In selecting a franchisor, Jim Giuffre considered many factors, including the royalty program, report software, training, start-up cost, marketing and support.
Working as an electrician for residential, commercial and industrial buildings, Jim Giuffre wanted to move out of New York, but he was too young to retire.
So, he started looking for a profession where he could use his experience and move his family to a new location.
“My wife and I decided to move to North Carolina and start the next stage of our lives doing something different,” Giuffre said. “After significant research, I decided to become a property inspector.”
Choosing the right franchise system
Giuffre thought about starting an inspection business on his own and began researching franchises versus going independent.
After extensive research, he knew that buying a franchise was the best way to get his business off the ground.
As he put it, “Why reinvent the wheel?” With a franchise company, Giuffre would have access to proven business and marketing plans, as well as the extensive training he would need to start his future in property inspection.
In selecting a franchisor, Giuffre considered many factors, including the royalty program, report software, training, start-up cost, marketing and support.
He also wanted to ensure that the franchise company was interested in helping him become successful in his business.
“After interviewing many inspection franchises, it was very clear that National Property Inspections was the best franchise to purchase and grow a business for me,” Giuffre said. “It has been a great decision.”
At NPI, Julie Erickson, director of franchise sales, spoke with Giuffre on multiple occasions.
“She was pleasant, patient with my questions and extremely informative,” Giuffre said. “I was impressed that she wanted to know about me and what I was looking to do and what I wanted from the franchise.”
In April 2006, Giuffre signed with National Property Inspections to start his own business in Sunset Beach, N.C.
Franchising the NPI way
One of the things NPI prides itself on is outstanding support for its business owners from the moment they contact the company about a franchise opportunity.
Giuffre said that when calling NPI’s corporate office in Omaha, Neb., for help, opinion and direction in any topic, the staff is there to help him and his wife, Susan, immediately.
“If more information is needed, anyone at the home office is prompt in finding that information for us,” he said.
“The support from NPI is a huge help in running our business. It enables me to conduct the best inspections I can, and now my inspectors who work for me call Omaha when they need answers for various topics, too. NPI is a huge help to Susan and my office staff in marketing, networking and presentations. In owning my NPI franchise, I do not have to reinvent the wheel.”
Giuffre said other benefits of NPI include the marketing materials supplied by the company, the inspection report software, the equipment that NPI supplies to each new business owner and promotional items.
For example, the NPI start-up package includes a tablet computer, a portable printer and inspection tools, such as a moisture meter and gas sniffer.
Success with NPI
“We have never worked so hard in all our lives, and I mean that in a great way,” Giuffre said. “We are working hard for ourselves and now for our employees.” That hard work has paid off, as Giuffre’s business is one of NPI’s most successful.
“The training I have received through my franchise and the consistent help in all areas of my business have been priceless,” Giuffre said.
“Being a franchisee has also put me in direct contact with other franchisees who are willing to help me succeed. There is no competition; we are all building our businesses and help each other in any way we can. I would not have that professional help from other inspectors/competitors if I was on my own. We are ‘home’ with our franchise.”
Founded in 1987, National Property Inspections, Inc., is one of the oldest and most respected names in the home and commercial inspection business.
The company operates as National Property Inspections in the United States and as Global Property Inspections in Canada.
NPI provides services to a wide variety of clients, including home buyers and sellers; commercial property investors, owners and tenants; real estate agents and attorneys; employee relocation companies; banks; and field service companies.
No matter what type of inspection a client is looking for, NPI offers the services its clients need through its highly trained and experienced home inspectors and commercial building inspectors.
NPI also offers franchise opportunities throughout the United States and Canada to become a home and commercial building inspector.