Abstract: West Vancouver Home Inspector notes on how some home inspection firms only have a virtual presence in the community, yet appear on-line as if locally based. Does this inspire trust?
Google Search Results
Let’s take a look at which firms are located in West Vancouver and do home inspections. The following information is from a December 12, 2018 Google search and at no time did we contact any of these inspections firms.
Inspector #1
Their address is The UPS Store mailbox. Their website is a white page on our computer.
Inspector #2
They have a West Vancouver address. However there is no website.
Inspector #3
This company has two addresses. There is a website. On Google there is a West Vancouver address. On Yelp there is a North Vancouver address. Does the inspection firm have offices in both communities?
Inspector #4
This company has a West Vancouver address. There is a website.
Inspector #5 EKAN Home Inspection
EKAN has both a West Vancouver and Gibsons address. There is a website. Does the inspector have offices in both communities? Yes indeed. In fact in West Vancouver, Eugene has been on the strata board for over 8 years.
Do Your Due Diligence!
Just like we did a quick internet search on home inspectors located in West Vancouver, you should do the same for your locale. Should a home inspector be 100% clear? Of course! Should a home inspector state their office address? Yes, in our opinion. We think it useful for a potential client to know who is familiar with the neighbourhood.
Search Bots Use Addresses!
We think that a local address is a critical component of Google SEO. When a business identifies their address, then search engine robots preferentially list those businesses when a web surfer is looking for a business at that location.
Why Use Local Inspectors?
We live in the community. Our children grew up here. We know the many neighbourhoods. We know the housing inventory and what issues to expect. We know which realtors are well regarded. We know the contractors who build or have built here.
So why would you not want to take advantage of this expertise?
Why Use Import Inspectors?
Any inspector’s work is bound by their professional organization’s Scope of Work and per Consumer Protection BC guidelines. They will not be working under any potential or inherent biases. A qualified inspection firm will certainly provide a competent report.
Competitive Advantage
Nonetheless, a local inspector will still have a competitive advantage over a non-resident inspector. Different inspectors will have different focuses. That local inspector will stress issues known to a resident and are likely to be overlooked or unknown by an import inspector.
For example, an EKAN home inspection in British Properties may sometimes be treated like a commercial inspection for various site specific reasons. An out-of-town inspector will likely do the entire inspection themselves, when in our opinion, a team inspection may have been more appropriate.