Stephanie Jaynes

Marketing Director Stephanie Jaynes simplifies complex insurance and legal concepts to help home inspectors protect their livelihood and avoid unnecessary risk. Her articles have appeared in publications like the ASHI Reporter, CREIA Inspector Magazine, and the InspectorPro Blog. She’s been a guest on NACHI TV, Spectora Spotlight, The ASHI Online Learning Center, The Successful Home Inspector Podcast, Today’s Home Inspector, and the Home Inspection Authority Podcast. Stephanie received her Bachelor of Arts from Mills College with a major in creative writing and a minor in journalism. She has also earned her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation from The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys trying new recipes and taking walks with her husband and sons.

Woman stands holding a door open, smiling and gesturing into a house, while a man smiles and steps inside.

How to Set Real Estate Agents’ Expectations as a Home Inspector

By Stephanie Jaynes / March 15, 2025

Imagine this: You pull up to your inspection, and the real estate agent is late letting you in. When they finally arrive, they’re frazzled and eager for you to be done as soon as possible. “You should be done in 30 minutes, right?” they ask without looking up from their phone. After some back and…

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Lisa Alajajian Giroux of HomeQuest Consultants in Massachusetts

Telegraphing Roof Concerns With Closed-Cell Foam Insulation: What to Know for Your Next Attic Ventilation Inspection

By Stephanie Jaynes / March 1, 2025

Welcome to the Inspection Insider. Here, seasoned home inspectors share their technical expertise and experience to help you improve your own inspections.  In this post, Lisa Alajajian Giroux of HomeQuest Consultants in Massachusetts shares how spray foam insulation can lead to roof defects and claims. Alajajian Giroux is a former ASHI President and the 2026…

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Jon Hallmark of Hallmark Inspections, LLC in Texas poses with a tool bag for this Inspection Insider.

Electrical-Upgrades-Turned-Claims: How Increased Electrical Consumption Affects Home Inspectors

By Stephanie Jaynes / February 1, 2025

Welcome to the Inspection Insider. Here, seasoned home inspectors share their technical expertise and experience to help you improve your own inspections.  In this post, Jonathan Hallmark of Hallmark Inspections, LLC in Texas shares how a client’s desire for electrical upgrades turned into a claim. He then utilizes his 10 years of teaching and 20…

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Seven pastel-colored tiny houses surrounded by green grass and a bright, blue sky in Hawaii.

5 Ways to Manage Risk With Tiny Home Inspections

By Stephanie Jaynes / February 1, 2025

“Welcome to your very own cabin in the woods! Escape the hustle and bustle and surround yourself with the peace and quiet of nature,” read the tiny home’s Zillow listing. With a fresh, robin’s egg blue exterior and buffalo check furnishings that screamed “farmhouse chic,” the “cabin” looked warm, trendy, and inviting. To the typical…

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A close-up photo of a dictionary entry for “gross negligence” with surrounding words blurred out. Gross negligence for home inspectors and inspection scope play key roles in this case study.

$100,000 to $0: A Home Inspector E&O Insurance Claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / January 15, 2025

The following is a real home inspector E&O insurance claim from our archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics from this claim—including names, associations, and locations—have been altered or removed. Wantonness. Gross negligence. Breach of contract. These were the three counts a former inspection client brought against their home inspector in a lawsuit.…

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A woman looks at a laptop while typing. She sits next to an older gentleman, perhaps a home inspector mentor, who is also looking at the laptop screen.

Home Inspector Mentoring: A Guide to Accelerating Growth

By Stephanie Jaynes / December 1, 2024

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” If you’re trying to grow your new home inspection business, this Isaac Newton quote may prompt you to ask: “How do I find some giants!?” If you’re an experienced inspector wanting to leave a mark on the industry, you may think:…

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A colony flies across a sunset sky, presumably fleeing to a bat-infested house like in this bats in the attic case study.

Bats in the Attic: A Cautionary Tale for Home Inspectors

By Stephanie Jaynes / November 15, 2024

The following is a real errors and omissions (E&O) case study from our home inspection insurance archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics from this “bats in the attic” pest claim—including names, associations, and locations—have been altered or removed. One night, as the Peterson family got ready for bed in their new home,…

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Group of people wearing grey “volunteer” t-shirts and sorting through boxes of clothes. One volunteer smiles at the camera. Engaging with your local community as a home inspector, perhaps through community service volunteering, boosts local home inspectors’ connections.

Building Relationships and Community: 5 Tips for Local Home Inspectors

By Stephanie Jaynes / October 1, 2024

Why would a local home inspector want to get involved with their community? Everyone needs to feel like they belong. Feeling connected to others and a part of something larger than ourselves is vital to our well-being, writes Samantha Stein Psy.D. for Psychology Today. Our communities can offer us emotional support, practical help, reduced stress,…

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Roof repair costs shown with zoomed-in roof shingles, a hammer, and nails, highlighting a case where a home inspector missed a leaking roof.

Home Inspector Missed Leaking Roof: What Happened and What You Can Learn

By Stephanie Jaynes / September 15, 2024

The following home inspector and missed leaking roof story is a real errors and omissions (E&O) case study from our archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been altered or removed. Why do remodels always take longer and cost more than expected? If you asked one recent homebuyer, she’d…

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Person in mustard sweater using client communication skills to type effective communication with customers via email on laptop.

Client Communication Skills for Home Inspectors

By Stephanie Jaynes / August 1, 2024

As a home inspector, client communication skills aren’t a nice-to-have; they’re a need-to-have. Fail to have effective communication with customers, and you are more likely to face insurance claims, like this home inspector:  While installing a new HVAC system in a duplex, a contractor noticed widespread charred rafters and evidence of repairs in the attic.…

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Illustration of a person with short hair, a blue suit jacket, and a yellow tie, holding up a miniature house and analyzing it with a magnifying glass, like a landlord or tenant preparing for a rental property inspection from a home inspector.

House Inspections for Renters: Risk management tips for rental property inspections

By Stephanie Jaynes / July 15, 2024

When you own an inspection business, you want the phone to ring. An incoming call often means an upcoming inspection. But what if you don’t want the client or the situation on the other end of the phone? That’s how many inspectors feel about house inspections for renters. The scenario raises risk management questions and…

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Two men with judgmental expressions leaning over a fence display the role of a nosy neighbor or interfering seller at a home inspection, as seen in this small claims court defense story.

The Interfering Seller: A Small Claims Court Defense Story

By Stephanie Jaynes / June 15, 2024

The following is a real errors and omissions (E&O) case study from our home inspection insurance archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics from this small claims court defense—including names, associations, and locations—have been altered or removed. When a home inspector prepared his small claims court defense, it was to discuss page 17…

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