Ohio Entrepreneur Capitalizes on Housing BustWhen the real estate market crashed, many businesses were brought to their knees. However, there were a number of entrepreneurs capitalizing on the down market.~~ A Cincinnati home inspection service franchise operating company that opened shop in 1991, is experiencing steady growth--growth that sprang from the crippled real estate market. HomeTeam Inspection Service deploys a crew of certified assessors to the client properties to perform a 400-point inspection process before escrows closes, or in some cases, prior to a house going on the market. With foreclosures and short sales at historically high levels, investors and realtors are doing everything possible to ensure their real estate deals do not fall through. With lenders taking a microscopic look at all aspects of real estate transactions, thorough property scrutiny is a highly sought-after service. The company has downsized since the boom years, but is in survival mode and has become a better, leaner company because of the crash--the crash that destroyed many other businesses involved in the real estate industry. HomeTeam was thinking ahead and saw the signs of the bubble burst. Instead of trying to weather the storm, they were proactive and looked for areas to improve the business. It is a matter of constantly reinventing yourself to stay competitive. New marketing campaigns, a Twitter and Facebook account and an updated, modernized website were put into place before the housing market hit bottom. All these improvements are well and good, but the one real difference came in the way of quality service and good customer support and management. The Ohio-based company has a rigorous training program for new franchisees. Most of the training deals with licensing and home inspection techniques. The company searches for an entrepreneur who not only wants to be a home inspector, they want one who aspires to be a good owner. The company has survived and prospered by doing home inspections better than the competition with a heavy focus on customer service. With that philosophy, the company has increased its market share substantially at a time when many others have failed. | 
