Canadian Home Inspection Services – a Niagara Falls Success Story!
Evolution of Informed Home Buying
Forty years ago, home buyers invested their hard-earned life savings into a home purchase without fully understanding its condition. They would view the home and envision themselves raising a family in it. They wanted to build a future full of happy memories where family gathered around the kitchen table and children played in the back yard.
However, for such a significant purchase, they often lacked the technical knowledge to properly assess whether they were making a good decision. They had no way to know if the foundation was sound or if the roof would require replacement. Some buyers were lucky and others . . . not so much. In a worst case scenario, buyers could find themselves struggling to afford their mortgage and raise their family only to discover their home required thousands of dollars in major structural home repairs! They now owned a problematic home that they were stuck with. If only they had known about the home defects before they bought it . . . they could have saved themselves a heap of expense and heartache.
Success in the Making
Thomas Vattovaz grew up in Niagara Falls. The eldest son of a custom home builder, Tom took a keen interest in home building and construction at an early age. From as far back as he can remember, Tom followed his dad around to every job site. He was thirsty for knowledge and looked ahead to perhaps one day following in his father’s footsteps and taking over the family business. Not only did he want to be the best in the home construction business, Tom also knew that education would be an important part of his success. He studied at Niagara College, graduating as a Construction Engineering Technologist in the early 1980s. He continued his education and later graduated with a diploma in Business Management Studies.
By the mid-1980s, Tom had managed several construction sites on his own and had acquired the expertise to run substantial residential and commercial projects. His knowledge and skills were in high demand. Not only was home construction on the rise, but the real estate market was thriving. People were buying homes and wanting to settle down.
Tom discovered that many of his friends and people in his family circle had purchased homes that looked great cosmetically but had, in some cases, structural issues that would be costly to fix. He thought perhaps there was an opportunity to help people with their home buying decisions by educating them on the condition of the home they were considering purchasing. What if a buyer had the benefit of an independent, non-biased professional opinion? After all, wouldn’t home buyers want to protect their hard-earned dollars and minimize the risk attached to their largest investment? Tom’s entrepreneurial spirit was speaking to him…
Tom began researching his idea. He discovered that an organization in the United States (American Society of Home Inspectors, “ASHI”) had been operating for 10 years with two very specific goals in mind:
Tom discovered that ASHI had developed its own Standard of Practice to clearly define what was required in a home inspection: the scope of work and the manner in which components and systems were to be assessed. Additionally, a Code of Ethics was also proposed in order to distinguish the integrity of the organization and its members. ASHI had defined what the practice of home inspection was, and to be a home inspector was to adhere to this standard.
Canadian Home Inspection Services
With this newly acquired knowledge, Tom founded, incorporated and branded Canadian Home Inspection Services (“CHIS”) in 1988. He was the first person to introduce home inspections to the Niagara Region and one of the very first professionals to pioneer the home inspection industry in Ontario.
Tom spent countless days and nights building his new business. Just like everything else he had pursued to date, Tom wanted to be the best home inspector in the field. He had knowledge to share and a burning desire to help and educate people on the condition of any prospective property they were looking to buy.
He also wanted to perfect the ASHI Standard for his market. He developed his own detailed reporting system of each major residential home component. His reporting system included a thorough assessment of the following:
Seeing that a few key inspection needs were being unmet in his assessments, Tom honed his skills and received certification to inspect wood burning appliances (WETT). He further obtained a government license to design and inspect septic systems, a Level 1 accreditation in thermography as well as certification to conduct commercial property assessments. He was the first inspector to offer all types of inspections under one roof. He became the one-stop-shop in property inspections.
Promoting and Growing the Business
To ensure the ongoing growth of his company, Tom built a comprehensive, customized marketing system. He developed a website chock-full of useful information, many sales and marketing materials, and weekly newsletters. He built a Home Reference Manual that he gave to each of his clients. The manual included the inspection report, filing folders for home expenses, a cost estimate guide for frequent home repairs, and a yearly home maintenance checklist.
With CHIS in full throttle, Tom didn’t stop there. He knew he needed to invest in two more important areas to grow his business. Firstly, educating realtors about home inspections and the value/protection they provided to their clients was paramount. Tom spent many hours educating realtors on various home systems and he distinguished himself as the go-to expert for home inspections in the Niagara region.
Secondly, being passionate about what he could do for realtors and their clients, Tom saw an opportunity to expand his business. It was time to promote the company on a wider scale. Tom entered into franchise agreements in many territories throughout Ontario. He developed a comprehensive training program and offered his knowledge, expertise and marketing prowess to potential franchisees that were interested in doing home inspections but didn’t want to start their business from scratch.
Today, there is an estimated 1,500 home inspectors in Ontario alone. Tom’s dream of revolutionizing the way people buy homes has become a reality in most real estate transactions. To learn more about Canadian Home Inspection Services or to access our Home Reference Library, visit our website.
If you want to learn more about joining our team, tune in to our video (coming soon!). We would love to hear from you!
