Why Building Relationships Matters More Than Quick Sales with Kenny McLaurin

In this episode of Palm Harbor Local, host Donnie Hathaway sits down with Kenny McLaurin, founder of McLaurin Inspections, to explore the evolving world of home inspections and real estate in Florida. Kenny shares his journey of building his business during the pandemic, how market shifts impact both inspectors and agents, and why managing client expectations is critical in such a high-stakes industry.

We dive into:

• How Florida’s insurance requirements make inspections unique (and complicated).
• Differences between inspecting homes in Michigan vs. Florida.
• The role of communication in building trust with buyers and agents.
• Kenny’s candid thoughts on solar panels, roofing, and inspection guidelines.
• The future of AI and technology in the home inspection industry.

Whether you’re buying, selling, or simply curious about the behind-the-scenes of home inspections, this episode is full of insights you won’t want to miss.

Stroll through the laid-back streets of the Palm Harbor community with this informative podcast, proudly brought to you by Donnie Hathaway with The Hathaway Group, your trusted guide and local expert in navigating the diverse and ever-changing property landscape of Palm Harbor.

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Transcript

Meeting Kenny McLaurin from McLaurin Inspections

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Palm Harbor Local, the podcast dedicated to building community and sharing inspiring stories from the heart of Palm Harbor. I'm your host, donnie Hathaway, and today we are joined by Kenny McLaurin, who's the owner and founder of McLaurin Inspections. Now, palm Harbor Local is all about spotlighting individuals and businesses who are making a difference, overcoming challenges and fostering connections right here in our hometown. If you are passionate about growing together, getting involved and celebrating the people who make Palm Harbor thrive, you're exactly where you need to be. In today's episode, kenny and I talk about how AI is impacting business and real estate, the value of a home inspection when you are either buying and or selling your home, and also Kenny talks about how he manages expectations of sharing his knowledge about the home and construction without scaring buyers away. Now don't forget to connect with us on Instagram at palmharborlocal for behind the scenes highlights, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at palmharborlocalcom. Now let's dive in and build community together.

Speaker 1 1:03

Welcome back to the podcast. Yeah, yeah, that's better off. New setup. Um, thanks for being here, man. I'm excited to chat with you. Obviously, we were just talking a little bit more about a bunch of other stuff, so we'll kind of dive into some of that. But, um, you've been in florida now for what we're saying, five years, yeah, and you've been a home inspector the whole time going on.

Speaker 2 1:24

13 years, yeah, in total, but yeah, the whole time I've been here. I started right off the bat, from yeah 2019 on to now yeah, what?

Speaker 1 1:33

um?

Speaker 2 1:33

so you got in like just before the craziness of the coven market and stuff yeah, got in the right when covid started again, was driving the van down here, got news that everyone was shutting down. Had to figure it out. Uh, figured out a great marketing strategy at least I, I thought for the time being uh, with instagram, and then obviously it blew up into what it is today and uh, a great amount of relationships with everybody and just continuing on that road has.

Speaker 1 2:02

Has anything changed in the home inspection world since you started?

Speaker 2 2:08

Yeah, a lot Kind of like real estate, where everybody saw it big and everybody was like, oh, you can make a lot of money quickly, obviously because the market was just so hot, people needed it. Yesterday and today we're seeing a lot of people enter the field and ask to enter the field. So I've even thought about doing like I don't know like kind of coaching on how to do that, just because it's like weekly I get a message about like Like a home inspector, like wanting to be a yeah, somebody wanted to be a home inspector or transition into that.

Speaker 2 2:42

So we're seeing a lot of people enter it, just like real estate, but also a lot of people leave, right you know cause everybody got in at a time where, like you didn't have to market really that hard.

Speaker 2 2:51

It just people just needed it at one. Now it's getting to the point where you're relying on marketing a lot more, and so we're just seeing a transition. But I've been through one of those before, just because I have been in the business for a while, so I am used to it but definitely seeing a little bit of a I wouldn't say a downturn, because, like we're doing more than we ever have, like this year will be our best year, but it's odd. It's like the people that were doing a lot of business are not doing as much business. It's just a. It's a transition in that we're seeing a lot of investors come in again, which obviously mostly because of the storm. The storm and this has created such a weird market for us.

Market Transitions in Real Estate

Speaker 1 3:30

Yeah, you're right, it is an interesting time. So I've been in real estate since 2016. And really I think 2016 was still kind of a seller's market when I was first getting started, not so much like it was in 2021, but still sellers kind of had the advantage like that entire time. And then the COVID market hit and it just, like you know, skyrocketed into a seller's market and now we're like so that's like the first like real transition of, like you know, more inventory buyers have some leverage in certain situations and stuff that I've seen. You know you really have to rely on your, your skill set, you know, both with marketing, both and with with people and communication and stuff.

Speaker 2 4:18

That I think is fun you know brings out the talent and everybody in the business, you as an agent, us in the inspection world. Like before, all of this like with it was so busy you didn't, no one even complained. It was just like can we get in? I don't even care of the roofs falling in. And now we're, especially right now, we're seeing a lot of like if agents got in at a time where, like that was like that, now any negotiating if you have to be a negotiator to be in this business like no, no questions asked.

Speaker 2 4:52

And we're seeing a lot of listing agents like come back because buyers are asking for stuff now and they never. They were told before you can't just get the house, and now people are asking for everything and it's like we're not doing anything different. We're still educating, but people just want they're beating people down. So like we're getting a lot of listing agents pretty upset and like questioning everything and like it doesn't help that we have a lot of contractors that are like contradicting. Sometimes it's a weird time, I think, especially for people that got in you know 2020 and on.

Speaker 1 5:25

Yeah, they're not used to it. Yeah, Like, were there any differences that you noticed Because you were a home inspector in Michigan before right Between, like Michigan and Florida?

Speaker 2 5:37

Just the yes, I will say. Inspecting in Florida, I feel like, is just a little easier, one being really no one shows up half the time they're in a different state or in the military. We have a lot of military people moving here, obviously, and they're just so busy or they're out of state so that and there's a lot less to look at here. Obviously, michigan's got basements and all these added on things Other than that, pretty much the same, other than seasons, like we definitely slow down. I feel like in florida a lot more in the summertime everybody going to school and I feel like people in the summertime here they vacation elsewhere, whereas, like in michigan and northern states, they stay.

Speaker 2 6:21

That's like their time to like enjoy that weather yeah, there're so the slow down periods are different, but other than that, and yeah florida, people are so much more in tune with like it's like I feel like it's like going to california where they're just either ahead of it, like the marketing that, like everyone said, it's so slow there. It's like where people go to retire. People here run circles around anyone. Any ideas here come to life. In the Midwest it's different A little bit slower.

Speaker 2 6:54

They question everything. There's no way that's possible here. It's like you go to dinner and next thing you know you got another business idea with somebody. It's alive. They'll make it happen, so that that part is sweet, just because nothing's unreachable yeah, yeah at least I just feel like somebody's got a guy or a girl that knows how to do this right and get it done.

Speaker 1 7:15

Yeah, I like that. That's cool. What about like the um, like buyers, and like buyers in michigan, did they? Uh, was it the norm for them to ask for repairs and stuff Like, so you do an inspection? So a lot more so.

Speaker 2 7:31

I feel like a lot more so there. But then again I was also in a normal market when.

Speaker 1 7:36

I was there and the transition.

Speaker 2 7:37

So I am still going through that ride of like it is coming back to that Right, and I'm starting to be like, oh, I remember this, I remember these times. So I don't think it's necessarily different from state to state, necessarily on how that is asked, but definitely I mean my family still owns an inspection company there in Michigan and my mom's a real estate agent there in Michigan. So I still hear about all the trends of how things work, but pretty much the same.

Speaker 1 8:02

If I had to guess what about insurance stuff like roof, ac? Like are they? Are they stricter here?

Insurance Challenges in Florida

Speaker 2 8:09

this is the strictest state besides texas. This is like the strictest state you'll see on the insurance standpoint. So it's getting crazy like, uh, they don't do that anywhere else. They're starting to implement that in certain counties, like the four point. They don't call it a four point there, but they are starting to try to implement that. It's more of like, I think, uh, a money grab for the county and that in michigan there's nothing.

Speaker 2 8:30

Nothing's going on in michigan but in a sense of, like damage wise, um, but it is weird to see it because, like even now, like hurricane season hit, my phone is blowing up with everybody, like their insurance company hey, we need a new four point. Hey, we need a new wind mitigation. Like gosh, I love it. It keeps the business flowing quite well in a slow time, but weird it's. It's weird to me. I think it's important, um, because when somebody, like they're insuring the house, they want to know, uh, what you have and and what damages there can occur, obviously, but it's just different. Like they can call and be like, hey, we don't like that brand of water heater, change it out.

Speaker 1 9:12

Yeah, that doesn't happen anywhere else. I think, yeah, I think One other state, I think. I think that's the interesting part. You know, it's like the insurance, you know one, the cost of insurance has gone up. The insurance, you know one, the cost of insurance has gone up and they're getting very picky on like what they're willing and won't insure. Like how old's a roof? You know? Like that was a big issue. I haven't had too many older roofs recently, but you know, last year and the year before, it's like if it was 15 years old, even though there's nothing wrong with it, it's like, yeah, you got to get a new roof.

Speaker 2 9:47

And there needs to be a system in place. There's, there's not a good system in place, and the reason being is because so for from my standpoint, I get called in. Let's just say you're a listing agent and you're like I want to do a, I want to do a pre-listing four point, great, that all sounds amazing. And you get an inspector out there, that's fine, a lot of inspect, like there's a guideline. But then there's like an ego that gets involved, like okay, we're going to, we want this fix, this fix and this fix, okay. Well, then another guy the buyer's agent inspector comes out. Well, he believes he's disagreeing with whatever.

Speaker 1 10:27

So now you're in this like who's right, who's wrong?

Speaker 2 10:28

yeah, when, in reality, if there's just like an actual guideline like this is what we're allowing, this is what we're not allowing, period. But then, it would be like I don't even know how you get there, like I I. I believe that a pre-listing four point is a good idea, because you're just trying to knock all that stuff out, but, like man, it it it is weird.

Speaker 2 10:47

It's it four points, a lot of ego. Yeah, after a certain point, like we're dealing with something right now in st petersburg where it's like a um, down payment assistance program okay, uh, which is cool, but there's no guidelines. Like I'm right now I'm in a transaction where no one said anything to me. I think it'd be better if they're like hey, these are the guidelines, this is a down payment assistant program, this is what we expect out of you and it would be a little bit better. But and like, for instance, I feel like when you make a um, an offer, you kind of have to list like, hey, are you accepting VA FA? Because there's a standard of practice that the listing and the sellers have to abide by when they do that.

Speaker 2 11:33

So they everything goes certain, it's a hundred year old home, you were gonna have like all these knickknacks and crannies. So we get a call back and like, hey, did you pass the four point? I guess poor prints been passed. Like you have a clean one in your inbox. Oh, what about the siding and the sloping floors and all of these things that an old home has? I'm like well.

Speaker 1 11:51

That's not on a four point.

Speaker 2 11:52

On a four point oh no, but that has to pass. I'm like, okay, well, where, but that has to pass. I'm like, okay, well, where's our guideline list on what needs to be done so that we have something to go off of? They just want me to clear and accept it, like where's my list? So that kind of stuff is odd too. What's the?

Speaker 1 12:10

right pitch for the floors, all that kind of stuff, yeah.

Speaker 2 12:12

Yeah, where do we stop? It's a hundred-year-old home.

Speaker 1 12:14

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Speaker 2 13:15

Yeah, that we're seeing a lot.

Speaker 1 13:17

Do you think that we get to that point where there are guidelines of like as a home inspector, here's sort of like your checklist, or here's like standards of practice as far as, like you know, the condition of the roof? It's also weird because so the roof, let's talk about the roof, right, there's so many different variables as far as the materials that are used, how long they last, condition of it, like all that change.

