Scott Docter, Pillar to Post Home Inspectors

Meeting Homebuyers Where They Are

By Amanda Matkowski

Photos by Jacob Harr with harr Creative LLC

As North America’s largest and #1 home inspection company, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors offers a wide variety of services for potential homebuyers. “Besides home inspections, I offer radon testing, termite inspections, mold testing and manufactured home structural inspections,” explained Scott Docter, Pillar To Post franchise owner and a sole operator within the Greater Grand Rapids area.

One valuable service that Pillar To Post incorporates in some of their inspection packages is the use of infrared scanning equipment. Scott utilizes this instrument not only to locate moisture beneath bathrooms or behind finished areas where moisture is not yet visible to the eye but also to determine if any components are overheating on electrical panels. “This tool, combined with other moisture meters, has led to smoother transactions by disclosing latent defects that might not have been seen otherwise,” Scott said.

Pillar To Post also makes transactions more efficient by delivering rapid reports. On the same day Scott completes an inspection, he then prints and emails the report, giving agents and clients the ability to instantly deliberate how to move forward in the homebuying journey. “Often, agents are able to discuss the inspection results with the buyer immediately after the inspection — sometimes right at the kitchen table of the home being inspected,” Scott said. “This can help advance the transaction quickly to the next step.”

Scott is excited to add another service to each of his digital reports by the end of 2021: 360-degree photos. “I will be providing room dimensions through the use of this technology with some of our home inspection packages,” he shared.

Scott became a franchise owner of Pillar To Post eight years ago after he completed his training in Toronto and passed the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) exam. Since then, he has made an effort to participate in continued training through online classes and seminars as well as researching new products and defects that he discovers in the field.

After graduating from Grand Valley State University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, Scott originally worked in management at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel for a year before taking a job in the title industry. “I loved the title industry, but after eight years, I felt like I was ready for a new challenge,” Scott explained. “I enjoyed the personal aspect of managing and running an escrow department, and I wanted to continue to work in a job that put me out of the office, interacting with people. That, along with my love of learning new skills, made the home inspection industry a good fit.”

For Scott, the most fulfilling part of his work is being able to educate homebuyers. He takes the buyer’s level of understanding into account, meets them at their level and shares relevant information to address their needs. “It’s easy to assume that the buyer has knowledge about the basics of home maintenance, but this is not always the case,” Scott said. “I’ve found that first-time homebuyers in particular desire to know how to maintain their home, and helping them step into a homeownership with confidence is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”

Scott has discovered that the best way to run his business is to provide great service to his clients every day, and he is proud of the positive Google reviews that past clients have generously written about him. “I give the client my full attention during the inspection process and take whatever amount of time is necessary to go through their home with them, answer all of their questions honestly and address their concerns. If I am doing this right, I am headed in the right direction,” Scott said.

Other than initially starting the business, Scott’s biggest challenge within the industry was tackling the ever-evolving policies that came with COVID-19. “For a while, safety precautions and procedures were changing on a weekly basis,” he recalled. “While this period was a challenge, I have been grateful for the opportunity to be able to work and still be able to provide services in a way that was safe.” Fortunately, in spite of COVID-19 regulations, 2020 was Scott’s best year in the business.

When Scott isn’t working, he enjoys playing board games such as Splendor, Rat-a-Tat Cat and Las Vegas with his family. He and his wife, Jennifer, like to attend concerts and bike the White Pine Trail together. “She usually beats me home from bike rides,” he said, laughing. “I think she takes biking more seriously than I do.”

Scott and Jennifer have three children — Madison, 18, Leighton, 14, and Brynn, 9. Madison started college in the fall of 2021, and she loves to sing and play guitar and the piano. Leighton is always on the move and likes to skateboard, ride his trick scooter and race RC cars. Brynn enjoys reading and her new art class. “She also loves being a mother’s helper to the younger kids in the neighborhood,” Scott shared.

Reading is an important pastime to Scott. Not only will he listen to Audible books and podcasts during his drive to and from inspections, but he also spends most nights reading fiction books to his two younger children. “I was read to as a child, and I feel like this is time well spent,” he said. Scott personally has a longtime passion of reading books on Christian apologetics.

Scott also believes that finding the right work-life balance is valuable. “I want to be able to give my all at work and still be able to give my time and energy at home,” he explained. Beyond being there for his family, Scott wants to be available on Wednesday nights when he leads a high school small group through his church. “Making sure I schedule time for these guys is important to me,” he added.

Although Scott wants to be remembered at Pillar To Post for his devotion to clients, he mainly would like people to know him for his sincerity. “I want to be remembered as someone who stood up for his convictions, a person who was honest in business and in life while loving people well,” he said. “I know I don’t do this perfectly, but I want to be known as someone who owns his imperfections and continues to get up and move forward in faith.”

For more information about Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, visit scottdocter.pillartopost.com.

Scott Docter, Pillar to Post Home Inspectors - Partner Spotlight