Stephanie Jaynes
Marketing Director Stephanie Jaynes simplifies complex insurance and legal concepts to help home inspectors protect their livelihood and avoid unnecessary risk. Her articles have appeared in publications like the ASHI Reporter, CREIA Inspector Magazine, and the InspectorPro Blog. She’s been a guest on NACHI TV, Spectora Spotlight, The ASHI Online Learning Center, The Successful Home Inspector Podcast, Today’s Home Inspector, and the Home Inspection Authority Podcast. Stephanie received her Bachelor of Arts from Mills College with a major in creative writing and a minor in journalism. She has also earned her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation from The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys trying new recipes and taking walks with her husband and son.
American homeowners aren’t living alone. Whether homeowners know it or not, they share their homes with uninvited guests, like termites, rodents, or bats—the three vermin about which homeowners express the most concern. That’s where pest inspections come in. Why inspectors inspect for pests. When asked why they offer pest inspections, the home inspectors we interviewed…
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A possible health risk and a costly issue to fix, mold deters many potential home buyers away from otherwise great finds. Others who buy only to find mold later frequently look for someone to blame, leaving you, the inspector, with a sizable target on your back. How can you diminish that target and make some…
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The following is a real home inspection insurance claim from our insurance claim archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. About a year after their inspection, a couple of new homeowners alleged that their inspector failed to identify faulty flashing around their property’s chimney cap,…
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Moisture meters, radon detectors, infrared cameras—these tools and many others are available to you and your home inspection business. In most cases, such tools and equipment can enhance your inspection findings, helping you to give your clients more in-depth and accurate information. But what happens if your inspection tools fail? Are you liable if your…
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Many home inspectors choose to offer radon testing as an additional service, but why is this the case? Radon: the colorless, odorless gas emitted into the air by the radioactive element, radium, as it breaks down in soil, rock, and water. Typically, radon enters buildings through small cracks or openings in foundations undetected. And, once…
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Recently, a seller alleged that a home inspector turned off the boiler during his inspection. Four days later, when a real estate agent arrived to show the house, water was pouring out the front door. When they entered the property, the real estate agent witnessed water cascading from the light fixtures and door frames. Upon…
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As this year and this series draws to a close, you have a better understanding of the importance of pre-inspection agreements and the provisions that make them stronger. You’re more equipped to work with an attorney to create a contract that protects your business. And you know what to do to get your agreement signed…
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After a home inspector identified foundation issues in their crawlspace, an inspection client hired a foundation repair company to fix the defects. After the modifications, the client asked the home inspector to return to confirm that the foundation repair company had adequately addressed the issue. Upon re-inspection, the home inspector told his client that the…
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In our Inspector Spotlight series, we take a closer look at individual inspectors making an impact on the inspection industry. When Bret Husted’s wife, a real estate agent at the time, encouraged him to go into home inspecting, he thought it would be easy. As a general contractor, Husted was familiar with the work. And…
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Two years after an inspection, a multi-inspector firm received a county court summons. Within the summons, the inspection company’s former clients made a litany of allegations: Termites occupied multiple areas on the first floor, including the garage. One of the anchor plates on the basement wall was “moldy musty.” The bottom of the heating unit…
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As a home inspector, your job starts long before you get to the inspection property. In fact, you can employ some of the best risk management techniques before your inspections. And yet, many home inspectors miss the opportunity to limit their liability prior to the inspection. Here are 5 scheduling mistakes to avoid so you…
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Just days after his inspection, a home inspector received word from the seller’s real estate agent that there was a problem. After tripping the ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) in the garage, the inspector had failed to reset the receptacle. As a result, the seller’s deep freezer and refrigerator sat in the garage in the July…
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