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.

The Sinking Yard: A Home Inspection Insurance Claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / December 1, 2019

The following is a real home inspection insurance claim from our insurance claim archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. “You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not file a written answer with the clerk who issued…

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What happens to my insurance when I sell my business? And other ownership-change questions

By Stephanie Jaynes / December 1, 2019

Could or have one of the following scenarios happened to you? The owner of the home inspection company that you work for dies unexpectedly. When he retires, the owner sells his home inspection business to you, his employee. To get into the business, you buy the name of a prominent home inspection company in your…

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The Domino Effect: A Home Inspection Insurance Claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / November 15, 2019

The following is a real general liability insurance claim from our insurance claim archives. In order to protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. While performing a routine inspection, a home inspector stumbled upon a common problem: Some of the seller’s belongings were inhibiting him from performing…

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Inspector practicing effective home inspection report writing while holding a pen to paper on a clipboard.

Home Inspection Report Writing: 8 Best Practices

By Stephanie Jaynes / November 1, 2019

For inspection clients and home inspectors alike, home inspection reports are worth their weight in gold. Many inspection clients—often home buyers—rely on the home inspection results in their reports to make important purchasing decisions. “[The inspection report is] basically a giant list of everything that is wrong with your (potential) home,” explained Kristin Wong in…

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You’ve Got the Wrong Guy: A Home Inspection Insurance Claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / November 1, 2019

The following is a real home inspection insurance claim from our archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. The Complaint Three months after an inspection of a short-sale property that had suffered from some previous flooding, home inspector Jeremy Pierce received a series of heated…

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Admitted vs Non-Admitted Home Inspection Insurance: What’s the difference?

By Stephanie Jaynes / October 15, 2019

When shopping home inspection insurance, you have a lot of factors to consider. Are the insurer’s policies claims-made or occurrence? What exclusions and endorsements does the policy include? And does the provider offer any perks like pre-claims assistance or a diminishing deductible? (You can read more on the key characteristics to consider when shopping insurance…

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Pre-Claims Assistance: How your insurance can help you avoid a claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / October 7, 2019

Six months after an inspection, the client calls. During some remodeling, they found issues in the home that they think your inspection should have caught. They haven’t asked for you to pay for any repairs, but they sound upset and they’re looking to you for answers. How can you respond? You want to keep a…

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How to run a successful small business with home inspector Joe Cook

By Stephanie Jaynes / October 1, 2019

In our Inspector Spotlight series, we take a closer look at individual inspectors making an impact on the inspection industry. Being a home inspector requires a breadth of technical expertise. When starting his business in 2001, Joe Cook, Owner and Operator of House Call North Shore in Louisiana, understood the importance of being mechanically minded.…

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“You Didn’t Do Your Job”: A Home Inspection Insurance Pre-Claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / October 1, 2019

The following is a real home inspection insurance pre-claim from our archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. The Complaint While on a cruise just two months after the original inspection date, James Johnson received a call from not the home inspection client but the client’s…

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With A Little Help From My Friends: A Home Inspection Insurance Pre-Claim

By Stephanie Jaynes / September 15, 2019

The following is a real home inspection insurance pre-claim from our insurance claim archives. In order to protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. A year after their inspection, a client began to perform renovations to their recently purchased property. Upon removing some exterior siding by the…

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Top 5 General Liability Claims Against Home Inspectors

By Stephanie Jaynes / September 1, 2019

If you’ve followed our series on the top claims against home inspectors, you know that most industry allegations involve errors or omissions, which mean they are filed against inspectors’ E&O coverage. (For those of you who’ve missed them, check our articles on the industry’s top claims here. We recommend starting with the Top 5 Claims.)…

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Top E&O Claims Claim 12: Windows

By Stephanie Jaynes / September 1, 2019

Four months after completing an inspection, a home inspector received a series of text messages from his clients, the home buyers. In the texts, the inspection clients alleged that their home inspector had failed to report wood rot and subsequent leaks in seven windows on the property. The clients did not provide any information regarding…

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