EP# 106: En-Vision Property Inspection with Michelle Walker
Mar 11, 2024
Lisa
Ever wonder what really goes on behind the scenes of a home inspection? Michelle Walker from En-Vision Property Inspections joins us to peel back the curtain on the industry, sharing not just the nuts and bolts of what they do in Michigan but also the heart and passion behind their work. Michelle and her husband Brian don't just walk through homes—they leave a safety net of $100,000 in free warranties for their clients, ensuring that peace of mind lasts long after the initial walkthrough. It's a conversation that's as much about the warmth of a secure home as it is about the bricks and mortar that hold it up.
Our chat with Michelle is a cozy blend of professional insights and personal stories, reflecting how intertwined our living spaces are with our lives. The Walkers bring their family values to the table, with tales of balancing business hustle with treasured moments spent with their two daughters and playful pups. This episode isn't just about learning the common myths of home inspections; it's a window into the lives of those dedicated to making our neighborhoods safer and more secure, one home at a time. Tune in for an episode that's as informative as it is heartfelt, crafted for those curious about the human touch in the home inspection process.
Ever wonder what really goes on behind the scenes of a home inspection? Michelle Walker from En-Vision Property Inspections joins us to peel back the curtain on the industry, sharing not just the nuts and bolts of what they do in Michigan but also the heart and passion behind their work. Michelle and her husband Brian don't just walk through homes—they leave a safety net of $100,000 in free warranties for their clients, ensuring that peace of mind lasts long after the initial walkthrough. It's a conversation that's as much about the warmth of a secure home as it is about the bricks and mortar that hold it up.
Our chat with Michelle is a cozy blend of professional insights and personal stories, reflecting how intertwined our living spaces are with our lives. The Walkers bring their family values to the table, with tales of balancing business hustle with treasured moments spent with their two daughters and playful pups. This episode isn't just about learning the common myths of home inspections; it's a window into the lives of those dedicated to making our neighborhoods safer and more secure, one home at a time. Tune in for an episode that's as informative as it is heartfelt, crafted for those curious about the human touch in the home inspection process.
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lisa Swiftney.
Speaker 2:
Hi everyone and welcome to episode number 106 of the Good Neighbor podcast. Today we have Good Neighbor Michelle Walker and she is with InVision Property Inspection. How are you doing today, Michelle?
Speaker 3:
I'm good.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for having me, lisa Well thank you for being a guest on our podcast. Let's first start off by telling our audience about you. What is your business?
Speaker 3:
So my husband, brian, and I own InVision Property Inspections, which is a residential and commercial inspection company. Our service area covers nine counties in Michigan and we provide all the services or inspections needed for the real estate transaction. We also provide $100,000 in free warranties to our customers with their full home inspection. So how it works is we purchase those warranties from a national warranty company, we give them to our customers with their inspection and those warranties cover different areas of the home and have different lengths of coverage. The warranties protect our customers from things that are in good working order at the inspection and say now they've moved in and something's no longer working, there's a good chance one of those warranties would cover it, so they don't have to come out of pocket. We also provide a free $10,000 structural warranty to the seller of the home that we inspect. Now, because we provide so much for our customers, we may not make as much as the next home inspection company, but we take comfort in knowing that we've protected our customers from issues that may arise even after their home inspection.
Speaker 2:
That's great, thank you. Tell our listeners about your journey. How or why did you get into this business?
Speaker 3:
So my husband, brian, has been in the construction industry his entire life, working as a trade, a builder and even a remodeler. He even did remodeling for Habitat for Humanity. He started the company in 2011 when he realized that there was a great need for inspectors to help protect people against construction defects and errors. I was also in the residential construction industry for many years and I supported the business on a part-time basis until 2018, when I left my full-time job to focus on the company 100%. So our motto is inspections exceeding expectations, and this is something that we've stood by since the day that we began the business. It's a daily reminder for us and our team to go above and beyond the standards. In our industry. We inspect and include so much more than the average inspection company, and it's gratifying to see how pleasantly surprised our customers are when they see our work ethic.
Speaker 2:
So can you tell us about any myths or misconceptions you hear about in your industry?
