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by Wally Conway,
Host
of the Home and Garden Show on WOKV
Seems almost every situation in our lives is centered on communication.
Good or bad, the way we express our thoughts, wants, and needs to
each other determines how we live, love, and learn together.
As a guy who is a regular on the seminar circuit, does a live radio
show, an HGTV television show, writes books, columns, and articles,
and all the while runs a thriving home inspection company, I get
to do a great amount of communicating. Some of that communication
is by transmitting; some of it is by receiving. After much reflection,
I have come to the conclusion that nothing is learned when we transmit,
but great gains come from receiving. That is to say, we learn when
we listen, not when we speak.
 Not
a day goes by that I am not listening to Realtors. Most days I listen
to more than a few, some days more than a dozen, and on occasion,
I listen to hundreds at a single seminar sitting. The things Realtors
tell me help me get better. Better at home inspecting, better at
dealing with customers, better on the radio, just better at every
aspect of my professional life! But all that input is not without
moments. Those moments range from the amazing to the zealous, sad
to humorous, and brilliant to well, less than brilliant!
One of my favorite Realtor quotes follow, complete with my thoughts
and commentary. A disclaimer before we begin, if this particular
quote sounds like you, know that none of what follows is from a
single source, but representative of things I hear on a near daily
basis.
"You don't need a home inspection, you're getting a
home warranty".
Seems to make sense to some that if items are warranted, their
condition is of little importance. But among the problems with this
thought are:
- All items that might fail may not be warranted, and
- Items presently not functioning would be exempted from coverage
as an existing problem.
When explaining the relationship of the home inspection to the
home warranty, consider the home inspection to be a physical exam
and the warranty to be health insurance. Would you ever expect to
hear someone say, "you don't need a physical exam, you've got
health insurance"? Doesn't seem to make much sense, does it?
That is essentially what we are saying to our customers with the
"you don't need a home inspection, you are getting a home warranty"
comment!
Let's flip it around now. How about "you don't need a home
warranty, you are getting a home inspection". Here's the
medical equivalent, "you don't need health insurance, you
just had a physical exam"!
Insane!
In so many instances, when I have been able to explain a new or
complex home related issue to a customer in equivalent medical terms,
they suddenly get it. They seem to understand and are now comfortable.
Clearly, most homebuyers are not in the medical profession, but
the language is familiar to them. Must be from watching ER or Marcus
Welby reruns!
So be clear in your communications with your customers. Be ready
and able to clearly articulate a compelling argument for anything
you wish to say. And above all, EDUCATE your customers. Educate
them on why they need a home inspection, a home warranty, or whatever
the subject is. Teach them how to choose a qualified home inspector.
Teach them how to make a good decision on any real estate subject
or issue. They will love you for it!
Copyright © Florida HomePro, Inc. and Wallace
J. Conway. All rights in all media reserved.
About the Author: Wally Conway is your weekly Host of the Home
and Garden Show on WOKV, and author of the book "Secrets of the Happy
Home Inspector", available at GoHomePro.com.
Wally's expertise and experience has been sought after by HGTV's "House
Detective", DIY Network's "Finders Fixers", the National Association
of REALTORS®, newspapers, and corporations. As a speaker, writer, and instructor,
Wally blends the right amount of up-to-date information with just the right
amount of humor, insight, motivation, and real-world application. Visit WallyConway.com
for more information!
Reproduction of this article: Permission is granted to use this article
in any media provided that the article is reproduced in its entirety as shown
above, with the authors resource box/bio included including links to http://www.gohomepro.com
and http://www.wallyconway.com
as the original publisher.
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