HomeTeam Inspection Service

<a href="https://www.hometeamfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=from-technology-manager-to-president-how-adam-long-has-spent-the-last-18-years-with-hometeam-inspection-service-2719996" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">HomeTeam Inspection Service</a>, the 200-plus-unit home inspection concept that was recently recognized as the number one home inspection franchise in 2022 by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=from-technology-manager-to-president-how-adam-long-has-spent-the-last-18-years-with-hometeam-inspection-service-2719996" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Entrepreneur Magazine</a>, has been at the forefront of innovation since its foundation.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrlong/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=from-technology-manager-to-president-how-adam-long-has-spent-the-last-18-years-with-hometeam-inspection-service-2719996" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Adam Long</a>, president of the brand, has been on board for a substantial amount of that growth.“I was hired in 2004 to manage technology for HomeTeam. As you can imagine, back in 2004, technology was a lot different,” he said. “About six years ago, after being with the company for 12 years, building relationships with the franchisees, working in marketing and technology and becoming more educated about the franchise space, I had the opportunity to move into the role of president.”In 2004, Long joined a company that relied on paper home inspection forms that would be manually entered into a computer at the end of the day — like most home inspectors were doing at the time. As&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice">HomeTeam</a> looked to upgrade its overall technology, he was hired to be the project manager of an effort to implement something that would “save a tremendous amount of time in the field.”At this stage, the brand decided to leverage Pocket PCs and create software in-house to allow two inspectors to complete an inspection simultaneously, with each inspector entering data into a Pocket PC. Once the inspection was complete, the two devices would sync with a desktop computer to compile the report, removing the handwritten aspects of inspections.&nbsp;“It saved our franchisees a tremendous amount of time when it was first launched, and it was really the first major technology change for HomeTeam,” Long explained.Over the years, the advancements HomeTeam has made with technology have enhanced the vision of teamwork and professionalism that the brand was built on. Long guided the team through a rebrand, including a new logo and web domain, elevating the company's marketing strategies and rethinking ideal franchisees.“The biggest thing over the last 10 years has been how we’ve hyper-focused on the different types of people we’re looking for to become franchise owners,” he said. “30 years ago, we were looking for the same thing that most home inspection franchisors were looking for — people that wanted to be home inspectors. But the team concept has always allowed our franchisees to build their business more quickly. We decided to concentrate on finding people that wanted to build multiple teams. The primary focus was that the person wanted to build a professional business and manage it with our guidance and their existing skills. An interest in home inspections and real estate was secondary.”As the brand continues to grow and paint a new image of what a home inspection business can look like, it is garnering attention from giants in the franchising space. Just this year, HomeTeam Inspection Service was recognized as the number one home inspection franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine. Long says he feels the brand’s focus on technology, process improvement and efficiency over the last 15–20 years has certainly played a role in this recognition.While the industry continues to shift due to industry innovations and changes in demand for inspectors, HomeTeam’s continuous growth approach allows it to cater to new, varying needs within the space in a way that other companies cannot.“The home inspection industry is still pretty new; it’s only been around for less than 40 years. People didn’t really do home inspections before that. When HomeTeam started in 1992, about 20% of homes were inspected, and now it’s closer to 90%,” Long explained. “The expectation now is that people need home inspections, and clients realize the importance of a&nbsp;professional home inspection. They’re looking for simplicity in scheduling and speed in execution; they don’t have a week to wait for a three to four-hour home inspection to be completed. That’s where the team component comes in, and it’s something that more and more clients are going to want.”As Long looks forward, he says he is most excited about franchise owner success.“Franchise owners are the best part of franchising, and it’s really what’s kept me excited for the last 18 years. Every new owner that we award a franchise to represents an opportunity for HomeTeam to be successful in a new market,” he said. “Secondly, because we’ve been around for 30 years, I’m excited about many of our existing franchise owners retiring and selling their franchises to new owners. I enjoy the satisfaction our staff gets from coaching these franchisees and seeing them succeed and expand in their own markets.”The initial investment range to open a HomeTeam Inspection franchise is $50,100 to $76,800. For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hometeamfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=from-technology-manager-to-president-how-adam-long-has-spent-the-last-18-years-with-hometeam-inspection-service-2719996" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.hometeamfranchise.com/</a>.

From Technology Manager to President: How Adam Long Has Spent the Last 18 Years With HomeTeam Inspection Service

1851 Franchise

Through new technology, rebrands and changes in the home inspection industry, Adam Long has spent the last two decades growing with HomeTeam Inspection Service.

