HomeTeam Inspection Service, the 200-plus-unit home inspection franchise, is coming to the Northern Virginia and D.C. markets, led by real estate professionals Michael and Peter Sardo and their project manager, Hannah Holmes. While Michael and Peter considered franchising a few years ago, a recent look at the HomeTeam business model and interactions with the leadership team, combined with the synergies they saw with their existing business, OpenHouse Media, made this the right time to invest.
“Peter has been serving the real estate industry for three to four years now,” Michael said. “He does real estate photography, listing photos, headshots for real estate agents — the whole gamut of media that agents use to help their clients sell their homes. We looked at HomeTeam several years ago and decided it just wasn’t the right time, but as his business started taking off, we thought it’d be a good add-on. The businesses can feed off of each other, and the HomeTeam brand and level of professionalism the Ohio team brings to the table impressed me.”
After finalizing their decision to invest, the pair completed HomeTeam’s onboarding and training process and is now putting the finishing touches on the business as they prepare for an early April launch.
Each member of the team in Northern Virginia brings a unique set of skills, including a perspective on real estate.
After 35 years spent working with real estate developers and general contractors, Michael brings transferable relationships and skills to the business that will help it thrive as it takes off.
“My previous work wasn’t directly related to residential real estate, but the experience will transfer over,” he said. “I thought this would be a really interesting thing to do as I finalize my career. I’ll have something to do once I get out of the office and corporate environment to help me fly into retirement while helping Peter build a legacy.”
With years of experience and a strong network in residential real estate, Peter has consistently considered how to expand his reach in the industry. Choosing the franchise model, rather than starting another business from the ground up, provided the scaffolding he needed for a smoother start.
“At first, I thought, ‘Why don’t we just do it ourselves?’” he said. “But the benefits of franchising made it a really attractive option. The costs to open and manage things like marketing and legal are all taken care of with HomeTeam. Plus, everyone is very nice and supportive.”
Hannah brings yet another perspective to the table. She earned her real estate license in 2021 and worked as a REALTOR® until 2025. After realizing she enjoyed the operations side of the business, she began working with OpenHouse.
“It’s been a great experience, and stepping into this opportunity with HomeTeam is cool because I’ve been exposed to home inspections before,” she said. “I have a background with reading a ton of inspection reports with my clients during my time as a REALTOR®, and I’ll be able to bring that agent point of view to the HomeTeam operation.”
HomeTeam’s team-based model is a key differentiator for franchise owners across the country. It allows local teams to offer quicker, more efficient home inspections, often with faster booking turnaround times. This is an even bigger advantage in Northern Virginia, where shifts in government employment can directly impact the pace of the local real estate market.
“We’re right outside of D.C., so homes turn over with a little more velocity here than they do in other locations because of government changes,” Michael said. “There’s no HomeTeam in Northern Virginia currently. I’ve had a home inspection here, and the inspector was a fine gentleman, but the HomeTeam level of professionalism doesn’t exist in our market right now. This is a great opportunity to set up a business that will be very good for Northern Virginia.”
For the Sardos, the choice to invest in HomeTeam, specifically, was largely driven by the brand’s decades-long history, commitment to customer service and well-developed operational model. As they grow, being a part of a brand with a strong reputation and over 200 other locations across the country will serve as a valuable launchpad.
As the team prepares to officially launch the business, they’re focused on maintaining the same level of quality and service that has made HomeTeam what it is today.
“We want to get out there and increase visibility while making sure we deliver the highest level of professionalism,” Michael said. “We want to make sure we’re delivering the quality product HomeTeam is known for, so our priority has been putting our team through a rigorous technical training program, including numerous supervised inspections."
Having already onboarded their first support inspector, the team is aiming to complete a few hundred inspections and develop two full teams by the end of the year. For the Sardos, though, this is just the beginning.
“The HomeTeam model is ‘One Call Does it All,’” Michael said. “We want to be that for our customers. We can help you take the listing photos and complete the inspection. We’re not going to bite off more than we can chew before we ensure this business is up and running smoothly, but we are looking at different ways to vertically integrate and become a truly full-service resource for the real estate community in Northern Virginia.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice.
HomeTeam Inspection Service
SPONSORED
Michael and Peter Sardo are preparing to launch their home inspection franchise in the Northern Virginia and D.C. market, building on their existing ties to the local real estate community.
