Thought some of you might enjoy this post from my Facebook page from 2019:
A recent interaction brought to light, and made me realize, why I do what I do, at my age, without consideration of retirement. I was advised by the agent before a recent inspection that my client was recently involved with our Presidents and the Secret Service. That was intriguing. On meeting, the recently retired military veteran and inquiring about what he did for a living, he humbly began talking about the new civilian job he is training for. As I kept pressing, he began explaining about his most recent four-year assignment in Washington. To help me understand and put it in proper perspective he inquired had I watched President Bush’s recent funeral. I said that I had. He said do you recall the military officer who was immediately beside of the younger President Bush throughout the funeral. I said that I did. He said that was my boss.
This guy was a recently retired Army Military Police Officer/Paratrooper who had been stationed throughout the country and the world. He is a veteran of 54 jumps and has all of the body repairs to prove it. He was in Somalia during the Black Hawk Down fiasco and in numerous other actions you would be familiar with and many you would not. His most recent four-year assignment was with the US Army Military District of Washington
https://en.wikipedia.org/.../United_States_Army_Military...
He was a liaison between the military and the office of the President planning and coordinating events such as the Trump Inauguration and the McCain and Bush Funerals. He has flown on Air Force One and worked directly with the President and his staff. He shared photos of him with both Obama and Trump and their First Lady’s. He shared letters of commendation from both Presidents. He said I am not political I served the office of the President.
This caused me to think back on my 20 years in the Home/Building inspection industry and question why I do what I do. This began as a second career at 48 years old, desiring to leave the fast track stress of commercial construction and find a place where my expertise, experience and computer skills could be used to benefit others. I couldn’t have found a better fit for me. You see, I love construction and I love interacting with and helping people. So how many lives does a home/building inspector touch in 20 years of service. You might be shocked at the numbers which include over 1700 Realtors not to mention mortgage brokers, underwriters, and attorneys. There are Realtors who hate me and a loyal handful who love me and the service I provide their clients. The first well outnumbers the later and that is fine. It comes with the territory. There have literally been tens of thousands (I don’t have a clue) clients, sellers, with their parents, children, relatives, friends and employees.
Some inspectors are blinded by the money they make or the act of making builders and sellers look bad in the eyes of their clients and the agents. For me, honestly it is about the people of every race, color and creed I am privileged and love to interact with daily. I am not in this for the money or fame but to see the smile on a client and their agents face, and that of the children scurrying around their new home, when they realize this home is OK, will work and move to the closing table. I even take great pride in those who leave upset with tears in their eyes from the realization that this house is a problem and they need to walk away. Or the ones who love the house, are determined to buy it but a little uncomfortable with the effort which will be required to workout repairs before or after their purchase. To put it bluntly, I love what I do and how it affects the lives of the people I work with. I know that I make a difference every day I roll out of bed.
It’s about the people from every walk of life and income level from retired Secrete Service agents, who have protected Presidents, to those who served Presidents on Air Force One, CIA operatives, veterans from every branch of service and active military, taking care of the families they will leave behind to protect us. Doctors, lawyers, corporate executives, their secretaries and Indian chiefs, employees of every strip, to the elderly living on fixed incomes in the twilight of their lives. The teachers, professors, machine operators, janitors, waiters and the business owners and restaurateurs they work for. It’s about the young couples and single individuals purchasing their first home to those with little means barely able to afford little more than a shanty. I often inspect a mansion in the morning, a tiny house in the afternoon and an office building, plant or distribution center the next day. I have inspected apartment complexes with hundreds of units and numerous elder care facilities and homes in retirement communities.
Then there were the strange ones: The military dog handler who just left the service returning immediately to Afghanistan as a contractor to train dogs leaving behind two kids and a very pregnant wife in their new home. The diamond broker, with a huge vault in a hidden basement room with 20 million dollars in diamonds inside, who opened the vault and poured my hand full of diamonds saying, “who would imagine this would be here?” Those who ask if the sewage filling the crawl space or the two-foot hole in the roof were really that big of a deal or is this big hole in the floor or sagging roof that serious? Yes, all true and I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. It is about the people I have served for 20 years and good Lord willing may well have the honor of serving for 20 more provided the age of 70, I am fast approaching, is the new 50.
Love to meet you and learn your story on my next inspection.
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