TrustView Home Inspections

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

TrustView Home Inspections is a home inspection company in Georgia. We inspect homes for buyers, sellers and owners and deliver a clear, photo-filled report within 24 hours. We also offer radon, mold, sewer scope and termite add-on tests, commercial and multi-family inspections and re-inspections after repairs.

Why this fits. Almost every home purchase includes an inspection, so there is steady demand tied to home sales. Buyers need a report they can understand, and real estate agents recommend inspectors who are careful, on time and fair to every side. An inspector who explains what is serious and what is routine, without scaring or excusing, earns referrals from agents and past clients. Add-on tests raise the value of each visit.

Here is what our numbers show. In Year 1 we plan about 260 home inspections, about 130 add-on tests, about 18 commercial and multi-family inspections and about 70 re-inspections. That brings in sales of $185,550, growing to $961,297 by Year 5. We expect a profit of about $4,500 in Year 1, a profit of about $33,900 in Year 2, a profit of about $95,500 in Year 3 and a profit of about $190,800 by Year 5. The owner's pay, marketing to real estate agents and the vehicle and gear paid for before the first inspection are our largest costs, and the plan counts all of them.

We need $90,000 in total. Of that, $65,950 is startup costs (an inspection vehicle, thermal camera, drone, testing and safety gear, training, software, a website and a small cushion), and the rest is cash for the first months. I am putting in $35,000 of my own savings and asking for a $55,000 SBA 7(a) loan.

I am Terrence Hale, the owner and lead inspector. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

TrustView Home Inspections will be a limited liability company (LLC) in Georgia, owned by Terrence Hale. We work from a home office and an inspection vehicle with no storefront, and serve homes within about an hour of the owner's home.

What we believe. An inspection should tell a buyer the truth in plain words, and should be fair to buyers, sellers and agents.

What we offer:
- Home inspections for buyers, sellers and owners, with a photo-filled report within 24 hours.
- Add-on tests: radon, mold, sewer scope and termite.
- Commercial and multi-family inspections.
- Re-inspections after repairs and warranty inspections near the end of a builder warranty.
- A short call after the report to explain the findings.

What an inspection is and is not. An inspection is a visual look at the parts of a home that can be seen and reached on the day. It is not a guarantee, a warranty or a code inspection, and we do not predict future repairs. We follow the written inspection standard we use, carry errors and omissions insurance, and confirm every license, training and insurance requirement with the state and the local authorities before we start. We never accept payment from an agent, seller or contractor to change a report.

Where things stand today. The inspection standard, report format, price list and budget are written. The next steps are the training, the vehicle and the first agent meetings.

Problem & Opportunity

Buying a home is the biggest purchase most people make, and many buyers do not know what to look for. An inspection report is supposed to help, but many reports are dense, full of jargon and hard to tell apart the serious problems from the routine ones.

Buyers also worry about whether an inspector is independent, since inspectors are often recommended by the agent. Agents want inspectors who are on time, thorough and fair so their clients are not surprised.

An inspector who explains clearly and stays independent solves both problems.

Products & Services

TrustView Home Inspections will be the careful, clear and independent inspector that buyers and agents trust.

What makes us different:
1. A clear report. Photos, plain words and a summary of what matters most, delivered within 24 hours.
2. Independence. We work for the person who hired us and never for the agent or seller.
3. A walk-through. We invite the buyer to attend and explain what we find.
4. A follow-up call. A short call after the report to answer questions.
5. Add-on tests. Radon, mold, sewer scope and termite tests booked in one visit.
6. Honest limits. We say plainly what an inspection covers and what it does not.

Why agents refer us. Their clients understand the report, and deals close smoothly.

Market Analysis

Who we serve:
- Home buyers who want an independent inspection.
- Home sellers who want to know the condition before listing.
- Owners who want a check after a storm or before a warranty ends.
- Real estate agents and investors who need reliable inspectors.
- Owners of small commercial and multi-family property.

How we sized the market. Our service area is the towns within about an hour of the owner's home. We are not counting on a share of every home sale. Year 1 plans about 260 inspections, which is about five a week, a small share of the home sales in our service area. Replace this estimate with your own count of agents, sales and builders near you.