HomeTeam Inspection Service, the 200-plus-unit home inspection franchise, is coming to the Northern Virginia and D.C. markets, led by real estate professionals Michael and Peter Sardo and their project manager, Hannah Holmes. While Michael and Peter considered franchising a few years ago, a recent look at the HomeTeam business model and interactions with the leadership team, combined with the synergies they saw with their existing business, OpenHouse Media, made this the right time to invest.
“Peter has been serving the real estate industry for three to four years now,” Michael said. “He does real estate photography, listing photos, headshots for real estate agents — the whole gamut of media that agents use to help their clients sell their homes. We looked at HomeTeam several years ago and decided it just wasn’t the right time, but as his business started taking off, we thought it’d be a good add-on. The businesses can feed off of each other, and the HomeTeam brand and level of professionalism the Ohio team brings to the table impressed me.”
After finalizing their decision to invest, the pair completed HomeTeam’s onboarding and training process and is now putting the finishing touches on the business as they prepare for an early April launch.
Each member of the team in Northern Virginia brings a unique set of skills, including a perspective on real estate.
After 35 years spent working with real estate developers and general contractors, Michael brings transferable relationships and skills to the business that will help it thrive as it takes off.
“My previous work wasn’t directly related to residential real estate, but the experience will transfer over,” he said. “I thought this would be a really interesting thing to do as I finalize my career. I’ll have something to do once I get out of the office and corporate environment to help me fly into retirement while helping Peter build a legacy.”
With years of experience and a strong network in residential real estate, Peter has consistently considered how to expand his reach in the industry. Choosing the franchise model, rather than starting another business from the ground up, provided the scaffolding he needed for a smoother start.
“At first, I thought, ‘Why don’t we just do it ourselves?’” he said. “But the benefits of franchising made it a really attractive option. The costs to open and manage things like marketing and legal are all taken care of with HomeTeam. Plus, everyone is very nice and supportive.”
Hannah brings yet another perspective to the table. She earned her real estate license in 2021 and worked as a REALTOR® until 2025. After realizing she enjoyed the operations side of the business, she began working with OpenHouse.
“It’s been a great experience, and stepping into this opportunity with HomeTeam is cool because I’ve been exposed to home inspections before,” she said. “I have a background with reading a ton of inspection reports with my clients during my time as a REALTOR®, and I’ll be able to bring that agent point of view to the HomeTeam operation.”
HomeTeam’s team-based model is a key differentiator for franchise owners across the country. It allows local teams to offer quicker, more efficient home inspections, often with faster booking turnaround times. This is an even bigger advantage in Northern Virginia, where shifts in government employment can directly impact the pace of the local real estate market.
“We’re right outside of D.C., so homes turn over with a little more velocity here than they do in other locations because of government changes,” Michael said. “There’s no HomeTeam in Northern Virginia currently. I’ve had a home inspection here, and the inspector was a fine gentleman, but the HomeTeam level of professionalism doesn’t exist in our market right now. This is a great opportunity to set up a business that will be very good for Northern Virginia.”
For the Sardos, the choice to invest in HomeTeam, specifically, was largely driven by the brand’s decades-long history, commitment to customer service and well-developed operational model. As they grow, being a part of a brand with a strong reputation and over 200 other locations across the country will serve as a valuable launchpad.
As the team prepares to officially launch the business, they’re focused on maintaining the same level of quality and service that has made HomeTeam what it is today.
“We want to get out there and increase visibility while making sure we deliver the highest level of professionalism,” Michael said. “We want to make sure we’re delivering the quality product HomeTeam is known for, so our priority has been putting our team through a rigorous technical training program, including numerous supervised inspections."
Having already onboarded their first support inspector, the team is aiming to complete a few hundred inspections and develop two full teams by the end of the year. For the Sardos, though, this is just the beginning.
“The HomeTeam model is ‘One Call Does it All,’” Michael said. “We want to be that for our customers. We can help you take the listing photos and complete the inspection. We’re not going to bite off more than we can chew before we ensure this business is up and running smoothly, but we are looking at different ways to vertically integrate and become a truly full-service resource for the real estate community in Northern Virginia.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/hometeaminspectionservice.
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