For White Picket real estate agent Katie Esterle, HomeTeam has been key to her success.
With a goal of delivering professional, prompt inspections, HomeTeam Inspection Service adds value to its real estate agent partners with every inspection.
Take, for instance, Katie Esterle, a Real Estate Agent at White Picket Real Estate in Louisville, Kentucky. Working in today’s red hot real estate market means moving at warp speed in order to get transactions completed for her buyers.
That means that Esterle can’t let an inspection slow her — or her buyers — down. “Most inspection periods are five days long,” said Esterle. “A mom-and-pop inspection company might be ten to fifteen days out. That timeline doesn’t work for my buyers who are in a hurry to close as quickly as possible.”
In a hyper-competitive real estate market where demand outweighs supply, there are always more buyers standing by, waiting to snatch up a house in the event that a deal falls through.
That’s where Brad Lawler, owner of HomeTeam Inspection Service of Kentuckiana, comes in to save the day and the deal. “With HomeTeam, I can get an inspection for my buyers in the morning and the inspection report is often completed and sent back to me by the evening. It’s that fast.”
While the company’s fast inspection times are the best in the business, Esterle has a list of other reasons why she keeps sending her buyers to Hometeam.
The Team Approach
For Esterle, HomeTeam’s unique team-based approach not only saves time, but it also ends up being more thorough. “They always send two or more inspectors on site for each inspection, so each inspector is able to focus on their specific checklist,” Esterle says. “The inspectors each have their own area of expertise, so you know that you’re getting the best information. I feel confident that they are more likely to catch potential issues in a home inspection because of their team approach.”
A Well-Staffed Team
Part of what slows down many home inspection companies is the fact that they only have a few inspectors to do the work. Not so for HomeTeam, says Esterle. “HomeTeam staffs a lot of inspectors so it’s easy to get someone out quickly, even if it’s a last-minute request. That’s a huge advantage, especially in this crazy market.”
Heightened Professionalism
“HomeTeam has always had an excellent reputation in Louisville,” Esterle says. “When I first tried them, the team exceeded my expectations and they continue to do so. Brad is incredibly knowledgeable and organized, and his inspectors are all well-trained and thorough. They’re on top of their game.”
One-Stop Inspections
Esterle appreciates that HomeTeam gives her buyers access to a number of tests on top of the standard inspection, from radon tests to termite and mold tests. “A few weeks ago, they found a lot of water in the crawl space of a home they were inspecting for one of my clients,” she says. “They put out a mold test, and we got positive news back within 48 hours. It’s nice that they’re able to take care of everything.”
While buyers are sometimes tempted to waive the inspection in order to eliminate any chance of the deal falling through, Esterle never recommends it. “If a major issue is uncovered, we can have a conversation with the listing agent and that’s where we would potentially be able to negotiate,” she says. “I’ve been in real estate for six years, and I’ve done over 215 transactions, so it would be crazy if a deal didn’t occasionally fall through. But buyers need to make sure the house is sound before moving forward.”
“At HomeTeam, we pride ourselves in helping real estate agents and their buyers not only reach the closing table but reach it with the knowledge that they’re making an informed decision based on expert advice,” said Lawler.
For Esterle, HomeTeam has been an integral part of her success. “There are so many pieces in a real estate transaction,” she says. “Having thorough and dependable vendors makes my job easier and helps push me ahead because in this market, timing is everything.”