Competitive Landscape

What buyers can do today:

1. Established inspection companies. Strong reputations, but busy schedules and sometimes slow reports.
2. Franchise inspection brands. Consistent, but higher priced and less personal.
3. Independent inspectors. Many are good, but quality and report clarity vary.
4. Skipping the inspection. Risky, and some buyers do it in a competitive market.
5. Seller-provided inspections. Useful, but not independent.

Where we fit. TrustView offers a clear report, fast delivery and independent advice at a fair price. We will not try to be the cheapest. We will win on clarity and trust.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How buyers and agents will find us.

Before opening:
- Meet at least 30 real estate agents and offer a free practice inspection and sample report.
- Build a website with prices, a sample report and an online booking form.
- Meet lenders, attorneys and builders. We do not pay for referrals.
- Join local agent and builder events.

After opening:
- A thank-you note and a short call after every inspection.
- A Google Business Profile and honest reviews from buyers.
- A short educational guide for buyers, shared with agents.
- A discount on add-on tests booked with the inspection.
- Maintenance reminders for past clients.

What we will measure. Where each booking came from, how many agents send repeat work and how many clients leave a review.

Operations Plan

How the business will run.

Booking. A buyer or agent books online or by phone, signs the pre-inspection agreement and receives a confirmation and a short checklist.

An inspection, step by step. Arrive early, review the agreement, inspect the exterior, roof, structure, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, interior and attic and crawl space, use the thermal camera and testers where needed, and take photos. The buyer is invited to walk through at the end.

Reports. The report is written in the software the same day and delivered within 24 hours with photos and a summary of the most important items.

Staffing in Year 1. Terrence inspects and runs the business. An inspector and a scheduling coordinator join in Year 2. Pay for each role is listed at the end of this plan.

Safety and limits. Inspectors wear the right gear, never go on a roof or into a space that is unsafe and follow the company's safety plan. We state plainly what we could not see.

Equipment. Testers and cameras are checked and calibrated on a schedule, and a yearly fund covers replacement.

Management & Organization

The people who will run TrustView Home Inspections.

Terrence Hale, owner and lead inspector. He performs and signs every inspection in Year 1, writes the reports, meets agents and runs the business. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Inspector (from Year 2). Performs inspections after the training, shadowing and exams the company requires, holds any license or certification the state requires and follows the company's inspection standard and report format.

Scheduling and office coordinator (from Year 2). Books inspections, answers calls, sends reports and invoices and keeps agents updated.

Outside advisors. An attorney who reviews the inspection agreement, an insurance broker for errors and omissions coverage, an accountant and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: owner and Lead Inspector $55,000; inspector $58,000; scheduling and Office Coordinator $34,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.
- Before opening (3 months ahead): complete training and the required exams, confirm every license and insurance requirement, buy the vehicle and gear, set up the reporting software, build the website and meet real estate agents.
- Year 1: about 260 inspections, 130 add-on tests, 18 commercial inspections and 70 re-inspections; $185,550 in sales and a profit of about $4,500.
- Year 2: about 520 inspections, 300 add-on tests, 36 commercial inspections and 150 re-inspections with a second inspector and an office coordinator; $392,018 in sales and a profit of about $33,900.
- Year 3: about 780 inspections, 470 add-on tests, 54 commercial inspections and 230 re-inspections with more inspectors; $610,711 in sales and a profit of about $95,500.
- Year 4: about 960 inspections, 600 add-on tests, 70 commercial inspections and 290 re-inspections and a stronger commercial line; $784,572 in sales and a profit of about $152,300.
- Year 5: about 1,140 inspections, 720 add-on tests, 84 commercial inspections and 340 re-inspections and a plan for a second territory; $961,297 in sales and a profit of about $190,800.
Growth depends on winning and keeping customers, so treat the later years as goals, not promises.

What we check every week: inspections booked and completed, reports delivered within 24 hours, add-on tests per inspection, agent referrals, complaints, reviews and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total we are raising: $90,000.

