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.

How to be a unicorn: A guide to differentiating your home inspection business

By Stephanie Jaynes / March 15, 2020

In our Inspector Spotlight series, we take a closer look at individual inspectors making an impact on the inspection industry.   “Unicorn Squad: We know that it’s the most ridiculous name on the planet. It’s kind of a joke. I mean, none of us were ever into unicorns before this. But it became this symbol…

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pre-inspection agreement's exclusions

Your Pre-Inspection Agreement: Exclusions

By Stephanie Jaynes / March 1, 2020

Exclusions are items of risk specifically not covered by a contract to avoid excessive liability. In pre-inspection agreements, exclusions limit or eliminate your responsibility to inspect for certain defects or examine certain systems and components. By outlining the conditions and circumstances your inspection does not cover within your agreement, you can better serve your clients…

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When animals attack: How to protect yourself and your employees from animal-related inspection injuries

By Stephanie Jaynes / March 1, 2020

Inspecting homes is a dangerous job. From slippery roofs to electrical hazards, rotted subflooring to invisible toxins, the average home inspector encounters countless perils during their careers. While inspection horror stories come in all varieties, many of the tales that have unhappy endings seem to stem from home inspection animal attacks. Most recently, the home…

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InspectorPro and Allen Insurance Announce Strategic Alliance

By Stephanie Jaynes / February 18, 2020

Today, InspectorPro Insurance and Allen Insurance Group announce their strategic alliance for home inspectors. Through the alliance, Allen Insurance Group’s current insureds will gain access to InspectorPro’s exclusive errors and omissions (E&O) and general liability (GL) program. In 2009, InspectorPro revolutionized the insurance space by offering insurance policies tailored to home inspectors’ unique risks. Today,…

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Choosing the right entity type for your home inspection business

By Stephanie Jaynes / February 15, 2020

Whether you’re just now entering the home inspection industry or have been an inspector for years, establishing and maintaining your own business is no small feat. One of the most common questions we receive from new or growing inspection companies is what type of business entity they should create. In this article, we hope to…

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Your Pre-Inspection Agreement: Scope

By Stephanie Jaynes / February 1, 2020

Your Inspection Scope Merriam-Webster defines the term scope as an “intention” or “object,” meaning “the goal or end of an effort or activity.” One objective of your pre-inspection agreement is to define the scope, or purpose, of your inspection. According to Matthew Steger of WIN Home Inspection in Pennsylvania, including the scope in your agreement…

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Examining the Garage Door Pressure Test Part 2: The Inspectors’ Perspective

By Stephanie Jaynes / February 1, 2020

Part 2: The Inspectors’ Perspective In Part 1 of the series, we examined how the two nationally recognized Standards of Practice (SoPs), written by the American Society of Home Inspectors’ (ASHI) and the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors’ (InterNACHI), address the reverse jam test of garage doors. Both SoPs state that home inspectors are…

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Examining the Garage Door Pressure Test Part 1: The Standards’ Perspective

By Stephanie Jaynes / January 15, 2020

Part 1: The Standards’ Perspective During a routine inspection, one of our insureds tested the reverse jam function of a property’s automatic garage door. The door failed the test due to a pre-existing defect, which the inspector wrote up in his inspection report. Shortly after the inspection, the property’s seller called the inspector. The seller…

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pre-inspection-agreements-for-home-inspectors

Your Pre-Inspection Agreement: Your First Line of Defense

By Stephanie Jaynes / January 1, 2020

In California court case Moreno v. Sanchez, the home buyers sued their home inspector for breach of contract, negligence and negligent misrepresentation. The buyers had discovered dust and asbestos, an inoperable drain, defective windows and wall cracking. They believed that the inspector should be responsible for the damage. The inspector’s primary defense: his inspection agreement,…

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How to respond to negative online reviews against your home inspection business

By Stephanie Jaynes / December 15, 2019

An inspection client alleged that their home inspector failed to uncover major roof, plumbing, and sump pump issues. She demanded that the inspector refund the inspection and give her instructions to file a $20,000 claim against his insurance provider, us. Upon investigation, our claims team determined that the claimant’s allegation was among the 80 percent…

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The Sinking Yard: A Home Inspection Insurance Claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / December 1, 2019

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. “You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not file a written answer with the clerk who issued…

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tail coverage

What happens to my insurance when I sell my business? And other ownership-change questions

By Stephanie Jaynes / December 1, 2019

Could or have one of the following scenarios happened to you? The owner of the home inspection company that you work for dies unexpectedly. When he retires, the owner sells his home inspection business to you, his employee. To get into the business, you buy the name of a prominent home inspection company in your…

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