National Property Inspections: NEWS

Vic Carlile
Pinnacle Award

Winner of NPI's Prestigious Pinnacle Award for
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006

Ask Vic Carlile if he likes roller coaster rides and when he replies with an emphatic "no" you can bet he won't be thinking about amusement parks. That's because the ups and downs of a roller coaster ride are how Vic characterizes his early years in business. "What was my first year with NPI like? Oh, man!" Vic replies with a chuckle. "I started the first of May but didn't have any business until the end of June. July was a very good month and I thought, `I'm on my way now!' But then August and September were slow. I made it through the winter and March was good, but then . . ." You get the idea.

Nevertheless, Vic wasn't about to let the highs and lows of owning a business get him down. After 26 years in the military where he served both at home and abroad in Honduras and Canada, Vic retired as a sergeant major and was determined to be his own boss. While in the service, he'd received a bachelor's degree in business and also had construction and remodeling experience. That's what attracted him to the home inspection business. And the responsiveness and honesty he got after calling the National Property Inspections corporate office in Omaha, NE sold him on the company.

Starting business in 1998 in his rural Kankakee County about 70 miles from Chicago, Vic was in a position that most new inspectors only dream about. He had very little competition. But there was a down side that took Vic several years to overcome. His real estate market viewed home inspectors as more of a threat than an asset. Vic surmounted that challenge by joining the county association of Realtors and visiting offices on a regular basis.

"I'd stop by an office with coupons, magnets, or letter-openers. Realtors would see my face, recognize me, and I'd get calls. That's still what I do if business gets slow. If your customers don't see you they forget about you." Vic also consistently provides a thorough inspection and always takes time to explain his findings to homebuyers. "My customers often say that they were referred to me because I explain things so well. On the other hand, realtors™ know I won't nit-pick."

His strategy and hard work recently earned Vic a Pinnacle Award for outstanding production. "When I started the business I stopped to see a Realtor who'd been in business since the 1960s. He told me he didn't believe in home inspections. But a year later he called me and since then I've conducted inspections for his entire staff."

Vic also has become popular on the speaking circuit, presenting first-time homebuyer seminars at real estate offices or teaming up with bankers and insurance agents to host the seminars. Being selected as an inspector for a government-funded rehab project also has generated considerable business.

Vic's wife, Cheryl, and daughter, Meghann, currently help with the business and Vic hopes someday to hire several inspectors so that he can concentrate on sales and marketing. The advice he gives to new inspectors is a message of perseverance. "You can't get down in the dumps," Vic advises new franchise owners. "When things get slow, get out there and pick the bushes."