Is It Possible To Handle A Home Inspections During COVID-19?
Home inspections can not be conducted remotely or via zoom. The pandemic forced people, companies and industries to adjust and to work remotely. Not all industries can do the switch, but some can, when was the last time you met your insurance agent/broker?
Working in our industry, we took a lot of the steps to work remotely and took a large part of our work online. People could book and coordinate meetings online, but the core of the work we handled was in person.
The home inspection business is entirely dependent on people who trust us as home inspectors. We must maintain that trust at all times, including during the unfortunate circumstances of COVID-19. In the early stages of COVID-19, we completely shut down OM Inspections along with many other businesses. However, times changed, and that is not the case anymore with things beginning to open up. We are always following government regulations but more importantly, we operate under self-imposed rules. We plan on working in the same fashion for the foreseen future. People were afraid to let us into their homes as there was a chance that we could get them sick or infected with COVID, which caused our business to further slow.
Fortunately for us at OM Inspections, the home inspection business is steady, but it wasn’t like that in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the stability is a direct result of the previous 17 years of built-up trust.
Like many parts of our business and other service providing companies, OM Inspections had to change and adapt to the current circumstances of life. Technology became a huge factor in those changes, the ability to provide answers, information, proof via existing technology was and is the solution of OM Inspections continuing to provide service to our clients.
To incorporate the technology with the home inspection, we had to modify the procedures and processes, more importantly, how we provided information back to the client.
When it comes to home inspections, 80% of the work is carried out in the houses and condos that we inspect. 20% of the work is done elsewhere.
To minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, on top of PPE protection, we ask clients, agents and homeowners to be separated by a floor from the home inspector during the inspections. Although we have not found the perfect solution yet, it is the only one that will satisfy the self-imposed OM Inspection standards. So far, all clients accepted those standards, understand and fulfill them completely. There are other standards and requirements imposed during the home inspection that we elaborate on an individual basis upon request.
The nature of the home inspection business does not allow working from home nor remote working. Like many other businesses, when it comes to the work that we do, you either work, or you don’t, there is no in-between. We decided to work from the office, but that’s not to say that the decision will not change. Currently, there is a demand for home inspections, and we will do our best to fulfill it.
When it comes to the coordination between our clients, there are changes that we are open to making. While we were handling a lot of in-person meetings in the past, even to book appointments, we are now working remotely, handling these over texts or calls to avoid unnecessary meetings.
OM Inspections is a service providing company and happy to assist and to participate in public virtual expos and other means of communication.
We are all in this pandemic together. The COVID-19 virus has affected all aspects of life, lifestyle, decision-making, exposure, work-life balance, friends, family, and businesses. History taught us that we, the people, can overcome anything. We at OM Inspections are doing everything we can to minimize the spread of this virus and continue to be flexible and understanding and accommodating in our decisions as we know a single decision can and will affect many others.
If you are looking for a home inspection, get in touch with OM Inspections Inc. We are a team of certified home inspectors that provide professional, unbiased home inspections in the Greater Toronto Area. Other than being in this industry for several decades, we assist buyers in making the best decision possible. Currently, we offer Home Inspections across North York, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, Mississauga, Ajax, and the Greater Toronto Area. If you are looking for a better understanding of the services that we provide, click here. If you are looking for a home inspection and think we can assist, please get in touch by clicking here.