Speaker 2 13:43

You know, there's so many moving parts there because if we were to follow like strict guidelines on everything, on a four point and everything that they check on like a citizen's report, like you would never close on a house, like it would just be an ongoing battle. I mean, for instance, like we do four points on every house, like right now we're doing three to four inspections a day and they all have four points and windmills attached. That's great, but all these repairs have to be made, so we'll get like 16 reports in one day that are like we need this fixed. We're trying to close in like four days and you're like, oh my god, so like you have everybody, the anxiety of everybody trying to get it done, which is, I understand, everyone's trying to get it done. But then you're like, okay, do I let that slide Because they didn't technically do that to the full extent. For example, there's no guideline on the inspector has to come back to re-inspect the house. It's just the inspector has to pass and clear and feel okay. Well, do we feel okay with?

Speaker 1 14:53

Uncle.

Speaker 2 14:53

Joe doing the roof repair. There's a lot of unknowns with that and I don't know how you like round that.

Speaker 1 15:01

Yeah.

Speaker 2 15:02

You know it's systematically good. I don't. I don't know how you do it.

Speaker 1 15:06

Yeah, it is interesting. I don't know if there is, because there's so many different variables. Right, there's it's. I don't know if you can't.

Speaker 2 15:15

Well, they don't do it anywhere else. That's what's weird. So like if you I think one of the Carolinas does the 4.0 thing, I'm not totally sure on that.

Speaker 1 15:24

So other states they don't have anything for insurance.

Speaker 2 15:29

They may or may not ask the homeowner like, hey, what kind of panel did your home inspector say? But there's no like legitimate reports that separately, that a home inspector has to like clarify and and put on there. So it's, it's weird, because in michigan you do a home inspection report, you're done, you never think about it again. You're never like hey, you know so-and-so did the repair. Can you change it? No, we're, it's done, it's over with yeah you're okay with it.

Speaker 2 15:52

You're okay with it as a as a homeowner or a home purchaser, but like it's a lot of I don't know how you systematically I wonder we should probably know this right, but I wonder, like when the four points started and like why that started.

Speaker 1 16:04

Do you know that?

Speaker 2 16:05

I hate to like assume, but I really feel like there was so much scam related things going on to where oh yeah people were just.

Speaker 2 16:16

I mean, there was like, for instance, you had the um sinkhole scam thing that was going on for a while. And I'm not saying it's just Florida, you get that everywhere. But Florida had a lot of that going on where it was like, and a lot of unlicensed work it still goes on here where, like, somebody will hold a license up north, like Michigan, illinois, and they'll sell the permit, so like they'll hold the GC license and then whoever needs to pull will pull. So there's a lot of I mean, that's not just Florida again, but definitely a lot more here. And then obviously we get hit by hurricanes, but so does Louisiana, so does Texas, and I don't really see that. I know Texas is a very strict state on like the inspection side of things, like the strictest state to retain a license and things like that. But like the strictest state to retain a license and things like that. But I don't think they have a four-point over there. I have an uncle that lives over there?

Speaker 1 17:01

yeah, he's never mentioned it I was um, where were you? I think in south carolina, and obviously they have the buildings they have. There are much, much older than some of the buildings we have here right, but we were, we were staying in, like this old hotel.

Speaker 1 17:15

Uh, it was an old building, probably an old house at one point, and they converted it to hotel but, like you know, the floors are pitching the, the roofs are all old and like patched all over the place. You know, and it's like in florida, you gotta patch now and it's like no, you gotta replace the entire roof. We're not, we're not gonna insure you anymore. You know it's. You know it's, and maybe that's because of the hurricanes and again, and then also, like going back to your point, maybe that's also because of litigation that was happening with the roofs and you know getting insurance companies to repair roofs that were were fine before.

Speaker 2 17:50

So there's we had so many people like I had never heard of anyone like door knocking your door to like say, hey, do you remember this storm? There could be damage, and like trying to that. There was a lot of that going on here and I never even heard of that where I was from. So I feel like I correlate it with that. I think that they were trying to like limit that, like wait a second, the roof was fine you know, somebody.

Speaker 2 18:14

Four points are I think they're. I mean now it's like every year, I feel like people are asking for a new one.

Speaker 2 18:19

But I think for a while it was four or five years Every four or five years. It was pretty standard If you still stayed in the house like you had to just re-up and get one done. But now it's getting to the point where it just makes things just kind of harder to close, like, for instance, if we put anything less than when we talked, talked last time it was, you could put three years left on the roof, like your professional opinion. Now it's five. If there's anything less than five they won't accept it. Like I have to have these conversations with buyers where you know they're I think it actually does have like maybe one or two years left. I can't put that I have to put five.

Speaker 2 18:53

So I have to tell them like hey, I have to put five for you to get insurance. It only has one or two years to even get this accepted. And that's not fair, like if I really don't think it has five years, like I'm kind of being pushed to say that it does and that doesn't make sense, right?

Speaker 1 19:10

And if it has five years left, why can't they insure it? You know, like, why won't they do that? I?

Speaker 2 19:15

know, that's what I'm saying, and then a lot of times they won't even cover it. Anyways, it's some battle with it, so it I don't know. It's a weird system and like, for instance, we have a house that we're doing right now. A 2019 roof Should have plenty of life left.

Speaker 1 19:35

There's like four patches from the store and they patched to touch it.

Speaker 2 19:38

So I don't know, we're forced to kind of be the gatekeeper on that, which I don't think is fair.

Speaker 1 19:44

It is. Yeah, I hope there's. I don't know if there's a solution here in the near future, but hopefully there's. I think it's just like some clarity around you know, like what are we accepting? And because obviously you know, even when you started here as a home inspector, but when I got into real estate a 15 year old roof was was fine yeah, you could have a patched roof, it's fine I don't see why not.

Speaker 2 20:07

As long as we go through it, it's okay, it's not leaking. I don't see why we would. I think I think I don't know, I think it's a little bit of an overstep and I don't know. I I'm not complaining. It does keep us busy. All these insurance inspections keep us busy, but I, to an extent, I just don't think it's fair for a lot of people yeah, I mean you you will be forced to replace your roof if they are not well, that was that was going to happen at our, at our airbnb um the, we had a and it was a metal.

Speaker 1 20:36

We were told that it was installed in 1998, but they didn't pull a permit for it.

Speaker 2 20:43

So it's a guesstimate on the inspector is what most people will say so if I want to throw a guesstimate out there and I want to put that on me, that's fine.

Speaker 1 20:50

Yeah.

Speaker 2 20:51

And those metal roofs, I believe, because I think you had an exposed fastener roof where you can see the fasteners those panels will last forever.

Speaker 1 20:58

What it is is the gaskets will fail, so every 15, 20 years or so those gaskets dry out and you just replace them.

Speaker 2 21:06

But again there's like weird timeframes, Like right now they're pushing, they're so strict, Like people will be like, okay, for example, you'll have like polybutylene plumbing in a house from the nineties. Well, you know, there's been four points since then yeah every two years or so, but this transaction we're just not gonna not gonna do it anymore.

Speaker 1 21:22

Why not yeah?

Speaker 2 21:23

that's weird, yeah, people. And so the sellers, like I, have insurance, why are they gonna buy? Again right, that doesn't make any sense. Why are we still at that point? Yeah, that's odd to me. I don't know. I don't know what you do.

Speaker 1 21:37

Yeah, we just roll with the punches and adapt. How old like. So let's talk about like roof materials. Right, you have shingles, metal and then tile roofs.

Speaker 2 21:53

Yeah.

Speaker 1 21:53

Which one lasts long, like metal roofs, last the longest, or Seamless metal lasts a long time.

Speaker 2 22:00

It's the least likely to be annoyed by like an insurance company, like they won't really bother with it too much.

Speaker 1 22:08

Seamless metal, meaning it's like one giant piece.

Speaker 2 22:11

So seamless is everything's overlapped.

Roof Materials and Solar Panels

Speaker 1 22:12

You'll never see a fastener which is cool Like cast those things last forever.

Speaker 2 22:17

As long as the wind doesn't pick up on them, they do well. Another roof that I like here is a TPO roof. It's a PVC membrane If you have a flatter style roof. Even though UV light breaks down PVC, these things last for a while. They're known to be mostly in commercial buildings, but they'll be usually known to be like a 50-year roof.

Speaker 1 22:44

You might have some penetration sealant things that you might have to take care of, but tile, I know a lot of people out like ask about tile, you're spending so expensive, yeah, but you're spending so much money.

Speaker 2 22:49

And like they're so vulnerable.

Speaker 2 22:51

Like yes, they're designed to like let the water go underneath the tile in some areas and that's fine, but they're just so vulnerable yeah like they're not, even they're not worth it and it's not easy to fix too, like if you break a tile we don't even know where that that that leak is, because there's so many spot like you have penetrations coming to the roof. Crack tiles are like a given you're gonna have them. Uh, so like they now, they use a self-stick underlayment that basically like water, when it not if, but when it does get underneath the tile, it's not necessarily going to cause too big of a leak, whereas before, like anything 90s to early 2000s, they would use this modified bitumen which was like a rolled asphalt material as their valleys so like all your valleys wore out in like 15, 20 years If you're lucky and you're redoing a roof.

Speaker 1 23:38

Yeah.

Speaker 2 23:38

And you're like dang, it's like 60, 80 grand, depending on the house. It's just not. They look cool but they're just.

Speaker 1 23:44

They do. They're risky. Especially some of the. I do like the the look of. I don't know if it's like slate tile or what it is, but it's just like the, the flat tiles.

Speaker 2 23:53

I really like that Sweet. They look sweet. Yeah, the Tesla. Did you ever see the Tesla?

Speaker 1 23:57

Yeah, that was so cool.

Speaker 2 23:58

Yeah, I mean, they're a lot, but they look cool. That's another thing. Solar too.

Speaker 1 24:03

Oh, I'd love to get your opinion on that.

Speaker 2 24:05

Would you? Yeah, are you sure? Probably a lot of hate on my opinion on it, but do you have an opinion on it?

Speaker 1 24:12

Yeah, Okay Do. Do you like solar or no? Are you putting solar on your?

Speaker 2 24:18

roof. No Okay, I get calls a lot about it, but only because I'm not either.

Speaker 1 24:23

Okay.

Speaker 2 24:25

We have a ton of solar farms by us. They've eaten up a lot of land and done that. But for a roof you want my opinion. I think that if you're the one purchasing it by the time you Like, your average person's not paying cash for that and seeing like a return on it.

Speaker 2 24:40

I don't think um by the time you pay that off, most people aren't staying in their home long enough to make it make sense. So, like, let's say they're staying in their home for five to ten years. The loan on that uh is usually quite a bit, because they get you for, like, okay, well, you know, with the solar we'll do the hvac and make this home efficient. Uh, so by the time you get this loan paid off which you're not typically going to by the time you move out, they've basically, in my opinion, I feel like they've stripped the equity out of your house because, no, it doesn't add value to the house, right in anyone's opinion I think that's the issue too.

Speaker 2 25:11

Yeah, so you go to sell like they have they either are going to assume the loan, which is wild to me. Why would you do that? You're buying a house or the seller has to pay it off to that, but so you're buying a house great I mean it's still got to be taken off. In what? 20 years, if you're lucky, that things. I mean the roof's got to be taken off in 20 years yeah, so I think it's a way.

Speaker 2 25:31

It's a very interesting way to like. I'm not saying they're doing this on purpose, but it's an interesting way to like kind of pull the equity out of people's houses without them even understanding that it's happening um until they're selling and if you're?

Speaker 1 25:45

if you're, you're paying the loan, right? So, yes, your electricity is is free or it's reduced, you know and then, but you're paying the loan, so you're still paying for the electricity they like to get you with the.

Speaker 2 25:58

Why rent your power when you can own it?

Speaker 1 26:00

type thing.

Speaker 2 26:01

But there's nothing you can tell me that is going to make me feel otherwise. Unless I'm purchasing the home and it's paid off, that is the only way I would feel okay with that. But I'm telling you, I'm up on these roofs daily, 95% of the roofs. Where they put solar on, they destroy the roof when they do it.

Speaker 2 26:21

And people don't even know it. Like you go up there and the granules are just completely worn off, like, and no one goes back out there to like recheck and then, like a lot of times, they shouldn't. These solar guys like they don't know how to flash it into the roof.

Speaker 1 26:32

Very well, yeah, is there issues with with um the roof leaking in those spots where they have to attach it to the roof?

Speaker 2 26:40

Yeah, because I mean they're penetrating the roof everywhere and they're reliant on a lot of silicone. They still have these flanges where they overlap. But I know I keep saying I just had one, but I just did one where the roof was only 2015 and the solar was fairly new and they had only owned the home for like three years and, like we're, we use thermal cameras on every house, so we're like looking at the ceiling and like we're seeing water stains and there's no disclosures of any leaks. Because if we're trying to put it all together, like are those old?

Speaker 2 27:08

like yeah what is going, because sometimes even on a thermal camera you read a little bit of moisture and it might be just so faint that it's like barely happening. But it's there and uh, yeah, they're, they're upset because I mean the solar, they kind of ruined the roof. Yeah, and uh, if we do tell insurance that this is leaking, it's a game over. Yeah, so unfortunately, yeah, I think I don't know that's how I feel about it I would agree.

Speaker 1 27:34

I think you know, if you, if you, if you can afford to purchase the solar cash outright, then then great. But then you're also, even if the installers like know what they're doing and are, you know, some of the best installers like, in my opinion, like you're still risking you're, you're impacting the structure of the roof and stuff.

Speaker 2 27:56

So it's still, you're still putting a risk up there that you know is going to save you a few bucks if these solar panels lasted like, you could take them off and reinstall the same ones and I know there'll be an argument with that, but most if you look up like the time frame on a solar panel, it's roughly around the same time as like a roof. So if that was the case you didn't have to just reinstall new every time Again. Not that anyone's staying in a house that long anymore, but that would make more sense. I'd feel like a little okay about spending the amount of money that you do on it, but the fact that I gotta replace them pretty much any time I get no, I think it's cool. I think solar is cool.

Speaker 1 28:39

If you have land, you can put it on the land somewhere and tie it into the house.

Speaker 2 28:44

I've become, like I told you earlier, more protective of land and what we do. I used to be so ignorant about it. Again, I was telling you how I live in these country hills, they wiped out acres and it's all solar, which again is like take your pick.

Speaker 1 29:06

Who did that? Like what's the solar for?

Speaker 2 29:07

I think just to supply power back to the companies that are out there for, like I mean, it's just, I would say it's probably 500 acres of just rows of solar panels, which you're you know obviously disrupt. It's probably 500 acres of just rows of solar panels, which you're obviously disrupting livestock and taking away from that Wildlife yeah, Animals and wildlife. So it's like, I don't know, you just choose your poison on that.

Speaker 2 29:28

But, it is definitely something I would probably never put on my house only for that reason, and I think it was a huge boom for a while, and I think a lot of older people get into it, think these salesmen are relentless. They are relentless door knocking yeah which I respect them. It's such a hard job, yeah to come up to someone's door and be like this is what I got for you I don't know how you do it yeah, I feel like, feel like I've seen like a lot of young kids do it.

Speaker 1 29:59

now I mean I feel like you have to right, but it's good from I've seen people talk about this right From their perspective, like they're learning, like a valuable skill set of sales and being able to accept rejection. Because, you get rejected. You know. Probably 99 out of 100 times, if not more. Yeah, Before you get that one, yes.

Speaker 2 30:21

You're going up to people's door. It's their most vulnerable time. Yeah, they're at their house and, like you're disrupting that and then it's usually in the evening. Usually in the evening, so like you don't get to see your spouse and your kids, and all that.

Speaker 2 30:32

It's like that's your time so you want to do is, yeah, get bombarded, but I get it. Man, I'm a hustler like I will pretty much do whatever I gotta do to be in everyone's face and have everyone at least understand, like what I do. I mean it's business you have to do that for sure gosh man, that's a whole nother respect, I guess.

Speaker 1 30:52

Yeah yeah, did you ever do door knocking or anything like that? I did like a little bit in real estate, not to like the level like some of these people done, but I'm do door knocking or anything like that. I did like a little bit in real estate, not to like the level like some of these people done, but I would not door knocking.

Speaker 2 31:02

I've done like where I'll put flyers on people's door never like face to face. I not that I don't I definitely would be scared about doing it. I think there's definitely it's scary to do that.

Speaker 2 31:14

It's like it almost feels like you're like begging. I'm a very genuine person, which is why I was talking to you like gosh to to transition to AI and let all these things handle it where it's like robotic and all that. It's weird for me and I think, like you said, like we have to adapt on that, because that's not, that's not how the generation coming up is, and so we just I don't know, we got to think about that yeah, how do you think ai like impacts your, your business?

Speaker 1 31:40

everyone's always concerned with with ai like taking their role right over. It's like you?

Speaker 2 31:45

I don't know if you, if ai well, I'm scared just because, like you saw, like we explained earlier, like youtube university, everyone started just youtubing how to do things like yeah point where, like, so many people were just doing these on their own, which is cool.

Speaker 2 31:57

I think it's awesome. I bet takes away from a lot of businesses. Uh, I think, like even the glasses I told you I got the meta glasses. You could go put those on and just walk around house like what am I looking at? And yes, it's gonna have some errors here and there, but it will describe what you're visibly seeing. So, like that scares me that I could take.

Speaker 1 32:16

Yeah, like the insurance company have, like those people that just walk around with those glasses.

Speaker 2 32:20

I mean, like the importance of me, I don't think anyone's going to take. Although a lot of inspect, this is a weird thing in my industry A lot of inspectors using drones and robotic cars that go in and like take photos of the crawl space.

Speaker 1 32:35

So like people don't have to crawl in the crawl space.

AI's Impact on the Industry

Speaker 2 32:43

And like these huge picture sticks where, like they're not getting on their roof but they're extending this pole and snapping photos. Weird. When did this job become? Where, like we're not, like I'm hiring an inspector, like no offense, I don't want to. I don't want to pull him up in a prius and like knowing that he just took a course and like yeah, that's just me.

Speaker 1 32:56

I want the guy pulling up in a truck like he just took a course and like never, that's just me.

Speaker 2 32:58

I want the guy pulling up in a truck like he just got off the job site. Yeah, just because I know there's just raw construction knowledge coming out of that. It is very weird to see people are getting into crawl spaces Like I pride myself on that. I will literally.

Speaker 1 33:12

I know that there are some, I don't know. Do you remember the one in Brooksville?

Speaker 2 33:17

that you did.

Speaker 1 33:20

Yeah, that's a one-on-one story, but the, yeah, I remember, I remember like walking the property with them the first time and just seeing the crawl space and I and I thought of you and I'm like I know, I know kenny's getting in there, which I did.

Speaker 1 33:30

He'll find a way that uh, that is something I pride myself on, and getting on every single roof like this is important yeah, I, I would agree, like I don't know if, like, technology changes that, like you can eventually like get past that, but maybe it's just the way we grew up or whatever, like we were talking about before. But I, I do think you know, like getting up there, like getting or getting under the house or whatever, and like seeing it like with your own eyes is different than looking at it through a lens they're talking about selling like robots that do these things.

Speaker 2 34:05

Um, in a sense, I almost wonder and this is something that's crossed my mind like if it'll be to the point where, like, okay, yes, we're being replaced by like robotic things that can do it, but like, at what point do we like own that and get paid from the labor of that? I know it sounds crazy, but like how crazy is it if you think about it? I don't know, maybe it's not that far away. Yeah, they weren't. Like I I never thought that people would be doing drones and sending little robotic uh cameras underneath the crawl space. Again, I don't know, it's I'm very authentic, so I'd like to be there and and see it for myself and touch it and feel it but, how are you using ai right now to help?

Speaker 2 34:46

I only use chat gpt for, like, I do all my own marketing, so everything social media wise, like it'll. I'll just tell it what I want it to generalize and then it'll put together a really nice looking you probably know but like something I can put on a on a poster of a picture or video that I'm doing. It does a really good job of doing that, so I use that and then I kind of want to use it for what you were describing earlier, where you know, when I do have a lead come in, it's handled right away, because it is kind of hard, even if I do have office staff and people like we're all people, uh. So it would be nice if somebody, or if ai, could like channel that into like, oh, this is a real legitimate lead.

Speaker 1 35:28

But, um, I I'm not against going into anything I think, yeah, and and so that just reminded me too. You know, because of ai, because of technology, the of technology, the speed to lead thing, like we were talking about, or just communication, like people want answers quickly, like you were saying before, like hey, I want this four point report updated right now, yeah, you know. So maybe there's some AI component of that. That can, that can help. But then again, like you got to see, you got to look at the reports and make sure that the work was done, you know.

Speaker 2 35:59

That's the biggest thing too is like I get the speed and how important that is. I do understand it, but it's like we're also stressing how important an inspection is and when you go from, like it's funny to me that an appraiser is make or break on some deals, right.

Speaker 1 36:17

Yeah, would you agree?

Speaker 2 36:18

Yeah, they don't get their reports out for sometimes a week to two weeks.

Speaker 1 36:21

Yeah, is that right, they've gotten better.

Speaker 2 36:23

They've gotten better.

Speaker 1 36:25

I had this one, this one company the best experience I've ever had with an appraiser company. They have like an online platform for agents to fill out and it's like you know they scheduled the inspection to fill out. And it's like you know they scheduled the inspection that they send you a link. There's a video of explaining like what the appraiser is going to do at the house. You can send it to the client and then you have like a form. Like most appraisers I won't say most, but some that I've dealt with, sometimes they don't even want to talk to agents, right? They're just like totally like standoffish and they don't want to hear our thoughts on the home or comps or anything like that which I get. But this company in particular had an entire form filled out and was like hey, is there any special features about the home that you want to let us know about? What are your comps that you use to price the home? And you could upload all this data for them to use and then they could determine how they wanted to use it.

Speaker 2 37:18

I'm like, like man, that is awesome is this a crazy thought, but I feel like I think I could take an appraiser's job pretty easily, only in the sense of like I mean people. It would be hard to get past like the fibbing of like what is real and what isn't, yeah but, yeah gosh, there's just so many comparable with. I mean, it takes every because you have all the data now. Oh my gosh, yeah the data. Yeah, that would be and that's I.

Speaker 1 37:47

I try to explain to you know, my sellers, anytime, like we have an appraisal even even with the buyers, right? So it's just one person's opinion of value, right, so each appraiser is going to be completely different. That we may have three appraisers appraise one property and have three different values, right, it's likely that we're going to have that. So it's you know, we just try to keep that in mind when you're, when you're pricing a home and stuff. But yeah, there, you know. And again, like we were talking about before, with your home inspection and having like different with your home inspection and having like different, no standards, right, there's, there's no standards.

Speaker 2 38:23

There are, there's variables and what they can use and not use and stuff, right, yeah, I agree it's definitely interesting time to see how the industry changes so I feel like a lot of big companies bought a lot of homes. We're seeing those kind of get offloaded Like okay, for instance, like we were just talking about AI kind of taking over potentially like an appraiser's job, like a Zestimate. That's so far off a lot of times of what the house is actually worth right, that's kind of like an AI generated price. Am I right, Correct? That's what I get weird out about, like the accuracy of it. How do you?

Speaker 1 39:02

Well, I think if, as more data is gathered, you know there's a chance it gets more accurate. But they're not gathering. You know, if somebody did some updates to the home right, if they're permitted, then maybe they can can then maybe like tech can pick up on that.

Speaker 2 39:19

But how many?

Speaker 1 39:20

times are updates, improvements made to the home that are unpermitted here in florida, you know so, yeah, I don't see how they do that. So, for example, speaking of the inaccuracies, like I, I went to a house yesterday and nothing about selling the house, zow, I think, had their estimate at like 683. And then another source that I pull from had the estimate at 786, you know so, like a hundred thousand dollar difference in in what these you know, tools were saying the value is.

Speaker 2 39:52

Okay, how do you? Where do you draw the line? Like, how do you fix that? That, especially when someone's trying to purchase and like a bank's trying to loan on it, like, where do you meet?

Speaker 1 40:03

you just get another appraisal I think that's the well if they appraise. I mean, I think that's why, like you, have to stick with whatever that appraiser says.

Speaker 1 40:11

You know that's wild yeah, so much I mean you can, you can the buyers or or sellers can, can fight it. They can ask for a second opinion or say, like you know, but I've done that before and it doesn't. I've heard that it doesn't happen very often where the appraiser comes back and be like, oh yeah, I see the change, like I agree, the value should be this, you know. So yeah, it's, it's definitely interesting. So so marketing let's talk about marketing your business. A lot of it is referral-based relationships you've built over the years.

Speaker 2 40:46

Yeah, right now it's a lot of referral-based. I've done zero marketing other than messaging a few people here and there, but zero new marketing on Instagram or anything like that. I really do want to get back into that. I think we're just transitioning into the time where we need to. I will say we've been so busy that I've just kind of like scared to do it. I don't want to take anything um that I can't manage very well um yeah, I don't know if I told you but I took like a fire one and a fire two course.

Speaker 2 41:17

So like we're trying to get into like the commercial side of like the sprinkler systems for commercial buildings and fire extinguishers, things like that. I like businesses that are like kind of like a mandatory thing, love inspections, love real estate. I'm just trying to, like you know, get into something a little bit more steady.

Speaker 1 41:35

Yeah.

Speaker 2 41:35

Never going to leave the inspection thing. But for sure, we got into that, which I think is pretty cool, and then we also do renovations just because the storms are so bad. So I have a group of five guys and we all have a license for something different, cool, and so that's been huge too. So it's been keeping us really busy. But the marketing side is I need to, I need to up my game up yeah I need to.

Speaker 2 41:56

You know, I think I told you last time I never intended to. I don't intend to like bring anybody on for like another inspector, like yes, help in the office, and like organizing and like getting things out smoothly as a whole. Nother story like that. That's needed, but getting another inspector out there, I've just never wanted to grow that outside of that I really do. This sounds crazy, but I really do find I think when you start growing these companies, you pull away from it sounds so bad because everyone's like you got to in order to grow, you gotta, you know, delegate and leverage. That's great, but like I've just built this business based on relationships and being like you can count on me and I'll answer the phone, I'll be there. Instead, I hired Joey. Joey's got two weeks off and, who knows, he doesn't really care as much, and I feel like it's so selfish to do that, because I do think that there are great people that would work under a company like this.

Building Relationships in Business

Speaker 2 42:56

Do that because I do think that there are great people that would work under a company like this. Yeah, I just think buying a home is such a big purchase I think we've transitioned it into and I'm such a nerd about it but like it's a big emotional thing, like the fact that we're like we want same day reports, quick, fast, eat like dude. This is huge.

Speaker 2 43:14

Let's like take it easy yeah I'm like really serious about you know, understanding, and this job is the weirdest job in the like. It is so great. Think about it for a second. I have to. My main goal is to create, obviously, a safe space for a homeowner. That's purchasing like hey, I'm educated on what's going on, I'm not scared because he educated me about it, and just word vomit everywhere and just like freak me out and leave me hanging. But my majority of my business is real estate referrals and as much as we want to think that, like everybody is, they want to sell a house too, and I'm not saying that that's bad. I'm just saying there's such an even balance between, like, when people get slow, they're like you know, their ambitions come out like we we are, we're selling home and, like a lot of these bigger companies, are like sell, sell, sell, sell and that is not the case for everybody.

Speaker 2 44:12

That's like that. That's like me saying everybody in the plan is bad. It's not the case yeah I'm not saying agents are bad either. It's just a weird balance between me trying to like keep a great relationship, like hey, I'm not just scaring these people and I am just educating, uh, on somebody's purchase, because like these you're, you're explaining like surgery yeah to somebody like they don't.

Speaker 1 44:33

They don't, yeah, I mean especially like first-time home buyers, right, you have never experienced any of that. Maybe they're not even handy like you know. It's insane, yeah they're already emotional.

Speaker 2 44:42

So you're like hey, just so you know. Like yes, this is settled, like this foundation crack, it's settled, that's common. When I say it's common, I just mean it happens a lot, doesn't mean it's okay. I don't want you to like there's such this tiptoe thing like it drives you crazy is that.

Speaker 1 45:00

Has that always been that way, since you've been in a home inspector?

Speaker 2 45:03

yeah, yeah, because I, I know it's such a large purchase, there's a lot of people that'll be like hey, you know, I get it it. This business takes any business. You have to know how to communicate with somebody. You can't communicate with everybody the same. I had to 100 get that. But you know, for instance, like if someone's not there which is a lot of the time here and I just send a report, you're left to like clean up the mess, in a sense like oh no, what you have to get on the phone and explain like it was so, so important, because you're everyone's on edge already.

Speaker 2 45:39

Like I would say. The leads that you get referred to are like the people that you know, which is like a lot of your business it's so much more down to earth.

