Tag: news

National Property Inspections, Inc. is Now Part of the Co-operators Family

February 20, 2024

We at National Property Inspections, Inc. are proud to announce our organization, along with Carson Dunlop, have been acquired by Co-operators Group Limited. With aligned goals of serving homeowners and communities, NPI is excited for this expanded reach throughout North America and the opportunity to further innovate the property inspection industry. “In Co-operators, we have found an ideal partner that brings a wealth of experience, relationships, and resources to drive growth and long-term value for our stakeholders. Our core values are in sync, and Co-operators’ long-term vision uniquely positions us to effectively scale our network and help us live our purpose: to better the lives of homeowners.” – Craig Rowsell, CEO of Carson Dunlop and National Property Inspections, Inc. Co-operators was originally founded to provide coverage for farmers who couldn’t find protection elsewhere. Today, the organization has grown to become one of Canada’s leading financial services cooperatives, with a focus on multi-line insurance, wealth management, and brokerage operations. With Co-operators, National Property Inspections, Inc. and Carson Dunlop are looking forward to continuing our mission in serving homeowners and investors throughout their post-purchase story, with Honesty, Integrity, and Professionalism. Combining our commitment to keeping homeowners informed with Co-operators’ assistance to families

National Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Cory Anderson

April 19, 2022

National Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful NPI and GPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. We’re proud to feature our reigning 2021 Franchise of the Year, Cory Anderson of NPI East Tennessee. After purchasing an existing franchise in 2017 in Knoxville, TN, Cory and his team have been on an upward trajectory that’s landed him in the top four percent of our organization. He’s also recently expanded to cover both Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities area. Tell us about yourself! What was your previous career, and how did you come to NPI?Cory Anderson: I have an agricultural technology degree from the University of Tennessee and worked in the agricultural field for about 7 years prior to coming to NPI. During my agricultural career, my wife and I purchased multiple rental homes and loved learning about and investing in real estate. Our home inspector was Steve Hancock, who started the original NPI Knoxville franchise in 1995. During our last inspection with Steve, he announced that he would be retiring and told us that we would need to find another inspector. After many

Carson Dunlop Acquires National Property Inspections, Inc.

April 4, 2022

National Property Inspections, Inc. is pleased to announce that Carson Dunlop has recently acquired our organization. In this exciting development, Carson Dunlop and NPI are slated to become the preeminent provider of inspection and inspection-related services in North America. “I have long admired the strength of the Carson Dunlop brand and am thrilled to join forces to further accelerate growth at NPI,” said Roland Bates, founder of NPI. “I am extremely proud of the business we’ve built over the last 35 years and am enthusiastic about the future. Becoming part of Carson Dunlop will be an exciting new chapter for us and I look forward to continuing to support the NPI franchise system in my new role.” I have long admired the strength of the Carson Dunlop brand and am thrilled to join forces to further accelerate growth at NPI. I am extremely proud of the business we’ve built over the last 35 years and am enthusiastic about the future. Becoming part of Carson Dunlop will be an exciting new chapter for us and I look forward to continuing to support the NPI franchise system in my new role. Roland BatesFounder of National Property Inspections, Inc. Carson Dunlop has been

Millennial Home Buyers Overcoming Obstacles

November 9, 2021

By Adam Kiesel, NPI, Inc.’s Digital Marketing Assistant This past year’s housing market can be best compared to a high-octane car race. Short listing times along with people itching to go from renter to owner made for a hot seller’s market. Millennials were one of the major players, throwing their hats into the buyer’s ring and quickly snatching up homes. As the markets begin to slow down and level off, millennials are trying to keep their footing and overcome some of the hurdles they’ve faced. Don’t Look at the Label Millennials can often times be judged simply because of their age. They may be written off as too young or too inexperienced to accurately navigate the housing market. The reality is that they’re one of the more informed buyer groups. Millennials make up nearly 40 percent of the homebuying market, meaning they’re not going away, they’re only growing in number. In fact, most older millennials are repeat buyers and aren’t uninformed about the process. While it’s easy to assume, doing so could lead you down the wrong path when it comes to serving this group. What They’re Buying Like every buying group before them, millennials have their own wants and

Should You Use TikTok to Market Your Inspections?

October 12, 2021

By Stepha Vesper, NPI, Inc.’s Marketing Communications Specialist If you’re already active on social media or know someone who is, chances are that you’ve heard of the hit social media app TikTok. The video-sharing app boasts 689 million active users worldwide, and pulls in more than one billion video views a day. While it started out with a mainly younger audience, TikTok has attracted people from all different ages and industries. TikTok Fast Facts TikTok has been around for a little over five years, but it really started taking off in 2018. Users can upload videos ranging from a few seconds to three minutes about any topic they’d like. Whether you’re sharing your favorite recipe or your classic movie collection, eye-catching material can take off and reach thousands of other users. The main base of TikTok’s users are younger, mostly in the pre-teen to early twenties demographic. Average users can spend up to an hour on the app each day scrolling through content. In their Q4 in 2019, TikTok saw over 300 percent revenue growth as the billion-dollar company continues to expand. Real Estate and TikTok Because of TikTok’s rising popularity, many businesses are using it as another marketing tool.

How Recording Inspections Could Help You

September 7, 2021

By Jon McCreath, NPI, Inc.’s Technical Supervisor & Training Administrator When you think of the professions that utilize video cameras, home inspections might be far down on the list. Emergency services, loggers, and bartenders can be seen wearing cameras to record their shifts. Even cyclists and other motorists have found that cameras are useful, especially for insurance purposes. So, how do they make sense in the home inspection industry? Controlling Risk as Much as Possible There are different forms of risk you have to try and control as an inspector. Scammers, personal injury, and legal action are just a few of the common risks you might come across. Of course you can’t completely erase risk, but taking the right steps greatly lowers it. Making sure that you have the right insurance provider is just one step that goes a long way in protecting you. Now, inspectors are finding that recording inspections is helping in instances where further details are needed. Visuals in Report WritingThere’s no doubt that photos in a report are necessary to have. Whether it’s for your own notes or to point out a defect, they give a clearer picture of what’s going on. Maybe you’ve had to

Demand for Commercial Inspectors Growing Rapidly

August 24, 2021

By Sammi Marcellus, NPI, Inc.’s Recruitment Coordinator Following the partial collapse of the Surfside condo in Florida, more attention than before has been on the safety of commercial buildings. Coastal states especially are keeping a close eye on miles of waterfront property, most of which is almost half a century old. Some of the newer buildings were built before the Great Recession and tend to have more errors due to being rushed. With the increase in commercial inspections and new inspection laws, the demand for commercial inspectors has grown as well. More buildings are exchanging hands. Covid-19 forced the commercial real estate sector to shift drastically. Many offices moved remotely, shopping centers downsized, and restaurants had to relocate in an effort to recoup financial losses. As restrictions have eased back and places open back up, many are trying to get back to life before. Similar to the housing market, commercial buildings are exchanging hands quickly. All of those buildings being bought and sold going unchecked has raised concerns about how protected the people living in them will be. Coastal hotspots reexamining inspection laws. The state of Florida requires buildings to be recertified every 40 years, but there’s been a push

The Millennial Effect: How a Generation is Shaping Commercial Real Estate

July 20, 2021

Throughout the history of commercial real estate, each new workforce cycle has left their mark. Office designs have evolved to meet the needs of workers and help them be successful. Now, Millennials are showcasing their influence and developers are overhauling spaces to follow along. The Millennial Workforce is Big Almost 50 percent of the world’s workers are part of the Millennial generation. Because of this, they’ve been the vocal majority on building designs from offices to multifamily properties. Their uniqueness is often reflected in commercial construction and grows as they do. That means the developers that don’t keep up, are likely left in the dust. So what are some of the features that Millennials have to have in their office buildings? Leaving Behind a Small Impact Environmental change is one of, if not the most important, causes among Millennials. They’re always looking for ways that they can cut energy consumption and try to improve the earth as much as they can. Around half of Millennials are more likely to go with a company that actively works to reduce its carbon footprint. Both inside and outside, there are ways to make your younger tenants–and the environment–happy. Changing out older lights and

Going Virtual: Why Many are Buying Homes “Blind”

October 21, 2020

By Adam Kiesel, NPI, Inc.’s Digital Marketing Assistant Over the past year, inspectors have adjusted their processes to help ensure client safety and peace of mind. Wearing personal protective equipment and bringing disinfectants to inspections have become commonplace. In addition to precautions taken throughout the inspection process, social distancing measures may still sometimes prevent many agents and clients from opting for an in-person walkthrough to go over report findings. So what does this mean for the future of inspections and how they’re conducted? Read on to learn more. COVID Has Altered BuyingBetween 10-20 percent of Americans under 30 have moved or know someone who has since the pandemic began, either as a direct result of it or due to other circumstances. The housing market remains competitive in many regions, with buyers acting quickly to take advantage of low interest rates. This means that the window of time between the inspection and closing has continued to tighten. More and more employees are also moving to a permanent work-from-home setup, giving them location flexibility. Oftentimes, in this situation, buyers are unable to travel long distances to see a home in person, forcing them to buy “blind.” For inspectors, this makes proper photo

Global Property Inspections Franchisee Spotlight: Greg Mathias

March 26, 2018

Global Property Inspections’ Franchisee Spotlight recognizes our most innovative and successful GPI and NPI franchises. By sharing their stories, helpful tips and lessons learned, every franchisee can learn what it takes to grow their business. For our March spotlight, we’re proud to feature Greg Mathias of Lloydminster, AB. Greg bought his GPI franchise in 2009. He was the first inspector to be named a CCHI (Canadian Certified Home Inspector). In just three short years as a GPI franchisee, Greg earned the title as our GPI top producer for 2013. What was appealing to you about the inspection industry?Greg Mathias: I’m a people person. I really liked the idea that I would be helping someone make the biggest decision of their lives. What skills from your previous job have helped you grow an inspection franchise?GM: I have always been in the construction industry working on full home, commercial buildings and renovations. I use the skills I’ve amassed over 31 years in the trade to market my inspection services. Clients like to know that you have the skills and the expertise to do the job. Why did you decide on GPI?GM: I looked at many franchises before deciding on GPI. The reason