Inspiring Conversations with Alex Byron of Desert Diamond Home Inspections

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Byron.

Hi Alex, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small city in Germany. In my twenties, I moved to Silicon Valley in California. I built a successful career in hi-tech for about 20 years. However, I was getting burned out and increasingly dissatisfied with corporate culture. When the department I worked for fell victim to another round of layoffs and off-shoring, I decided to get out and do something different. I became a home inspector in 2015 and spent the last 8 years building a successful home inspection business in Tucson.

Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Obviously, this was a rather drastic career change, and it came with its challenges. Not having a background in construction and with English being my second language, learning the trade sometimes felt like learning a new language. Some critics say that you need 20 years of experience in construction or the trades to have a business becoming a home inspector and be successful. I want to think that, at this point, my success has squashed that argument. Coming in with a neutral mind and without preconceived notions was helpful. It helped me from the beginning to learn the knowledge from the right perspective, adopt the right mindset, and understand how to think like an inspector.

• Another challenge was starting out in a new profession without established contacts. I had to work very hard to build relationships in the real estate industry, the trades, and the community.
• Another challenge was standing out from the competition and showing people why they should hire me instead of somebody else. Over time, I learned that the industry had a big quality spectrum. I consistently learned from people who were very good at it what to do – I also learned from people not so good at it what not to do. This has helped me understand how to deliver an outstanding service to my clients and hone my craft over the years.
• Another challenge was transitioning from a 9-to-5 job to running my own company. First of all, real estate is a 7-day-a-week industry. You have to be willing to respond to messages on the weekend, be flexible to work with people’s schedules and be able to work when people need you.

In addition, running your own company means you not only do the actual work, you also do the bookkeeping, the marketing, the networking, and anything else the job requires. It’s only for some. You must be able to deliver a quality service and properly run the business. If you can’t do both, you’ll struggle and might fail.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a home inspector. I inspect homes for home buyers, do home check-ups for homeowners, and help people prepare their homes for sale by doing pre-listing inspections. I spent several hours investigating and collecting information about a home to give my client a detailed overview. For home buyers, it helps them either move forward and negotiate with the seller or walk away if there are more issues than they can handle. For homeowners, it helps them stay on top of their home maintenance and keep their home in good shape. For home sellers, it helps them understand what to expect when a buyer brings in their home inspector and how they can get the house in better shape to get more money and ensure the sale is successful. I also offer additional services such as termite inspection, sewer line inspection, mold testing, and water testing. I am also a certified residential thermographer and use an infrared/thermal camera during my inspection at no extra charge. For me, this is much more than just a j-o-b. I am very passionate about what I do. I enjoy helping people, empowering them with knowledge, reducing their stress levels, and providing them with all the information they need to make good decisions. Home buying is stressful. There is so much to learn and consider. There is so much information coming at you. It’s quite overwhelming, especially for first-time buyers. As a result, when my clients attend the home inspection, they are often nervous, intimidated, hesitant, and anxious. I have done my job right when my clients leave with a smile, a spring in their step, a sense of relief and direction, and generally much happier than when they first walked in the door. Seeing this makes me happy.

One of the many things that sets me apart from others and shows how passionate I am about my job is that I wrote a book about home maintenance. When you buy a house, you need a manual to show you how to take care of the biggest investment of your life! Many people need to learn more about what they should do and learn the hard way. Something breaks, they call a professional, and only then learn what they should have done. So, I decided to write that manual. Every word and every photo in the book is based on my experience inspecting homes over the years. The first part describes the home’s various components and what to know about them. The second part is an annual home maintenance calendar that walks you through maintaining your home. One little task every week or so, straightforward and spread out over the year, makes home maintenance much easier and less intimidating. My clients love it when I hand them a free copy of the book at the end of the inspection – especially first-time home buyers!

I’m proud of the brand and reputation I have built for my business. It’s reflected in the hundreds of 5-star reviews I’ve received online. I’ve developed a great balance between doing a thorough job and communicating with my clients positively and constructively. Home inspection doesn’t have to be all serious and very scary. People appreciate my friendly style and approach. One of the many things I enjoy about this business is all the interesting stuff I see daily. It’s fascinating to see what people do to their homes. Some of it is pretty awesome, and some pretty scary. I share some of the crazy stuff on social media for entertainment purposes.

Most importantly, my business has the best mascot ever: Mojo the Home Pro. He helps me with my marketing, he entertains people on social media, and he is the co-author of my home maintenance book. People love this handsome fur bag. I’ve lost count of how often I show up for a job, and the first words out of the realtor’s or client’s mouth are not, “Good morning,” but “Where’s Mojo? Did you bring Mojo the Home Pro?”

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
My German sense of organization, discipline, and attention to detail has come in handy with this business. Persistence and consistency have been crucial to my success as well. Keep delivering the same quality service day after day. I received a funny compliment when somebody opined that I was boringly predictable – but in a good way! Another important quality is curiosity and the desire to learn. Every day, when I sit down to finish my inspection report, I research and learn something new; above all, I am a good human. Be professional, kind to people, honest, and take pride in your work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://desertdiamondhomeinspections.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desertdiamondhomeinspections/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DesertDiamondHomeInspections
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@desertdiamondhomeinspections