Alyssa Cink

Through articles, newsletters, and social media posts, Marketing Content Editor Alyssa Cink provides risk management education to home inspectors nationwide. A Gonzaga University alumna with a Bachelor of Arts in English and minors in Spanish and journalism, Alyssa's passion for communication enables her to write engaging and clear content across mediums. A former "Harry Potter" fan club president, she is a fervent reader and podcast listener who also enjoys exploring Utah with her corgi.

Demonstrating the differences between arbitration and mediation, where mediation is more open to disagreement, a mediator sits at a table while two individuals lean over the table arguing.

What are the differences between arbitration and mediation?

By Alyssa Cink / December 15, 2024

If you don’t know the differences between arbitration and mediation, they could catch you off guard. That’s what happened to one home inspector, whose client wanted to rescind their purchase a year and a half after buying the property. Their complaint? The air conditioning unit was too noisy. Sound ridiculous? The buyer’s counsel would agree.…

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A group of inspectors seated at a home inspector education and home inspector training event, ready to take notes and fill their home inspector continuing education requirements.

A Home Inspector’s Education and Home Inspector Training: The Value of the Learning Curve

By Alyssa Cink / November 1, 2024

Home inspector continuing education goes far beyond licensing. A home inspector’s education can impact how you do your job, how clients and agents perceive you, and sometimes your insurance coverage.  We asked your peers why the learning curve matters and where new inspectors can seek opportunities. Why is home inspector continuing education important?  A home…

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As if locating clogged sewer drains after the home inspection, two people insert a sewer scope down a drain while watching the scope’s footage.

Clogged Sewer Drains After the Home Inspection: An Inspection Agreement Success Story

By Alyssa Cink / October 15, 2024

The following story of clogged sewer drains after the home inspection is a real claim from our archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. How many times have you returned home from the grocery store, only to realize you left a crucial item back at…

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First person point of view of someone using a calculator, pencil, paper, charts, and a computer, possibly calculating and asking: How much does a home inspector make? What is the average home inspector’s income and what type of inspectors make the most money?

How much does a home inspector make? Questions About Home Inspectors’ Income

By Alyssa Cink / September 1, 2024

Money is on the minds of people considering a new home inspection career. Whether they’re inspecting for someone else or going solo, new inspectors worry how their new adventure will affect their families’ livelihoods. Wondering what to expect, they often ask: If questions about home inspectors’ income are holding you back, we’re here to help.…

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An antiquated library bookshelf swings out, acting as hidden doors in walls to reveal a secret dark room on the other side. As inspectors might see when inspecting houses with secret rooms and passageways, these spaces can be tricky to find.

Inspecting Houses With Secret Rooms and Passageways

By Alyssa Cink / August 15, 2024

Be honest: How many of us had the same childhood fantasy of pulling a lever and finding hidden passageways in houses?  Imagine: You pull a book from a seemingly unexceptional bookshelf. Or maybe you trip a wire while walking through your childhood home. Alternatively, you move a picture frame off the wall, exposing a Big…

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Canvas sign hanging on a business window that reads “Yes, we’re open.” Implies someone is looking for home inspection leads and curious how to get work as a home inspector.

How do home inspectors find work? Tips for Marketing, Finding Work, and Managing Risk

By Alyssa Cink / July 1, 2024

When navigating how to get work as a home inspector, sometimes the simplest methods generate the best home inspection leads. In 2023, Philip Dancer of Dancer & Company Inspections of the D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area was shopping with his family when he received a surprising email. It was from a stranger and was so…

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Man sitting with an open laptop and cell phone on the table in the foreground in front of him. He’s holding his hands in the air with digital hexagons drawn in the air featuring icons of a lock, phone, gears, a thumbprint, and other images of cybercrime and a cybersecurity insurance policy.

Cybersecurity Insurance: Protection for your home inspection data.

By Alyssa Cink / May 15, 2024

As a small business owner, the word “theft” is a thing of nightmares. It probably inspires images of someone breaking into your work vehicle and stealing your pricey drone, camera, laptop, or sewer scope. (We’ve covered this exact scenario in a past equipment coverage case study.) Perhaps you’ve wondered what would happen if your inspector-employee…

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Two sets of legs, man’s and woman’s, each wearing jeans and hiking boots facing away from the camera–as if they’re taking the first steps to start a business.

6 Steps to Start a Home Inspection Business

By Alyssa Cink / May 1, 2024

What does it take to start a home inspection business? Lots of learning, research, dedication, and a plan to set you up for success. This will prepare you for the mountain of decisions that come with getting a new home inspection business up and running. As a result, you will be able to create solid…

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Straight line, balanced in the middle by a sketch of a hand pointing the index feature. On one side is a light bulb labeled “FACT,” the other is a sphere labeled “Myth.” Used to illustrate the insurance myths debunked and insurance facts about reporting claims in a timely manner.

Insurance Myths and Facts About Reporting Claims: Part 2

By Alyssa Cink / April 15, 2024

Sir Isaac Newton once said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton’s third law of motion speaks to physics, of course. But it applies to lots of other factors in life. Insurance myths and facts, like forces of nature, come in pairs. For every insurance myth about reporting claims, there’s a…

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Man in a blue collared shirt sits at a counter looking down at his phone, presumably in a coffee shop, practicing timely claims reporting.

Debunking Common Myths About Reporting Claims Part 1: Addressing Experienced Home Inspectors’ Questions

By Alyssa Cink / March 15, 2024

“Is this worth reporting to my insurance company? How can I save on insurance costs?” You’ve probably seen an inspector ask these questions. Perhaps you, too, have posted them on social media. We see them all the time. Understandably, it’s difficult to know when something is “worthy” of a call to your insurance. To make…

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Graphic featuring icons for waking up, driving, inspecting, and writing reports, all signifying typical home inspector duties.

A Day in the Life of a Home Inspector: We navigate routines and duties for new home inspectors.

By Alyssa Cink / February 1, 2024

Your routine sets the tone for your entire day. Overbook yourself or neglect to plan ahead, and you end up scrambling to write reports and drive to inspections on time. Alternatively, you could have a smooth routine that keeps your home inspector duties organized and stress-free for days, weeks, and months at a time. From…

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Man in a courthouse testifying as a home inspector fact witness swears under oath.

Testifying as a home inspector fact witness? We share resources and advice.

By Alyssa Cink / January 15, 2024

A few years after completing a four-point inspection, one inspector received an interesting letter. It was a subpoena. It informed the inspector that, in a matter of weeks, several attorneys expected him to appear before a judge.  No one was suing him. But the inspector did have a role to play.  Upon receiving the subpoena,…

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