Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 408: Forest Iveys Guide To Smart Checks Before You Close

• Sophia Yvette

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0:00 | 11:46

What makes Forest Ivey with The Smart Inspector a good neighbor?

Ever wonder who your home inspector truly answers to? We sit down with Forest Ivey of The Smart Inspector PLLC to unpack what a buyer-first inspection really looks like, why independence from the transaction matters, and how clear, detailed reporting can save you thousands before you sign. Forest shares his unconventional path from linguistics graduate and sales trainer to real estate investor and inspection entrepreneur—and how he combined the best practices he observed across the industry into one cohesive, client-centered service.

We break down the nuts and bolts of a modern residential inspection: scheduling during the option period, prioritizing safety and material defects, and using clear evidence—photos, thermal imaging, and short videos—to document issues like faulty water heaters, miswired panels, roof damage, and hidden moisture. You’ll hear how negotiation works best when grounded in facts, not fear—knowing when to request repairs, credits, or price adjustments with confidence.

Forest also lifts the curtain on how he builds referrals the right way—teaching CE-style classes inside brokerages, answering the questions new agents hesitate to ask, and positioning himself as an educational resource rather than a transaction hurdle. We explore how technology transforms dense inspection reports into accessible, shareable web experiences that help contractors quote repairs and help buyers plan ahead.

On the personal side, Forest reflects on the satisfaction of challenging inspections that end with grateful clients—and how that same service mindset carries home to family life, raising twins, and even running a father-son disc golf channel. If you’re buying a home—or advising someone who is—this episode is a practical playbook for protecting both your budget and your peace of mind.

To learn more about The Smart Inspector PLLC go to:  www.thesmartinspecetor.com

 The Smart Inspector PLLC

 📞 817-842-0330
 

SPEAKER_01:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvenn.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you a native residential home inspections? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Forrest Divey, with the Smart Inspector. Forrest, how are you today?

SPEAKER_02:

I'm doing great. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, it is a pleasure to have you on. And we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Please start off by telling our listeners just a little bit about your company and your background.

SPEAKER_02:

Sure. So we do residential home inspections. If you're buying a house, you want your money's worth. And the only way to know for sure is to get it inspected before you close. So that's what we do. We discover all the hidden surprises before you own them. And what you do with that information before you close, that's up to you and your realtor. But you can go back and negotiate repairs or negotiate the price. Or at the very least, you just have a good understanding of what it is that you're spending an exorbitant amount of money on. So you have uh due diligence going into that transaction.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, how did you originally get into an industry like this?

SPEAKER_02:

That's a funny story. So I originally was going to be a language instructor, and I was paying my way through getting my master's degree in linguistics with a job in sales. And because I was doing sales, um I really enjoyed it. I hadn't done a sales job before, but it was my first commission job, and I was making good money. And when I graduated with my master's, I had the option to go on to do a PhD or to keep doing sales. And the people I was doing sales for asked me to train other people to do what I was doing. So I did that for eight years and made a bunch of money and bought properties. And because I was buying properties, I was paying for inspections, I was reinvesting what I was earning into real estate, and I hired 11, well, it was eight different companies, 11 different inspections. And I didn't know it at the time, but I was shopping the competition, right? And I realized that all these different inspection companies had different strengths, and I could appreciate all these different strengths. And in the back of my mind, I thought, you know what, I'd love to start a home inspection business that does all these good things that they're doing, but all under one roof. So that's what I did.

SPEAKER_00:

So, Forrest, being in your business today, what is the most common myth or misconception you would like to put to rest for our listeners?

SPEAKER_02:

For sure. A lot of people don't really understand what home inspectors do, but they for some reason think that we work for the realtor or for the lender or for the title company, and we don't. Um, we are the one person in the whole transaction that does not get paid based upon the fact of you closing on the house. So you're spending a lot of money when you buy a house, and everyone involved gets paid a lot of money when you close on the house. Um, we don't. Whether you close on the house or you don't, um we're there just to tell you our third-party opinion so you know what you're getting into. Uh, we don't work for anyone else but you, and whether or not um you close is completely up to you.

SPEAKER_00:

So when do home inspectors get paid?

SPEAKER_02:

We get paid in order to produce the report. So they would pay us either before we go inspect or while we're inspecting or after we inspect. But in order to get the report, um, you would have to pay before you close on your house, you go into an option period. And in that option period, we would go inspect the house and then give you a detailed report regarding the findings. That way you know what it is that you're getting into and you know what you should ask for. If, for example, if your water heater doesn't work or uh the AC doesn't work, that's something you probably want to know before you move in. Um, or just random safety hazards that the previous owner of the home may have modified the house doing some DIY projects, but left some wires hanging out somewhere. Well, you might want to know that before you move in and people are at risk.

SPEAKER_00:

Most certainly. Now, switching gears, we do know marketing is the heart of every business. So, who are some of your customers or who is your audience? And how do you stay in front of them?

SPEAKER_02:

I really like the marketing part of doing all this because it takes me back to my sales background. And that's weird for the home inspection industry because when we market to the populace, we have to catch them just at the right time when they're buying a house. And even then, their realtor is probably used to having worked with some experienced inspectors, and the realtor is probably going to give the client a list of three names. Say, hey, here's three guys that are great at doing inspections, you know, give them all a call and interview them and choose which one you'd like. Um, so it's more effective for us to market ourselves to realtors, even though we don't work for realtors. That way they can refer us to their clients. Essentially, a realtor is a funnel for a home buyer. And that's our clients, the home buyers.

SPEAKER_00:

So, Forrest, where do you market?

SPEAKER_02:

I like to go do presentations at title offices and realty offices, brokerages. Um, I really like teaching. I'm a teacher at heart, and even when we finish a report, we review that with the client. That's another teaching opportunity. But I like to provide value to new realtors by answering questions for them that they might not want to ask, you know, their colleagues. Um, so I'll provide classes for these brokerages, whether they're vague about what a home inspection entails, or whether they're super specific, like about air conditioners or electrical panels or things of that nature. Thermal. I did a fun class on thermal cameras. Thermal cameras are fun. I told my wife I became an inspector, so I'd have a good excuse to buy new tools.

SPEAKER_00:

So now, Forrest, have you ever thought about having your own podcast before?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh I have not thought about that. That would be pretty fun. I have a YouTube channel for the business and a YouTube channel for uh my son and for me. We have a hobby that we enjoy together. In fact, I just finished editing a video right before we hopped on this call. Uh, but no, I never even considered having uh a podcast. That'd be fun.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, switching back to your family for a second, what do you guys like to do for fun together when you're not helping your clients?

SPEAKER_02:

We so I have a boy and a girl, twins. They're nine, and the little girl's 15 minutes older than the little boy, and she reminds him she's in charge, and uh he's okay with that. Uh my little girl is into dance, um, very much so. So we go to see her performances. Um, and with my son, he and I have a mutual hobby of disc golf, and we're competitive when it comes to disc golf. And so we play a bunch of local courses here in North Dallas or in North uh DFW, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington. And uh we have a little YouTube channel that we like to uh post our videos on. It's called the Texas Disc Dudes.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, you do it with your son?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh yeah, he's nine, but he can he's been throwing discs since he was five or six. And um it's funny because I'll go to a doubles tournament with a nine-year-old, and people will say, you know, where's your partner? Like, look, they're they're thinking my son's gonna just follow me for the day. Like, no, it's it's him, he's he's my partner. And oh, okay. Um, it's a lot of fun. You know, even if we don't win, we got out there and had fun together. That's the goal.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, Forrest, back to your business. What is the number one takeaway you would like our listeners to gather from learning about the smart inspector?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, this is fun because doing home inspections, I never realized how rewarding it would be. We all enjoy our job. So we're a five-man inspection company, and I've never worked a job where at the end of the day, I have provided my client with so much valuable information that they've profusely thank me. And they do it for all of us. And when that happens, man, sometimes inspecting is hard to do. You think you're gonna do a three-hour inspection, it turns out you're there for five hours and it's just grueling and you have to focus the whole time. And when you finally put your comprehensive report together and you show your client all the pictures, all the videos, and they profusely thank you, it makes it very easy, no matter how hard of a day you had, it makes it so easy to come back the next day and do it again. Um, it's extremely rewarding. I've never done a job that I've enjoyed this much, and every guy on my team we we would all say the same thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, Forrest, family is clearly important to you. So, do you see yourself passing on your business to your son in the future?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, uh, that is a very big possibility. He's already talking about starting businesses. Um, I want to instill that in them at a young age, and um, he's he's selling discs now, uh buying low, selling high. Um, that's as creative as he's getting so far. Um, but he he a couple years ago, so that would mean he's about seven. I was uh training someone at our neighbor's house on inspecting pools. And what my son has always grown up thinking I was doing was finding holes and roofs. He thinks, because I'll sit, I'll take a selfie on the roof and I'll send it to my wife and she'll you know show him. And so I was training a guy next door, and I looked over the fence, and my son, who was seven at the time, was standing on our roof. Um, so he's he's fearless, he has good balance. Um always asked to go on inspections uh to come go see houses and stuff. Um, so I I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to take it over. I I'd be I'd be proud of him if he did.

SPEAKER_00:

So, Forrest, final question for you. Where can our listeners go to learn more about the Smart Inspector?

SPEAKER_02:

Sure. Uh we have a Facebook page and we also have uh our website, thesmartinspector.com, has links to different YouTube videos and also has sample reports. So if you wanted to see what our reports look like as we inspect, our reports are actually issued as websites. We give you two forms of the report: a website version and a PDF. And the website version has pictures and videos. A lot of um you wouldn't imagine an inspection report would come complete with videos, but that's modern technology these days. So you can see these sample reports on our website, uh thesmartinspector.com, and you can meet the team there and see who all is on our team and uh check out some useful YouTube videos as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, Forrest, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much, likewise.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpfrisco.com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two two one nine three four five.