Carlo Vitale stands with his truck outside of his Quakerbridge Road office.
Carlo Vitale worked in construction for most of his life, but three years ago, he decided it was time for a change. He opened his business, Vitale Inspection Service, in July 2010.
“My father had a construction company,” he said. “I always working with him and learned a lot from him. I kind of decided to go another route. I wanted to use my head a little bit more. I love homes and I love talking to people about them, so I just kind of got into the field of home inspection. You go in, you meet new people every day. I can see different houses. It’s a good business.”
Vitale inspects houses for potential homeowners. He works primarily through real estate agencies, but he prefers appealing directly to the customer.
“I visit real estate companies just to meet their agents and hopefully become known with their buyers,” he said. “I do try to market to buyers. I’m not working for the real estate agents, the mortgage companies. I’m working for the buyer. They’re buying the house, so I want to teach them about it.”
Vitale does a full walkthrough of the home, from roof to foundation. He examines electrical components, insulation, heating, cooling, plumbing, and the overall structure of the home. He also offers radon, termite and stucco inspections.
He said he has seen several minor instances of sellers covering up blemishes like water stains, but one roof stands out as the most memorable.
“There was a hole on the roof, and they obviously knew it was there,” he said. “I was walking up there, and my leg fell right through the hole because they covered it up with a patch of shingles. They covered that up hoping that I wouldn’t walk through that spot. That was the worst that I’ve seen.”
If he comes across something he needs help with on an inspection, his father, Felice, is always the first one he calls.
“I’ll take the advice and go from there,” he said. “I’m not bashful to ask somebody for advice or feedback. I also always email all of my customers afterwards just to put it in my notes and figure out what I need to work on. I feel like that’s how I’m going to become more successful.”
As a new business owner, Vitale said it’s important to be thorough in all aspects of his company, from marketing to the actual inspection. His friend Justin Girard created a caricature of Vitale that dons his truck and other promotional materials. When he’s not out on an inspection, he’s making sure his name gets out into the public.
“I keep talking to people, keep on showing people that I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Yeah, you get a lot of no’s. You just move forward and keep going. In my downtime, I’m always trying to do marketing, get out there, and talk to people. I want to be successful. I didn’t start the business just to do it. I started it to make it go someplace. You really need to hit it hard those first five years in a business. You’re going to show people that you’re serious about what you’re doing.”
Vitale has a long list of things he looks for on an inspection, but safety, he said, is his primary concern.
“When I was doing construction, the best part was building something and seeing that it’s there,” he said. “This is a little different but kind of the same thing. I’m showing people their homes and showing them that their home is safe. I’m not here to scare somebody into not buying a home. Instead of building something safe, I’m showing them that something is safe.”
Vitale Inspection Service is located in Quakerbridge Commons at 2681 Quakerbridge Road. Phone: (609) 751-8048. On the web: vitaleinspection.com.
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