For more than a quarter of a century, homeowners throughout Canada have been able to enjoy the peace of mind that comes from a thorough home safety inspection, thanks to Canadian Residential Inspection Services, Ltd.
Now celebrating 25 years in the industry, the Canadian-owned company, which is based in Nova Scotia, has offered a wide range of professional, comprehensive home inspection services for satisfied clients across the country. With franchise locations throughout Canada, Canadian Residential has become renowned for the reliability of its inspections. According to company founder, Russell Cook, this track record of dependability, reliability and quality service is largely due to the intense training that all new franchisees receive.
In a recent interview, Cook admitted to a great sense of pride that Canadian Residential Inspection Services was one of the very first Canadian home inspection companies to earn national accreditation and recognition for its home inspection training program.
According to Cook, all new franchisees begin their ownership with a total of 250 hours of academic work, taking courses based on each separate aspect of home inspection, including framing, plumbing and electrical operations. Franchisees are trained to especially look for the subtle, sometimes almost impossible to detect clues that can identify flaws in construction, workmanship and maintenance. Each course culminates in an exam, which when passed, gives the franchisee the accreditation they'll need as a home inspector.
After these study courses are completed, each franchisee spends a week doing onsite field inspection with a certified and accredited master home inspector. According to Cook, this offers new franchisees an invaluable, hands-on training experience that gives them the confidence they need as they begin to work with their own clients.
Another reason for the company's superb track record among clients, Cook said, is its stellar reputation for honesty and objectivity. Since Canadian Residential Inspection Services is independently owned, it has no allegiances to real estate agencies or contractors and does not benefit from the repair or sale of a home. Likewise, Canadian Residential does not offer recommendations that involve construction or renovation companies. This way, clients can rest assured that the home inspection they receive is completely objective and unbiased.
In order to qualify for this highly demanding industry, Cook said that franchisees need to be highly self-motivated and enjoy working with people. Cook also said that franchisees should also have a certain ability to communicate well and put clients at ease, especially in cases where a certain level of diplomacy may be needed in dealing with clients who may be, understandably, stressed out from living in a rapidly deteriorating home.
The good news is that the home inspection services industry is currently experiencing a boom in Canada and Canadian Residential is enjoying the benefits. As the company continues to grow, Cook said that the profit potential becomes even greater for franchisees. During a single month in 2012, the company's top performing franchisee completed more than 70 home inspections, with clients paying at least $400 for each inspection. Since there are no royalty payments involved, this represents a huge profit margin. Instead of royalties, franchisees pay only a set fee of $40 for each inspection report, an amount, Cook said, that is extremely competitive within the industry.
For existing franchisees, Canadian Residential offers another benefit, which is satisfied customers who return again and again. According to Cook, one British Columbia client moved to Alberta and then to Nova Scotia and ended up calling Canadian Residential Services four separate times, with highly satisfying results from each visit.
Canadian Residential Inspection Services is currently looking for franchisees across Canada, particularly in British Columbia and Ontario.