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In a fragmented home services space, there are many “Chuck in a truck” businesses that rely solely on the owner to both manage the day-to-day operations and plan for future growth.&nbsp;<a href="http://hometeamfranchise.com">HomeTeam Inspection Service</a>, the 200-plus-unit home inspection franchise, turns this model on its head. With the support of an experienced franchisor and a team-based model that further elevates it in the market,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice/info">HomeTeam</a> is driving the home inspection industry forward with speed, accuracy and efficiency.This approach goes beyond preference, representing a strategic shift that meets the demands of today’s consumers and the often fast-paced real estate market. In a business landscape where timeliness and scalability are key to success, HomeTeam’s team-based model provides a distinct advantage.<h2>Speed and Efficiency in Booking</h2>A primary advantage of the team-based model is the speed at which the inspections can be completed. This alone is a major differentiator for HomeTeam, with most inspections completed in 90 minutes or less — compared to hours with a single-inspector model.“We encourage our owners to build a business bigger than themselves,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-cook-a2810b8b">Matt Cook</a>, Director of Operations. “So they’re able to grow multiple teams and get to a point where they’re completing three to four inspections per team per day.”This also brings a clear value proposition to buyers and real estate agents.“Our speed is a great selling point, but that’s just the beginning,” Cook said. “Because we can complete inspections in less time, we can complete more inspections in a day. This also shortens the turnaround time for scheduling an inspection, making us a top choice, especially in fast-moving real estate markets.”For home buyers, this makes HomeTeam a convenient, reliable option. For franchise owners, it streamlines day-to-day operations and allows them to maximize revenue opportunities by increasing the volume of business handled each day.<h2>Accuracy Through Specialization</h2>While speed is a significant benefit of the team model, HomeTeam doesn’t sacrifice quality just to get the job done more quickly. In fact, having a team of inspectors on site can actually increase accuracy, preventing the fatigue that may occur with a single inspector responsible for an entire home.There’s a level of specialization that takes place with HomeTeam inspectors, where one may focus on the exterior and roof, while another inspects the interior and internal systems.&nbsp;“Having multiple inspectors on site brings a level of depth and quality that is hard to achieve with a single-inspector model,” Cook said. “More eyes on the home leads to better and more complete reports.”<h2>The Long-Term Advantage</h2>The speed and accuracy benefits of the team-based model boost business on a day-to-day basis, but the model as a whole also sets the stage for franchise owners to build an asset, not just a job.With multiple inspectors on site for the actual inspections, owners are relieved of this duty and have more capacity to engage the community, focus on business strategy and prepare for long-term success. Cook explained that this approach is especially valuable during real estate slowdowns. When other inspectors may let up on local marketing efforts, HomeTeam doubles down, ensuring they’re top of mind when the real estate market bounces back.“People want to do business with people they have a relationship with,” he said. “We’ve seen this time and time again. Even when the real estate market slows, our owners who stay true to the model and remain involved in their communities see steady performance, and when the real estate market bounces back, they rebound even more strongly because they’ve made this time investment on the front end.”While owners should remain visible in the community, having competent teams establishes each franchise as “the HomeTeam of a given market” rather than “a home inspection business led by this entrepreneur.”“This means that our owners are able to build an operation that, when they choose to retire, represents a true asset,” Cook said. “If you’re just creating a job for yourself, no one is going to buy that from you. One of the things that differentiates HomeTeam is that we’re business builders. Having a strong team model in place ensures that, when our owners do step away, the business can be sold and will continue to operate seamlessly even after ownership is transferred.”To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice">https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice</a>.&nbsp;

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Why Team-Based Inspection Models Are the Future of the Home Inspection Industry

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For years, homeownership has felt out of reach for many buyers, with the average age of first-time homebuyers getting older each year. Lately, though, the market has started to shift as builders and buyers adjust to new conditions.As rents continue to rise, people are finding themselves at a crossroads, realizing it may be more affordable to buy than rent. And while the barriers to entry for purchasing an existing home remain high, builders are stepping in with more aggressive tactics to decrease hurdles and move inventory. So, while there isn’t a traditional buyer boom going on, there’s a strategic opening created by builder incentives.“Building a home is more incentivized than it’s been in a long time, and that’s going to cause an influx of buyers, first-time and otherwise, building homes rather than buying existing ones,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-cook-a2810b8b">Matt Cook</a>, Director of Operations at&nbsp;<a href="http://hometeamfranchise.com">HomeTeam Inspection Service</a>. “For&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice/info">HomeTeam</a> franchise owners, this presents a unique opportunity. Even new homes need inspections, and HomeTeam owners have an opportunity to drive business by completing inspections both before the buyers take the keys and at the 11-month mark to provide a thorough report before the warranty expires.”&nbsp;<h2>The Incentive-Driven Shift</h2>The median age of first-time homebuyers is increasing, but the market isn’t stalled. Rather, the new market core is defined by steadily dropping interest rates and remarkable new home build incentives.“If people see that renting is not valuable to them anymore, they’re going to buy a home. And generally, when this wave happens, you’re going to have buyer credits,” Cook said. “We need to build homes faster, and the more we can build and the cheaper they are to build, the more attractive the market is, and the faster our housing booms. Offering buyer incentives is one of the key ways to do this.”Major national builders are utilizing their own financing arms to offer mortgage rates much lower than the national standard, and many are offering “flex cash,” upgrade credit and closing cost assistance to excite buyers and move-in-ready inventory.“These can make a major difference in the value of the home for the buyer,” he said. “These credits are things like, instead of spending $7,500 on a stone fireplace, the builder will give you $15,000 in flex cash to choose any upgrades you want throughout the home. Or, when I built a home in 2015, the incentive was a free deck or finished basement.”For current renters already considering taking the leap to homeownership, incentives like these that can represent tens of thousands of dollars in value are just the push they need.<h2>Supply and the Inspection Gap</h2>The appeal of these incentives is backed up by the data. In early 2010, construction began on about&nbsp;<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HOUST">600,000</a> new privately owned homes. In early 2025, that number was around 1.5 million.This rise in supply is essential to long-term housing availability and affordability, but in the short term, it can come at a cost.&nbsp;“The reality is, as homes are built faster, the quality is at risk because of the rush to complete the project and move on to the next,” Cook said. “There have also been changes in the kind of building materials used. These factors only reinforce a truth qualified inspectors have known for decades: Just because it’s a new home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get a home inspection. Having an inspector check it before you take over the keys is critical.”There are structural deficiencies that home inspectors can identify prior to closing to ensure a new-build home is up to standard, and there’s also an opportunity to bring an inspector in again around the 11-month mark.“Most new builds will come with a one-year warranty,” Cook said. “Buyers should still get an inspection before closing, but another inspection after living in the home for 11 months is a smart idea. The inspector can again go through the home and identify anything that needs to be resolved, helping buyers make the most of their investments.”<h2>Building Momentum for Franchise Owners</h2>New construction is creating more inspection touchpoints, and that translates into steady demand for HomeTeam owners. Pre-closing inspections, 11-month warranty checkups and routine home health visits can keep schedules full and revenue consistent.Central to this growth opportunity is HomeTeam’s education-first, non-alarmist approach to home inspections and reporting. Rather than causing panic over findings or reporting on whether a home is “good” or “bad,” HomeTeam inspectors empower clients with knowledge and support them in making an informed decision. This builds trust and lays a foundation for a long-term client relationship.For prospective franchise owners, 2026 is a prime time to join the system. With AI-enhanced reporting, new marketing strategies and a changing real estate market, Cook says the team is preparing for “parabolic” growth in the coming years.To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice">https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice.</a>&nbsp;