Speaker 2 45:47

Like they trust you, they trust you a lot, yeah, um, but if you're getting these leads from like random sources like google, youtube, all that's where our problems come in, because, like, they're already on edge about the agent because they feel like the agent just wants to sell the house. That might not even be the case. Yeah, like I have some amazing, including yourself, not to church you up, but like, yeah, I have amazing agents. I know would like bend over backwards for people like truly in their heart. And then I have some that are like don't you dare yeah or like whatever, and it's.

Speaker 2 46:15

It's a weird balance. Um, just trying to keep that that peace.

Speaker 1 46:19

Yeah, I think you know so something that you know, hearing you say that reminds me, you know, reminds me of a conversation I was having with my broker yesterday about sales in in general. Right, like a lot of people think, you know, say sales is is strictly a numbers game. Right, like it's all about the numbers or whatever. And I get it like in in a sales job, like that's how, that's how you're based, is on your performance and and how well you can produce, or whatever. But at the end of the day, like it's, it's a relationship business. Like if you don't have that relationship, you don't have that trust or whatever.

Speaker 1 46:55

Like the numbers aren't going to be there at the end of the day, you know and you're going to, you'll be able to escape by and just focusing the numbers for a short period of time, but at some point, like, it's going to catch back up to you and you have to have the relationships. And I think I think, um, I still see a lot of sales coaches out there that are like the hardcore old school, like car salesman type stuff, and and that's still going on. But I think there is a shift of like. We need to focus more in the relationships too, and it's more enjoyable when you, when you, do that as well.

Speaker 2 47:26

You love your job. That's when you can say I truly love what I'm doing and I'm adding value. At the end of the day, sales is what can I add? I add you need something. I can create it for you yeah this is the value I bring, and you bring value by gosh. Your guys's job is like incredibly hard. I'm not I know that for a fact. That's your first hand like you're between managing all the vendors that you're dealing with crazy.

Speaker 2 47:53

Keeping the emotions straight yeah, finding the house yeah there's a million of them and you're going to go see a ton of them and then like delegating all these issues to everything it's. It's a lot and people don't see it.

Speaker 1 48:04

Yeah, and I definitely noticed a difference too, like when you have, like you said, like if you have somebody that comes in as a lead and you don't, you've never talked to them before, versus someone like you've had a couple conversations with, you're able to build some rapport with them and stuff. There is a difference through the transaction with that person that you have rapport with and stuff. So I love that.

Speaker 2 48:26

That's one thing I see. That's odd. So the genuine leads?

Speaker 1 48:29

they already have a trust barrier, so they trust who you recommend whether you're an inspector, a lender, all that stuff.

Speaker 2 48:36

And, as an agent, this is just how I feel, that like they're depending on you to give these referrals, so like we're seeing a lot of agents where you know, sometimes I'll just be like, hey, like I have to give out, like I get it, you have to give out three lenders, three this they are either way.

Speaker 1 48:53

Right.

Speaker 2 48:53

You are there to like kind of direct this whole. You are the director of this whole thing. So, I don't know, that'd be like me saying like oh, and referring everything out to every single contractor. And there's some inspectors that do that. Like hey, I have this evaluated further. Like no, I'm going to stand behind it. Like this is wrong, you don't even have to get a referral there I can tell you what, uh, and I take that liability on because I have.

Speaker 2 49:14

that's my job yeah I think we're trying to push all this like responsibility off. There's not all of us, but some of us are trying to push that responsibility off and not have I don't know those things, and it just ends up being a little different I think, yeah, and you have to build.

Speaker 1 49:32

You have to build rapport with all the vendors and all the people that you're referring to, and I think once you have that, then you can feel safer and be like this is the person that you need to call right there's no one else like this is this is your guy.

Speaker 2 49:45

Yeah, this is your girl, whoever? Yeah, guy girl whatever yeah and like that builds trust too. If they're like oh hey, here's a group of people can't really direct direct you, you're like do you really have management over this scenario?

Speaker 2 49:58

Like I want you to know. I want you to know, like, who would you have in your house? I don't know. Yeah, that's just how I feel and it's just going a little different. Yeah, that's why I bring up the AI thing. I'm like man, does it take away from that? And like man, does it take away from that and like that authenticity.

Speaker 1 50:19

I hope not. I hope that component doesn't go away, you know. But who knows? Like we were saying, like the generation, you know, the generations after us, like it might be.

Speaker 2 50:29

I like to say positive. I think the unknown is kind of cool.

Speaker 1 50:32

Yeah.

Speaker 2 50:32

I'm up for adapting to anything. Sometimes I just don't know. Like you, you brought up.

Speaker 2 50:37

I learned something cool today, Like I'm going to utilize it for like, like you said, kind of like dissecting leads and if they're legitimate and like kind of just like getting the ball moving, like hey, we've already contacted you, yeah, um, I will say like I, I just I have to get over that hurdle. Like I was looking for trucks and I have them like message, you can tell it's about messaging me. It's like I know I'm the guy. That's like I'm gonna go to the grocery store, I'm gonna talk to the, I'm gonna I won't go to the self-check, I'm gonna go talk to you and see how your day is yeah you know you get.

Speaker 2 51:07

I want to hear your funny jokes, whatever. I like that a lot, but I got, I really yeah, get over that hurdle.

Speaker 1 51:13

Yeah, yeah, I hear you. So let's um. Let's wrap up, and where can people um learn more about McLaurin inspections?

Speaker 2 51:24

Um, most of my stuff's on Instagram, so McLaurin inspections is just my tag. I put a lot of educational information on there, and then, obviously, I have a website, mclaurin inspectionscom uh, where it's just super easy Click on, you know, if you need an inspection, or I'm pretty open to anybody reaching out to me and just asking questions. Like I said, I have a lot of people reaching out just to find out how to be an inspector, and I'm totally open to that too. I let people do ride alongs and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 51:50

So that's where you find me. Thanks for being here, Kenny.

Episode Wrap Up

Speaker 2 51:52

I appreciate you having me out. Thank you.

Speaker 1 51:54

Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of Palm Harbor Local. We know we are incredibly grateful for our sponsors who make this show possible, so be sure to support them and support your other local businesses and let's keep building community together Until next time.