A Single Review Request Reveals A Big Business Gap

One tiny moment stopped us in our tracks: after 24 years in business, a real estate agent asked us for a review for the first time. That’s not just a funny milestone, it’s a clue about a bigger problem. Many agents don’t have a repeatable system for gathering Google reviews and testimonials, even though reviews are the clearest form of social proof clients see when they search online.

We dig into why this matters so much now. Buyers can’t easily measure your professionalism from a listing photo or a bio, and most agents follow the same required paperwork and timelines. So what makes someone choose you? Reputation, consistency, and proof from past clients. We also talk about how the “company you keep” affects your brand, especially the home inspection companies you recommend, and why consumers should be wary of any agent who pushes only one option.

Then we get practical about the home inspection side: today’s inspection reports are longer, more detailed, and often intimidating. The best outcomes happen when agents set expectations early and help clients understand what’s urgent, what’s a simple fix, and what’s just part of owning a home. We even unpack a real safety example that some people dismiss, but shouldn’t.

If you’re an agent who wants to level up, we’re happy to help you learn how to explain inspections with clarity and confidence. Subscribe, share this with an agent friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Why We Never Get Bored

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey everybody, it's Jim and Lori here, of course.

SPEAKER_02 0:03

Hello everyone.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Alright, so we have been doing well. I started a home special company back in 2002, so 24 years.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Which is still crazy. Yeah, which is longest career both of us have ever had.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Yeah, because usually about five years of doing something, I would kind of get bored. There really wasn't that much more for me to learn. I just kind of got bored with it. I've never been fully bored with doing home inspections.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

No.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Even even really slightly. I mean, sometimes I get like a condo, um, easy going. Um but I'm I'm still not bored. It just feels easy. Which it comes with experience. You don't get 20 plus years of experience staying at home and not going into places all the time.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

So there is a method to this madness.

The First Review Request

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yes. So 20 some years, and we had something happen that for the first time ever. Ever last week. And and we've talked about this before. How people need to have systems for running their business. But last week was the first time we have ever had a real estate agent ask us for a review.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Like a Google type review, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah. First time ever.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

I think he sent you the link, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Did he send me a link? I I can't remember if he did or not. He he he messaged me, asked me if I give him a review. And then I then I didn't I did ask him, hey, send me the link and I'll do it. But that's the first time. So it's what's once again. I'm like, agents do not have systems to get themselves reviews. Maybe, maybe some of them send the link out, but typically they do not. And I don't I don't understand why. Because as a real estate agent, legally, here if you're you know I think every state is licensed, you have you have to fill out the exact same paperwork, you have exact pretty much the exact same sequence for making sure all these exact same things get done.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

In home inspectors, home inspections, there's lots of variables. And the different services, the report system, their scheduling system.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

The type of the house, the foundation, the concerns that the clients have, all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Based on the client, there's so much variety in that, and then you got the personality of the inspector. Is this inspector really good at explaining things for new home buyers? Or you have an elderly person, and this person who has bought and sold, we'll say six houses. This home inspector is gonna tell them basis and tell them what you know what's really important, what they may care about, because we do have conversations with the buyers. Um, especially if they show up at the house, we have conversations with them. Hey, what is there any areas of the house you specifically specifically have any concerns about? We will do that. Lord's laugh. Specifically.

unknown 3:10

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

So we do have conversations. There's a lot of and the report writing system. I mean, there's the comments, there's a lot of variety in what we do. But for real estate agents, your paperwork is mandated. It's mandated, is it's all the same.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Time frames are set up. I mean, everything is completely laid out. There is no variability that can happen.