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Capitalizing on the “Strategic Opening”: The HomeTeam Advantage in an Incentive-Driven Real Estate Market

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How HomeTeam Inspection Service Navigates a Shifting Real Estate Market

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How HomeTeam’s Ancillary Services Turn a Single Sale Into Steady, Long-Term Revenue

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CINCINNATI&nbsp;—&nbsp;<a href="http://hometeamfranchise.com">HomeTeam Inspection Service</a>, the 200-plus-unit home inspection franchise, was recognized as one of the top 500 franchises in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500®, the world’s first and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Since 1980, the Franchise 500 has been recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchise owners, and placement in the ranking has been a highly sought-after honor within the franchise industry. In the 2026 Franchise 500,&nbsp;<a href="http://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice/info">HomeTeam</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/directory/hometeam-inspection-service/282435">ranked No. 413</a> for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, operational and marketing support, and brand power.“For 47 years, the Franchise 500 has been the gold standard for identifying franchise excellence. This year’s ranking proves that the best brands don’t just survive changing markets; they thrive in them,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfeifer/">Jason Feifer</a>, Entrepreneur magazine’s editor in chief. “These 500 companies represent some of the most reliable pathways to business ownership in America, each one vetted through our rigorous analysis of what actually drives franchise owner success.”“Our placement on the Franchise 500 for 2026 is validation of the work people throughout our system have been doing to drive HomeTeam forward,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-cook-a2810b8b">Matt Cook</a>, Director of Operations. “We’re honored to be recognized alongside top performers in the franchise industry and excited for the future of HomeTeam.”In Entrepreneur’s continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the company’s ranking formula continues to evolve as well. Each franchise is thoroughly evaluated and given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchise owner support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. The franchises with the highest cumulative scores are ranked in order to make up the Franchise 500.Over the last five decades, the Franchise 500 has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for prospective franchise owners. HomeTeam’s position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity.To view HomeTeam in the full ranking, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500">www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500</a>.Results can also be seen in the January/February 2026 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 13th.ABOUT HOMETEAM INSPECTION SERVICEFounded in 1992, HomeTeam Inspection Service is a full-service, independent home inspection franchise serving home buyers, sellers and real estate agents. For 30 years, HomeTeam has built a reputation for providing professional, reliable, efficient and accurate inspections on both residential and commercial property, focusing on electrical and plumbing systems, HVAC, exterior and siding, gutters and drainage, mold inspections, air quality reports and much more. Unlike other inspection companies, HomeTeam sends a team of certified inspectors to every appointment in order to provide a better and faster inspection, every single time. The brand’s reputation for excellence has made them a top choice among real estate agents and earned them the title of No. 1 home inspection franchise by Entrepreneur magazine's 2022 Franchise 500 listing. Now, HomeTeam Inspection Service has grown to include over 200 territories nationwide. For more information about HomeTeam please visit https://www.hometeam.com.

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HomeTeam Inspection Service Named Among the Top Franchises in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® Ranking

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From Technology Manager to President: How Adam Long Has Spent the Last 18 Years With HomeTeam Inspection Service

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