Home inspection business overcomes obstacles to ‘master’ field
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HouseMaster is a franchise that was founded by Ken Austin in 1971. Since then, the New Jersey-based company has spread all through North America. Kevin and Laurie Crane got introduced to HouseMaster and the home inspection industry in 2000. The couple felt that HouseMaster was a good fit for them because the company had a good reputation and was family oriented.
The Cranes opened their own franchise of the business in September 2000. For the first five years the couple only had rights to the northern part of Pennsylvania. In 2006, the Lewisburg franchise was sold to them and they now service 14 counties in the state.
Much like many businesses, HouseMaster is no stranger to trials. They faced struggles when the housing market crashed in 2008. Recently, they faced hardship during the pandemic. The business was shut down as it was deemed non-essential work.
"We had those issues where people were coming into town buying houses," said Kevin Crane, "We do a lot of stuff for doctors in the area and doctors coming in. They're essential. They need a place to live too."
After a few weeks the business had been cleared to work again. HouseMaster has been able to maintain business with its multiple services. These services include full home inspections, commercial building inspections up to 100,000 square feet, water quality testing, septic testing, radon testing, inspection for wood destroying insects, mold testing, air quality testing, lead-based paint inspection and foundation certifications for manufactured homes that need an engineering certification that they work through another company to provide.
"We like to advertise it as a one-stop shop," Kevin said. "Laurie goes over and explains everything we do to every customer that calls in and helps them understand the process. Then, once they've committed to a service, she schedules times for all parties involved."
"We are dedicated to what we do," Laurie Crane said. "We treat each customer like they are special. Whether it's their first home or their fifth home, we know how important it is to them. We think of our customers as family."
"Not all home inspectors are the same," Kevin said. "Not all of them have the same training. Not all of them have the same standards to follow."
HouseMasters require yearly training for their inspectors. They also offer insurance to real estate agents that they work with that lasts up to 90 days. They hold themselves to a high standard in order to guarantee the best work.
"We want people to know that we are different, we are better." Kevin said. "We know there's a lot of inspectors out there, but there is only one master - HouseMaster."