Reviews As Digital Social Proof

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Not really. So the variability as a real estate agent is what's your um what's your process for finding clients? What's your process for clients finding you? Like you're not the hunter in this one. There people are hunting you. And the second one, especially where they're finding you. Do you have reviews? Because when all the variables are the same, what makes you stand out? You are the only variable, and that biggest variable they're gonna see online is the number of reviews you have. I don't understand why agents do not make more of a focus getting reviews.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Well, especially this day and age, everything is digital. People do searches, people do, hey Alexa, find me a real estate agent that deals in Westerville, or you know, hey Siri, everything is online, everything is digital.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Which is fine. Which is fine, which isn't that's just progressive, you know, advancement, technology, it's just the way it goes. But the only way they have to know of your quality is really by the company by the company you keep. And that is social proof is through your real the your reviews that you get. Now, for us, we have won consumers Habitation Investigation has won Consumer's Choice Award two years in a row, and then best in the Midwest last three years in a row. So we are the social proof that an agent cares about the client.

SPEAKER_02 5:07

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

When the agent has this on their list, that is social proof that this agent is a quality agent and doesn't just doesn't look at the home buyer as just another paycheck commission to get because I don't it doesn't really matter what happens to the house and and the seller, as long as they close and I get my check, you don't want to be thought of as that type of real estate agent. So when you recommend a uh home inspection company like habitation investigation that has all these reviews and is known for being thorough and good and honest. That I mean you're known by the company you keep.

Referral Lists And Choosing Inspectors

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Well, and if you've got an agent that says here is one company, you may want to get a new agent. State law actually says if an agent is going to give you a name, it has to be three or none.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

And actually, we were at the psycho conference we went to like two, three weeks ago. There's an agent that got up on the stage and said that she only gives one home inspection company name out, and that is not legal. You cannot do that. Now, I understand the agent go, hey, here's a three I I I use. This is the one I'm with. That's fine. I mean that that I understand that because people do look for your guidance, but you have to have three. So if you have an agent that says, hey, there's don't don't look at any other, just use the one I'm telling you to. You you gotta do your double, you gotta do double check. Now if the agent says only use habitation investigation, same applies. You still should look up other home inspection companies to see what's going on. Should always do that.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Habitation investigation is the way to go. For a home inspection in Ohio. Trusted licensed home inspectors for your needs. From radon to mold to warranty. For a great home inspection, you really can't go. Visit home inspections in Ohio.com.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Because you you want to have some control over the process too. You want to know that who you've decided to use is the one that you're gonna be comfortable with. I've we we've got reports we can send out for samples that we talk to people. We've got every service that you can think of to do aside from septic inspections, and that's because the health department wants to have the control over theirs.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

Oh, yeah, they they need to keep track of those septic tanks.

Making Reports Less Scary

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Now we can do the sewer scopes and we can do a sewer scope and a and a sewer scope out to the septic tank. We just can't inspect the septic tank.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Well, I know some agents are a little scared of a thorough home inspection company. But that here's where the variability comes in. There are some home inspectors that I know of, and I've seen them online talking about this this stuff. They will be really harsh in their language on the report system. Partially because you need to be. But they're not they're not really there to explain things. Well, we will we have gotten the phone calls with home buyers to review the report with them so they know, like, yeah, this is a safety issue, but it's a dollar fix. It's a it's a simple, easy fix. Uh, and not everything is scary, but they need to know that not there's zero houses that are perfect, they all have issues, some of them really small, some large. We help put that in perspective for the buyer, and good agents know that, and that's why good ethical agents have this on the recommended list.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Well, and it's not just that, it's an agent being able to talk to the client and set that expectation beforehand. You're gonna get a big report, it's gonna have pictures in it, it's going to be intimidating at first when you see it, but we're gonna go through it, we're gonna talk things that are gonna make you uncomfortable, we're gonna look at potentially requesting to have remedied unless it's a cheap fix. They have these conversations beforehand. And so, you know, it was kind of like us with the kids. Anytime we were doing something different or changing routines or whatever, they would get prepped. Okay, guys, it's gonna be um half an hour before you go to bed. Are you gonna want to snack and then go to bed? Or are you just gonna want to go to bed? Snack and then go to bed. Okay, guys, 15 minutes. Here's your snack. Okay, guys, five minutes, snack is done. Let's go brush our teeth. And you're you're very laid out and planned in how you do things, and agents just don't explain because I don't know if it's they think that if they explain the home inspection, it's gonna scare people. But knowledge is power. I don't know, but to teach somebody there's nothing to be afraid of.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

To be forewarned is to be forearmed to know what's what's gonna happen. So hats off to the agents who asked us for a review. I I'm surprised it took 24 years of somebody to ask that. You go, but good job. Keep doing that. Of course, I prefer you keep a habitation investigation on your recommended list because we really do protect people. No, maybe in the 90s you would see a home inspection report that was 10 to 15 pages long.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Those days are gone.