How we got that number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds up three things:
- Startup costs of $65,950, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section: $28,000 for used inspection vehicle, $8,000 for thermal imaging camera, $5,000 for drone and roof inspection gear, $6,000 for moisture meters, gas detectors and electrical testers, $4,000 for radon monitors starter set, $5,000 for sewer scope camera, $3,000 for laptop, tablet and portable printer, $2,000 for ladders and safety gear, $1,500 for training, exam and license fees, $800 for inspection report software, Year 1, $1,200 for website and branding, $1,000 for LLC filing and contract review by an attorney, $450 for contingency.
- The cash the business uses before it breaks even, about $0. Sales cover the daily costs once the doors open, so the cash we need up front goes mostly to startup costs.
- A cash cushion of about $24,100: three months of Year 1 operating costs.
- Together, the cash used before break even and the cushion come to about $24,100, and the three pieces add up to about $90,000, rounded up to the nearest $500: $90,000.
We are raising $90,000 in all, which matches the calculator. With this funding, the lowest year-end cash balance is about $37,100, at the end of Year 1.

Where the money comes from:
- My own money: $35,000.
- SBA 7(a) loan: $55,000.

Kind of funding we are looking for. An SBA 7(a) loan from a lender that finances small service businesses, backed by my own savings and the inspection equipment as collateral.

How we will pay it back. We expect a profit of about $4,500 in Year 1, a profit of about $33,900 in Year 2, a profit of about $95,500 in Year 3, a profit of about $152,300 in Year 4 and a profit of about $190,800 in Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank at the end of every year of the plan. Our loan is the Vehicle and startup loan at 11.5% over 6 years, $1,061 a month. That payment is already included in our cash flow. We chose these as cautious planning rates; ask the lender for the real rates, which may be lower or higher.

What we are offering the lender: the inspection equipment and vehicle and my personal guarantee.

A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan:
- Phase 1: start with a smaller vehicle and the core tools, without the drone or the sewer scope, which lowers the startup costs and the loan.
- Phase 2: once agents are sending steady work, add the add-on test equipment, the drone and a second inspector and follow this plan.
To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match.

All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume and a personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form).
- Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov).
- Proof of inspector training, exams and any license or certification the state requires.
- Your errors and omissions and general liability insurance quote.
- Your pre-inspection agreement and a sample report.
- Quotes for the vehicle and inspection equipment.
- Letters of interest from real estate agents and your price list.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Home Inspections (per inspection): about $485 in Year 1, rising to $545.87; about $168 in direct costs, rising to $192.78; about 260 in Year 1, growing to 1,140.
- Add-On Tests: Radon, Mold, Sewer Scope and Termite (per add-on): about $185 in Year 1, rising to $208.22; about $80 in direct costs, rising to $91.8; about 130 in Year 1, growing to 720.
- Commercial and Multi-Family Inspections: about $1,150 in Year 1, rising to $1,294.34; about $380 in direct costs, rising to $436.06; about 18 in Year 1, growing to 84.
- Re-Inspections and Warranty Inspections: about $210 in Year 1, rising to $236.36; about $60 in direct costs, rising to $68.85; about 70 in Year 1, growing to 340.
- A home inspection is one inspection at about $485 in Year 1. An add-on test is one radon, mold, sewer scope or termite test at about $185. A commercial or multi-family inspection averages about $1,150, and a re-inspection averages about $210.
- Prices rise about 3% a year.
- Equipment ($61,000 in Year 1) covers the used inspection vehicle, thermal camera, drone and roof gear, testing and safety tools, radon monitors, sewer scope camera, laptop and ladders, and later years ($3,000, $3,000, $4,000 and $4,000) replace and add equipment.
- Pay (a full year, per person): owner and Lead Inspector $55,000; inspector $58,000; scheduling and Office Coordinator $34,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: vehicle Operations and Fuel $8,000, errors-and-Omissions and General Insurance $6,500, scheduling, Reporting and Software $3,000, marketing and Agent Relationships $12,000, licenses, Continuing Education and Dues $2,500, accounting and Legal $3,200, phones, Supplies and Equipment Replacement $3,000, payroll Taxes and Benefits (staff) $3,000. These grow between 5% and 16% a year.
- Customers and payers pay about 7 days after service, so at the end of Year 1 about $3,711 is still owed to us. Income tax at 21%.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs