Should a home inspector ask for testimonials before or after closing?

After. Before closing the buyer is still negotiating and has no idea whether your report held up. A week after they get the keys they know what you found was real, and they have time to write.

Will testimonials make agents think I am a deal killer?

Not if they show you being fair as well as thorough. Ask what you found and how you explained it. A buyer writing "he told us what could wait" reassures an agent more than your own word would.

Can I ask the agent for a testimonial too?

Yes, and it is worth having one or two. Buyers trust other buyers most, but an agent saying your reports are clear and on time tells the next agent you are safe to recommend.

Is it fine to mention dollar amounts in a testimonial?

If the client wrote it, yes. "We renegotiated eleven thousand off" is the most persuasive sentence an inspector can show. Just let the client choose to say it rather than writing it in for them.

Where should a home inspector put testimonials on the website?

Next to the price and the booking button, because that is where a buyer hesitates. A buyer comparing three inspectors on a phone, often in a parked car outside the house, scrolls straight to what it costs and when you can come. One short testimonial there about a find that saved money does more than a whole page of them that nobody opens. Keep the longer stories on the about page for the agent who wants to read them.

home inspectors

Testimonials for home inspectors

Be the inspection that gets recommended.

Buyers hire you once, on a recommendation, and short on time. Past buyers' words are what get you recommended.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

A week after closing, once the keys are in their hand.

Hi Marcus, it's Dave from Keystone Inspections. Congrats on the house! If you have a minute, would you write a couple of sentences about the inspection for my website? Anything we found that changed your plans is the most useful part for the next buyer. No account needed: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

Home inspector testimonial examples

The kind of thing home inspectors collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

Found a roof at the end of its life and a panel that should not have been legal. We renegotiated eleven thousand off. The inspection cost six hundred.

Colette B. · Buyer

Example

He crawled the whole attic in August when the other inspector we talked to said he would just look from the hatch. Found two rafters somebody had cut for a fan. The seller paid to sister them before we closed.

Marcus L. · First-time buyer

Example

I was out of state and could not be at the inspection. He called me from the basement on video and walked me around the water heater like I was standing there. The report was in my inbox before dinner.

Denise H. · Buyer, relocating

Example

Our agent recommended him and I assumed that meant he would go easy on the house. He did not. Every photo in the report had a plain-English note under it, and he told us which items could honestly wait a few years.

Kyle and Ana P. · Buyers

A buyer reading these is ten days from closing and frightened of missing something. What they want to know is whether you look where others do not and whether they will understand the report. A dollar figure or a crawlspace answers that. "Very thorough" does not.

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

After closing, especially if your report changed the price or the decision.

The single biggest reason home inspectors have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

What did we find that you would have missed?
How clear was the report?
Did it change what you did next?

Or an email

For buyers who relocated, and for the agents who send you work.

Subject: Your inspection on Elm Street

Hi Denise,

I hope the move went smoothly and the water heater is behaving.

Most of my work comes from buyers who are nervous and short on time, a lot like you were. Would you write two or three sentences about how the inspection went? Whether the report made sense from out of state would help the next person in your position.

It takes a couple of minutes, with no account to make: [your link]

Thanks, Dave

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a home inspector first

Their agent's shortlist
Most buyers get two or three names from their agent and pick one that night. Your own site is where they go to choose between those names.
Google Business Profile
Checked right after the agent's list, mostly to see that you are real and recently busy. The newest few reviews matter more than the count.
InterNACHI and ASHI directories
Where a careful buyer confirms you are certified. It says nothing about what you are like to work with.
Reddit and local Facebook groups
First-time buyers ask "who did your inspection?" and a past client answering with a story is worth more than any listing.
Your own website
The one place a buyer can read about the rafters cut for a fan in an attic they never climbed into. A testimonial with a number in it does the selling an agent cannot do for you.

Questions home inspectors ask

Should a home inspector ask for testimonials before or after closing?: After. Before closing the buyer is still negotiating and has no idea whether your report held up. A week after they get the keys they know what you found was real, and they have time to write.
Will testimonials make agents think I am a deal killer?: Not if they show you being fair as well as thorough. Ask what you found and how you explained it. A buyer writing "he told us what could wait" reassures an agent more than your own word would.
Can I ask the agent for a testimonial too?: Yes, and it is worth having one or two. Buyers trust other buyers most, but an agent saying your reports are clear and on time tells the next agent you are safe to recommend.
Is it fine to mention dollar amounts in a testimonial?: If the client wrote it, yes. "We renegotiated eleven thousand off" is the most persuasive sentence an inspector can show. Just let the client choose to say it rather than writing it in for them.
Where should a home inspector put testimonials on the website?: Next to the price and the booking button, because that is where a buyer hesitates. A buyer comparing three inspectors on a phone, often in a parked car outside the house, scrolls straight to what it costs and when you can come. One short testimonial there about a find that saved money does more than a whole page of them that nobody opens. Keep the longer stories on the about page for the agent who wants to read them.

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

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