Dennis Kunkle is the owner of Kunkle Property Inspections, Inc., a home inspection company.
HOW LONG HAS THE COMPANY BEEN OPEN?
Two years. Before he opened his own company, he was in the software engineering field for almost 14 years, most recently with America Online.
“I built computer systems and business applications.”
WHO WORKS THERE?
Just him, and he doesn’t want to get any bigger than that. “I want to be able to make sure that I maintain the quality level of service that I provide my clients.”
WHY GO INTO HOME INSPECTING?
“Actually, they are very similar. A house or building is made up of various sub systems. You have plumbing, electrical, roof, interior components and foundation. Same with building business applications - you have your computer, applications, users, terminals and communication mechanisms. They are very similar in that regard. Understanding how they work is interesting. Not only that, I like real estate. I have always been fascinated with real estate, from an investment standpoint, character standpoint, including how the house looks and works and construction aspects. I am detailed oriented, so I like putting all these things together when I do the inspections. I’m methodical about how I go through the various sub systems of the house and I put it all together and make some sort of sense out of it all.”
WHY LEAVE THE TECHNOLOGY FIELD?
“The technological industry became a very difficult place in terms of stability. So, I think that was the biggest thing. I enjoyed the consulting aspect and the building aspect. I enjoyed what I was doing and working with the clients. I was working for one corporation with one source of revenue. I always wanted to have some over control over what I wanted to do. I just decided if I was going to do it, this was the time. So, I opened up my own business.”
CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE?
He had some construction experience while in college. “I have always been very handy around the house. That helps a little bit. I have a great interest in the engineering disciplines like understanding how your water heater or air conditioning works. It seemed like a natural thing for me to do. It kept me in real estate and looking at overall systems. I also like working with clients.”
COLLEGE
He has a bachelor’s degree in computer and information sciences from Troy State University in Alabama and a master’s degree in management and information sciences from the Florida Institute of Technology.
WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT REALTORS CAN DO TO HELP YOU IN YOUR JOB?
“Setting expectations with their client of what they are going to get out of the home inspection process. There are a number of different ways you can meet clients. One is through Realtors and the other is they call you up independently. Then you can set the stage and the expectations. What I try to accomplish out of my business is helping them manage what they are about to buy or sell. The Realtors can help by setting the expectations by telling them that the home inspector is going to look at these components, how long we are going to be there and that some of the thing things we are going to do require power or water to be on.”
TIPS FOR REALTORS?
“Ask your clients what they expect to get out of the home inspection and if they know how long the duration is. A lot of clients don’t know that it takes two to three hours to do a home inspection. They need to know how long they need take off work. Just let them know how long we are going to be there and the typical things that we check for.”
BIGGEST ISSUES FACING HOME INSPECTORS?
“The perception that they kill the deal. It is the responsibility of the home inspector as to how they write their report and how they communicate information to the client. My business is a little different because I try looking at it from all perspectives. Certainly you have to make an unbiased, objective assessment of the property. There is also an equal amount of responsibility on how you manage to disseminate that information.”
HOW DO YOU DO THAT DIFFERENTLY?
“I could write a long list of things listing what I found in the property and present it to them. Or, I could say that I found a number of things that are considered typical maintenance items or minor/major repairs. I try to categorize the list for them and spend a lot of time explaining why they are in those categories and what kind of effort it may be to resolve them.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“Being persistent with my business model - in other words, how I want to service my clients and sticking with that model.”
WHERE DO YOU GET BUSINESS?
Referrals from past clients and Realtors.
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Be careful on how you set the expectations. Be careful not to be an alarmist. It’s easy for clients to pick up on something you say, like if you are looking at a heat pump and go ‘Oh, my God’. You don’t want to say that. You learn that early. Another lesson is to pay a lot of attention to your report and how you write up your comments. It’s easy for comments to be misconstrued. The biggest part of being a home inspector is what you put in your report and how you phrase it.”
ADVICE FOR NEW HOME INSPECTORS?
“Spend enough time and thoroughly research what it means to be a home inspector including start-up costs, marketing effort, how satisfied will you be dealing with clients and real estate agents and liability issues.”
AREA HE WORKS
Beaches to Julington Creek and some in St. Augustine.
RESIDES
Intracoastal West.
FAMILY
He has been married to Dori, who is vice president of Consumer Real Estate and senior process designer at Bank of America, since May 2003. They are expecting their first child in May.
WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
Spend time with his wife, play golf, and go running.
CHURCH
Presbyterian Community Church in Atlantic Beach.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, National Association of Home Inspectors, American Society of Home Inspectors and Indoor Environmental Standards Organization. He is a Certified Residential Mold Inspector.
FAVORITES
He recommends two movies: “School of Rock” and “Elf.” “They were hilarious.” His favorite book of all time is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. When relaxing at home, he enjoys tuning into CNN and Home and Garden Television. When traveling, he likes Marbella in Spain. When dining out, he prefers Al’s Pizza in Atlantic Beach.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis