 full-sized gold bars. Other articles I routinely find in attics are: guns, liquor bottles, porn collections and once – forgotten wrapped Christmas gifts from many years ago!

 

Have you ever encountered an animal (dead or alive) in a basement, attic or crawlspace, have you ever been bitten by anything?

The list is long on expired critters:  Cats, mice, snakes, and the rat I saw that was not dead! Scared the crap out of both of us! Bats and squirrels in the attic. I have been bitten by numerous spiders! It’s the Okanagan…I have also had one dog bite and one cat attack me as well. They must not have wanted to move.

 

Can you tell us, in all your years, about the house in the WORST condition you ever inspected?

I once inspected a rooming house that had at least a dozen occupants, vagrants and some druggies. It was so filthy, the beds were science projects, overfilled cups as ashtrays, moldy pizza boxes, naked toddlers crawling through discarded dirty diapers, passed out people in the living area, 4 dogs and 8 cats and excrement. I made an executive decision to walk from the job, called the appropriate agencies and excused myself from the transaction.

 

Is your job easier or harder than it used to be?

Easier because I have more experience. Harder because of the ever changing construction methods and materials in the marketplace. Harder because the public is more demanding with respect to a very detailed inspection and final report.

What are your hobbies away from houses, roofs, and leaky toilets?

I thoroughly enjoy the Okanagan lifestyle:  Boating, hiking, camping, and cars. Not to mention fine dining, wineries, and travel.