Speaker 3:
Definitely. I would say there are a few of them in the home inspection industry. The first one is that a home inspection is something that's an important step in the real estate transaction, but it's become more of a negotiation tool than a necessity. The myth is you get a home inspection so you can renegotiate and ask for a reduction in the purchase price. The real purpose of the inspection is to make sure the home is safe for you and your family to move into.
Speaker 3:
The second misconception is the home inspector is not the deal killer. You hire them to tell you all about the home, to tell you all the deficiencies that they find with the home. The inspector did not create the issues. They're just there to discover them and inform you and ultimately it's up to the client to decide if they want to move forward with the purchase. The client's decision is based on their comfort level with the issues that were found, how much they're willing and able to spend to fix the home, as well as their ability to be able to fix it or find a contractor that can.
Speaker 2:
That is great. So what do you guys like to do for fun when you and your husband aren't working on your business?
Speaker 3:
Well, in the real estate industry, it's true that the work doesn't stop and weekends often run into weekdays. However, we firmly believe in the importance of maintaining a work-life balance. So, outside of our business, our favorite way to spend time is with our family. We have two daughters. Whether it's just watching TV or going on a family outing, we really enjoy that. We try to get together as often as our schedules will allow, and also we have two dogs that enjoy their playtime with us as well.
Speaker 2:
So what kind of dogs do you have?
Speaker 3:
We have a Chihuahua that's four and a French Bulldog, that's a year. Oh, how fun.
Speaker 2:
Two littles, two littles. Yes, my daughter had Chihuahua growing up, and now she has a couple of French Bulldogs oh nice. So tell us, what new product or service do you have this year?
Speaker 3:
Yes, every year we like to announce a new service or an added benefit for our clients.
Speaker 3:
We want to make sure that we include every inspection they may want or need, as well as make sure that they are protected even after the inspection. We want to be their home consultant for life. So, beginning this year, we've added Flex Fund, which is a pay-it closing option for our customers. It's a totally free payment option for them and this program. It's excellent for home buyers that have limited funds at the time of the inspection or perhaps they're hesitant about putting large purchases on their credit card while their closing is pending, or there may be other buyers that are looking for help with closing costs in the form of seller concessions. So with Flex Fund, the sellers and sellers concessions now the seller can pay for the inspection fees and the buyer can add all the services or inspections they want and need and they don't have to worry about paying now. And also it allows for easier financial planning by having all of the home buying related fees scheduled for payment all on a set date.
Speaker 2:
That's really great. Yes, tell everything I want. So I do know that. Buying a home, you have this fee here and this fee there and whatever.
Speaker 3:
It's never ending.
Speaker 2:
Right, exactly. So what is one thing you wish our listeners knew about your business?
Speaker 3:
So the biggest thing that we wish everyone knew about the home inspection business is that it's not a commodity.
Speaker 3:
There are vast differences between the inspector's knowledge, their experience, their training, the scope of the inspection meeting what is inspected, the services that they may or may not offer, as well as the protection for the customer after the inspection. So we train buyers and sellers on this all the time. We teach them the importance of the inspection, why they need it. As I mentioned earlier, the purpose is not so you can renegotiate the purchase price of the home. We teach them how to choose their inspector, what tools the inspector should be using, what things the inspector should be inspecting. So in the home inspection industry there are standards that state what an inspector should and should not be inspecting, and we want the customer to know those standards and make sure that their inspector is, at the very least, abiding by the standards or at best going beyond them and inspecting more than once required. So whether you choose Envision Property Inspections for your inspector or not, we want you to know how to make that decision of who to choose and why.
Speaker 2:
Lots of knowledge here. You are very knowledgeable in your craft, thank you. You can see that Now our listeners are intrigued. They wanna learn more. So how can they contact your company?
Speaker 3:
So they can text or call us anytime at 586-453-8755. They can read more about our company and our services at our website, which is en-visionpropertyinspectionscom. We're also on social media, so they can find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or all over the internet as well. We're on Google, being Yelp business Nextdoor, Alignable, Angie's List, we're easily found and we're always willing to help and answer questions.
Speaker 2:
Well, Michelle, thank you so much for being a guest today on our Good Neighbor podcast and letting our listeners know a little bit more about Envision Property Inspection. Thank you.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast Rochester. To nominate your favorite local businesses To be featured on the show, go to GNPRochestercom. That's GNPRochestercom, or call 248-988-9640. And see the whole episode later and part of the video
