During the 15 years that I owned and operated a property management company, I took every educational opportunity possible, as I was committed to being the best property manager in Prince William County. I also learned a tremendous amount from the vendors who serviced our managed properties over those years.
Terry Dillard of Pope’s Heating and Air has spent countless hours educating me on the details of various HVAC issues so I could help landlords make decisions that were often expensive and time-sensitive. His conversations helped me develop our in-house decision matrix for determining when to conduct a leak search, based on the history of adding refrigerant and when to approve replacing contactors, even if a system seemed to be operating properly.
Gerard Correa of JC Home Services handled hundreds of plumbing issues in our managed properties and always talked myself and our staff members through options and details regarding hot water heaters, main drain line replacements, leaky faucets, and replacing the guts in a toilet. I learned so much from Gerard, and I’m grateful for that knowledge which made me a better property manager. I continue to use that knowledge now as a commercial property inspector.
When I began managing my first commercial office complex, I frequently received calls in the middle of the night, requesting that I meet the Fire Marshall in response to an alarm at the building. The alarms were usually triggered by leaks in the fire suppression system. So I also had to put an emergency call into the fire/safety system contractor and arrange for our staff to conduct the required Fire Watch. This went on for months and was very frustrating. Fortunately, I met Tom Holmes from H&H Fire Protection Inc. Tom inspected the entire system and made some suggestions to prevent the frequent leaks. We hired Tom’s company to take over the inspection and repairs of the fire suppression system, and late-night alarms were significantly reduced. Unlike our previous contractor, Tom and his staff educated us on what they are doing every step of the way. With their insights and guidance, we were able to budget for future preventative repairs and reduce our expenses by reducing after-hours emergency issues.
Larry Nowell of Affordable Quality is a roofing expert. I’ve sought his opinion on residential and commercial roofs. Our conversations have caused me to always look up at the roof whenever I approach any property, keeping an eye out for potential risks or damages before entering. Larry continues to play an important role in our commercial property inspections.
As I shifted from property management to commercial property inspecting, after being certified by the Certified Commercial Property Inspectors Association (CCPIA), I went to Phoenix AZ for additional hands-on training with Rob Claus. Rob has conducted over 15K commercial property inspections, and I know he is one of the most experienced inspectors in the country. I also benefit from CCPIA’s mentorship program. I was paired with Lance Coffman, a very experienced and well-respected inspector, whose company Focus Inspections operates in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. Lance has helped Nathan and I perfect our techniques, our report formats, and our overall inspection business knowledge.
One of my new colleagues, Roxann Seven at AmericanPest, has quickly become a friend and mentor. As soon as we met, she began to bring me up to speed on the latest digital/smart systems technology for rodent control, which is especially useful in data centers. As my son has always been an aspiring entomologist, I’ve had a relatively strong knowledge of insects. But, Roxann really filled in the blanks for me regarding the details, risks, and remedies for pest problems in commercial buildings and lots. The first time we met for coffee, we discussed some of her current major issues, like a tick invasion at an office location and rats burrowing under a lamp post. I learned more over that coffee break than I had expected to.
We are excited to be serving our clients by providing commercial property inspections to business owners, property managers, and insurance companies. We are grateful for the many advisors and mentors who have helped us build our knowledge and skills. Those same experts remain part of our business circle and keep us up to date on new technologies, trends, opportunities, and risks. Call us today to take advantage of our inspection services backed up by a wide circle of experts who’ve become friends.
And feel free to reach out to those vendors directly if you’d also like to take advantage of their experience and expertise.