Safety Details Agents Miss

SPEAKER_01 10:30

No more because everything's while we got we got things are litigious. We've had agents go, hey, wow, they'll say they they don't read the report, all right, and then when something pops up, then they're ear they're they want to blame us for it, but it's in the report. This this is what the reports are for. At least look at the summary. And we had an agent the other day gave us feedback where she was upset that we mentioned in the report uh an exposed light bulb in the closet. So you when you have a light a closet like it's supposed to be like a glass globe or or you know something like that. Some confirm of protection. Yeah, she thought that was ridiculous. No, what's ridiculous is that she does not know that's a safety hazard, and those old incandescent light bulbs uh would get hot, and if you stack stuff on the shelf close to it, it it can catch fire. That's why that's why they're supposed to be in globes, or pull something in and out, you break it, and now you got glass on the floor, or maybe hopefully not in your eye, because it's above your head. But the agents think it's ridiculous to mention that is showing her ignorance for not knowing that is a safety issue and it's very inexpensive to fix. Yeah, why are they not trained enough to know what's going on, or at least stay in your role and know this is not your place to say if something is a safety hazard or not? That's not their position.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

Masses of asses in the seats paying brokerage fees. That could be that that's and let's not let's let's not get them trained. Like, how many agents have we talked to that have come out and said that they had no training, that they were totally clueless about stuff?

Training Offers For New Agents

SPEAKER_01 12:08

Well, we we taught a class at uh I won't say the brokerage, but a very large brokerage, and we have 15, 20 agents who are all brand new, just finishing up the getting their licensing. I think most of them did just get their license, or they're really close to getting it. They said our class was the best class they ever had to know how to handle transactions because they had they weren't they weren't taught, they didn't know this proper sequence of things. It was just amazing that we had that many people. It was at least a quarter came up and told us that was the best class they had. The others either they they didn't tell us, but most people, if they're motivated to tell you, it is they're really motivated because it's really good, right? So I think that's about it on this one, but yeah, ask for referrals or a recommendation. Well, I always ask referrals, but I'm thinking uh reviews, testimonials, ask for those because that is your social proof to how well you are doing. And there's nothing wrong with you asking the home inspection company.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Well, and I was also gonna say if you have questions about the home inspection, if you're not sure how to explain it to your clients, call Jim and I. We have no problems coming and teaching a class for your office or doing something on Zoom or walking you through a report with us and and teaching you how to talk to your clients about it to educate them. That's what we're here for.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

In fact, if you're an agent, if you want, contact us and we will meet you somewhere for coffee. Yay! And we'll and you have a specific scenario, ask us about that, and we'll tell you how to explain that. Yeah. Or or make it simpler, or or if we need to tweak the wording in our report, I can do that. We haven't had any misunderstanding or anybody pretending to misunderstand our reports in years. We've had that before. We're like, oh, hey, well, I thought that meant like Nope. No, and we and we demonstrate how and then we clarify the reports. We haven't had any issues like that for a long time, but nobody knows everything. So don't feel bad if you don't understand what the ledger board is or how it's supposed to be flashed.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Well, and especially if you're new, and and I I do understand that there is a gap in education with new agents. If you're a new agent, give us a call. We can set up a class for you. We we've got like 26 classes we can teach CE credit for. We can come to your office, we we can do it over Zoom, whatever you want. Let us know.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Yep. So I think that's about it on this one. Take everybody. Bye bye.