You have the power to make the home inspection industry better. One job at a time, your good work can support the field and help instill confidence. That’s important because one negative opinion in a newspaper article, blog post or online forum fosters distrust.

Research has shown time and again that people love to share bad customer experiences. Potential customers listen. But good experiences have power, too. When you’re known for integrity, word gets around. That helps your business in the here-and-now, and it also helps balance out the negative experiences, which every industry is prone to.

Few things rank higher on the stress meter than real estate transactions. Emotions run high, and there’s usually a lot at stake. When a buyer backs out or hands the seller an exhaustive list of repairs, someone gets the blame. Unfortunately, that person might be the home inspector.

Part of the problem is a lack of awareness. Customers might have an unrealistic opinion about what home inspectors do. If the HVAC system worked on the day of the inspection, they’ll want to know why it broke down three days after they moved in. But most inspectors don’t have a crystal ball or a time machine.

Education helps avoid unwarranted home inspector complaints. A thorough pre-inspection agreement and a one-on-one conversation with the customer before inspection day lets you explain your scope of work and manage expectations on the front end.

If an agent has a bad home inspector experience, they might share it. If more bad experiences crop up, the agent could predict a trend that needs broader attention. One agent’s article, social media post or home inspector business review can influence other agents, sellers, and buyers.

Customers also share experiences. They might not write an article that’s published in the local paper. But they can review your business online. And they can also tell their friends on social media, who might go on to tell their friends.

People seem to love to share negative news. But good news carries impressive power. In a Dimensional Research study about customer service, sponsored by ZenDesk, 86 percent of respondents said they were influenced by a bad business review. But a whopping 90 percent said they were influenced by a positive one. You do have the power to stand out as a reliable home inspector and a voice for the industry.

Every home inspector has the opportunity to infuse the industry with integrity. Some bad apples will always be around. But the more you and other home inspectors continue good work, the more customers will view the bad ones as an anomaly.

Darrah Brustein, the founder of Network Under 40, wrote for Forbes that there are 10 basic steps to building a great reputation:

That’s a long list, but it all boils down to the last one. Think about who you would trust and recommend to perform a home inspection. Then strive to be that person every day.

If a home sale falls through or a buyer picks the house apart with a mile-long repair list, the home inspector tends to get the blame. That’s how it goes. Fortunately, your good work carries influence. The longer you’re in the industry, the more you’ll stand out as a leader who represents the best of what home inspectors everywhere offer their respective communities.

If you’re inspecting a house built before 1978, there’s a good chance that it contains lead-based paint. That’s when lead paint additives were banned for residential use. In fact, add a few years to that date and stay on the safe side. Who hasn’t opened an old can of paint for touch-ups?

If that news makes you uneasy, you should know that a certified home inspector often works around fixtures coated with lead-based paint. Many people live in homes where there’s at least a little on a staircase or trim. It’s not as common on walls.

As long as it’s in good condition or sealed, you and the future homeowners are probably safe.

If you read the news headlines, you’ll probably find a wide range of opinions about lead-based paint. Some go into full panic mode, insisting that a hazmat suit and professional abatement is required. Others say that it’s no big deal. The truth, as always, is someplace in between.

Children are at the greatest risk of health complications from lead exposure. However, adults can also suffer from lead poisoning. Just remember that the National Center for Healthy Housing says that intact lead-based paint is rarely dangerous.

If the paint is in good condition, it’s probably a minimal risk. Problems arise when paint is chipped, damaged or if paint dust is present. Excessive heat can also release lead fumes, which are dangerous to inhale.

That’s why lead-based paint should never be scraped or sanded, at least not while it’s dry. Heat guns shouldn’t be used to strip lead-based paint, either, because they release fumes.

Confusion tends to surround the EPA regulations for lead-based paint removal. There is no regulation that requires homeowners to remove lead-based paint unless the house is a rental unit. There is also no regulation about how homeowners should go about abatement.

The EPA does explain that a company hired to remove lead-based paint must be certified. If the homeowner wants to keep the paint, strip it or make repairs, they’re perfectly within their rights to do so. It’s only when an outside company is paid to help that regulations come into play. The city or state may also have lead disposal regulations, which homeowners must follow.

The safest way for you to deal with lead-based paint is to leave it alone. Homeowners have a few options for keeping the paint or removing it with the least risk possible. The simplest is to paint over it with a primer and re-coat it with fresh paint.

For sanding, which is the riskiest and most objectionable method, spraying the paint with water before abrading the surface is the safest route. The Family Handyman offers a step-by-step process. Water eventually dries, so the lead dust slurry requires careful cleanup. A citrus-based paint stripper is safer than sanding. It doesn’t release dust, so homeowners can’t breathe in the fine particles.

Although lead-based paint was banned decades ago, it still exists in homes across the country. If it’s sealed or in good condition, the risks are minimal. You’ll rarely find it on ceilings or walls. But where glossy painted trim molding, doors and staircases exist, you’ll probably find some lead.

Although testing is required before you can confirm the presence of lead, it’s safe to assume that every house built during or before the 70s has some. Fortunately, proper care means it doesn’t have to be a deal breaker.

Home inspectors don’t usually offer radon testing as part of a general home inspection. Some offer it as an ancillary service and many skip it altogether. But new tools on the market could change all that. One of them is the Corentium Pro.

This Norwegian-made device is designed to make radon testing straightforward, tidy and efficient. How does it work? Let’s look at a few standout details.

Small Design and Easy Setup

The Corentium Pro is about the size of a 2000-era portable CD player, if you’re old enough to remember those, and weighs 11.3 ounces, according to the company.

You’ll need a tripod, which isn’t included. But it comes with batteries, built-in Bluetooth wireless connection, micro USB cable, software and a case.

Here’s how to set it up.

StructureTech Inspections‘ Reuben Saltzman reviewed the product. He said it’s an improvement over the “utilitarian upside-down 5-gallon buckets that my company currently uses for radon testing. It looks like a new, modern device … unlike most other radon monitors available today.”

How Corentium Pro Works

You’ll need to set up the device, leave it, and come back for it later, much like other radon testing equipment. While it’s working, you’ll get reports via iPhone or Android device on the hour, by the day and by the week, if you decide to leave it in place that long.

TruTech Tools says the Corentium Pro uses a “passive diffusion chamber” to sample the air and determine the radon level. Silicon photodiodes calculate radon levels by measuring the decay energy of radon gas. It requires annual calibration, and Saltzman says that’s when they recommend swapping out batteries, too.

Data and Reporting Pros and Cons

According to Saltzman, Corentium Pro works better with iPhones than with Android devices. Reports are currently a bit limited with Android. But the company says that’s about to change. But if you sync either mobile device with your desktop computer, you’ll get vast amounts of data about radon levels and more.

Here’s how to import the data from your mobile device.

As a bonus, the company says you can create your own company-branded radon reports. That’s a cool feature. The device is also tamper-evident. So if someone moves the Corentium Pro or fusses with it, you’ll know.

Customer Feedback

The Corentium Pro is relatively new on the market, so reviews are a bit scarce. But here’s what two users had to say.

Amazon reviewer, Stace, is impressed with the customer service and gave a 4-star review:

“Their customer service is some of the best I have seen. Had an issue, they replaced the machine quickly. They even went so far as to make a quick software update (based on my feedback) and re-release the app with that change. While not the cheapest machine out there, the customer service makes it worth the money. “

Saltzman concluded his product testing and review with this advice:

“This is an easy-to-use, feature packed device that does everything you need and more. The fact that it’s powered only by batteries is also a huge selling feature. The only big downside is the price, which might be too high for radon professionals to justify.”

Radon testing adds another layer of value to a general home inspection or it can stand alone as an extra service. Either way, you’ll need solid radon detection equipment. The cost is a bit steep. At Amazon, you’d pay about $1,500 with a Prime membership. But if you put it to work in the field, the cost might be worth it.

The weather is beginning to warm, at least in some parts of the country. That means a professional home inspection is likely to find spiders, snakes and other critters just waking up. Warm weather rustles all manner of creatures from their winter sleep, including bacteria and molds. Here’s what to watch for and how to stay safe throughout the busiest home inspection season of the year.

If you must work around anything stacked outdoors, keep an eye out for what’s that’s hiding in or around it. Crawlspaces can also harbor surprise residents.

In early spring, it’s common to move a board or flower pot and spy a tiny snake coiled up underneath. The cold weather typically impairs their ability to move and react as quickly as they would on a warm summer day. However, it’s difficult to identify a juvenile snake and a bite is still a bite.

Ordinary lawn and garden clutter makes a perfect cool, damp hiding spot for spiders, too. Black widows especially love the cover of crawlspaces and the underside of bricks and rocks. Always wear gloves and never pick up anything that might uncover a venomous or poisonous critter.

Attics are an ideal environment for some animals that need a refuge. If raccoons move in, they might never willingly move back out. Bats prefer attic rafters, and certain flying insects, such as paper wasps, thrive in the uppermost part of a house.

Spring is a special problem because many mama animals living in attics have either recently given birth or will give birth very soon. Raccoon kits are usually born in late winter. By springtime, they’re curious and mama is fully on guard. Bats give birth in late spring or early summer, so you won’t usually find babies this time of year. However, they can swarm if disturbed or frightened.

When a certified home inspector sees evidence of hornets or wasps, the smartest reaction is to climb back down through the attic hatch. Overwintering paper wasp queens nest in attics, and they’re aggressive. The Terro company says bald-faced hornet queens start nesting in spring, too. Nests may look like a chunk of paper honeycomb or a giant mound of mud. Carry a good flashlight and always wear a hat and gloves.

Mold needs the right set of environmental factors to grow and thrive. In the spring, damp conditions can encourage relatively dormant spores to spring to life until there’s a vibrant, happy little colony of unhealthy mold growing everywhere there’s enough water and poor ventilation to support it.

Spring weather also heralds bacteria season. Warmth and damp conditions can turn a bit of standing water into a health hazard in a hurry. Water also encourages mosquito breeding, which happens earlier after a mild winter.

Attic leaks, wet basements, standing water around the foundation and any area where spring leaves a soggy mess, you might find mold, bacteria and a new crop of mosquitoes. It’s never a bad idea to keep a face mask on hand as well as gloves and a can of insect repellant.

Spring is springing in more ways than one. All sorts of plants are budding up and breaking through the ground. Likewise, animals are beginning to stir and prepare for another warm, productive season.

The best rule of thumb in a professional home inspection is to never take chances. Assume that a dangerous animal is present, then be happily surprised if it’s not. The same applies to molds, bacteria, and those pesky warm weather mosquitoes.

Preparation can’t hurt, and it could save you a nasty sting, respiratory illness or a trip to the E.R.

With a home inspection app, you can enter the details of a house, snap pictures of unwelcome residents and send the report on the spot. That lets your customer make plans for wildlife relocation, insect extermination, biological hazard cleanup and anything else that stands between them and the home of their dreams.

When we designed the Report Form Pro app, we had one big goal: to make home inspection reporting better for everyone. We think we nailed it.

Report Form Pro is virtually plug-and-play. You won’t spend days or even hours figuring out how to use it. And as a standalone app, it works wherever you are. There’s no separate PC requirement, unlike some of our competitors. Everything is at your fingertips, in your office or on the job.

If you haven’t tried it, here’s what you can expect.

Report Form Pro is ready to use, but it only takes a few minutes to create a custom look. Add your company logo, fill in the name of your home inspection company and other details, such as your work phone and business address, and you’re in business.

There’s no special coding knowledge required. If you can click a button and type on your mobile device keyboard, you can give your reports a custom look with your own logo.

The days of taking notes as you work are over. With a mobile app, you create the report while you work. That’s a far cry from carrying home a bundle of notes and uploading images to work on later.

Another benefit to the app-based system is there’s no chance to forget details. Take and attach photos, add the description and condition plus any additional notes, and it automatically populates the report.

Most home inspectors have a few interesting stories to tell. And some of those include unexpected systems that make it into a home inspection. Report Form Pro doesn’t have a section for a ceiling-mount swing in a kid’s playroom or a sliding glass wall that leads to a patio. But if you want to inspect it, you can add it to the report.

Adding sections takes just one click. Then you can fill in the details and add photos, just like the rest of the report. The finished report appearance is seamless.

Do you wonder about file storage on your smartphone or tablet? With so many home inspection reports, it’s a logical question. Using our app, you can save files to the cloud. And that lets you access them again at any time from anywhere.

Cloud storage isn’t mysterious. It’s a data storage system that’s located and backed up someplace else, not on your device. Send a file to the “cloud,” and you actually send it to remote servers.

Time is of the essence in real estate transactions. When a customer is waiting for their home inspection report, they’re probably on pins and needles. Report Form Pro lets you send the report immediately. At least if you have a signal on site.

Quick turn-around time is good business. It can set you apart from other inspectors who need 24 or even 48 hours to finalize and send a report. Once the inspection is finished, so is the report. Click “send” and it’s on its way.

You don’t have to use a mobile app, but it’s fast becoming the way that home inspectors do business. It’s quick, efficient, and reports look great every time. And with Report Form Pro, it’s also simple. You won’t need a training course to get started.