Messages posted by: Nathan

Is Mary Miller, Congresswoman from Illinois, supported by Drug Dealers?

Perhaps, but Representative Mary Miller of Illinois is using her position to harm small business owners while padding the pockets of true Drug Dealers (and potentially campaign donors) while attempting to harm children nationwide with Marijuana-based medicinal levels of THC. Levels of drugs that can harm minors in irreparable ways. According to the Mayo Health Clinic, "The concentration of THC in a marijuana product is directly proportional to its potency or how much of a high it will give when consumed. Marijuana use among adolescents and young adults can affect normal brain development, leading to problems in learning, memory, coordination, reaction time and judgment." The higher the dose, the worse it gets, hence DELTA products are better for you in low doses and at all ages, which no one disagrees with in the medical community. We also know that teenagers will use THC and there is no way to stop that regardless of how much we try to discourage it as parents/members of our society.

Mary Miller proposed an Amendment to the Farm Bill to exclude products with detectable amounts of THC as well as any cannabinoid “synthesized or manufactured outside of the plant.” Miller said in a message on her X account “These drug-infused products are often sold in colorful packaging next to candy and snacks, which parents strongly oppose!”

What the Congresswoman from Illinois either fails to realize or completely ignores in her pursuit to inject a senseless amendment (likely in response to a healthy campaign donation to support this blatant misrepresentation…we can think of no other possibility other than those listed below) that would seek to eradicate a $28 Billion industry is that these products are not marketed to children and are certainly not sold “in colorful packaging next to candy and snacks”. This is a fraudulent position the Congresswoman is taking, as there are already laws in place that address this matter. We, as an industry, even went above and beyond in ensuring our products were not visible within the packaging, unlike the THC products Mary Miller is promoting with insanely high doses and clear packaging at dispensaries. (Their bad behavior is something we would be fined for as regulated Hemp businesses by the way)

Blue Moon Hemp, Blue Moon Distro, all of our many brands and partner brands, and all of our great friends in this industry including mom-and-pop retailers throughout the US go to incredible lengths to ensure our products are compliant, kept within the legal limits of THC for Hemp products (which is a fraction of the enormous THC levels delivered by the irresponsible products marketed by those interested in limiting Hemp distribution through gullible/fraudulent legislators like Mary Miller). These products are not candy at the checkout aisle at your local convenience mart, gas station, or grocery store. These are products regulated to NOT look like candy, to NOT be out and available to minors with the candy (but rather locked down and behind the counter managed by a trained associate that checks ID), and these products are regulated to have a very minor dose of THC.

The companies in Illinois that very likely/logically must be backing Mary Miller are companies that sell Marijuana-based products in dispensaries that have ENORMOUS (and even irresponsible for most) doses of THC that are equivalent and in some cases even beyond medical doses. They are essentially the "legal" (within the state, but unlawful under Federal Law) version of the other illegal drug dealers that Mary Miller is also attempting to support with this legislative version of diarrhea.

DELTA/Hemp products and derived cannabinoids are intentionally delivered at a much lower, safer dose. We would never want to see children end up with the products in their hands that Mary Miller supports as a known dangerous drug pusher. If kids are going to get into trouble, whether it be drinking or smoking nicotine or taking THC products, and I am saying this as a father who has had a kid in trouble with drugs and known way too many parents who ended off way worse (including too many deaths), it’s best to have a responsible and regulated option. We think it is crazy to offer children throughout this country the insanely high, addict-level THC dose that Mary Miller seems hell-bent on delivering to your children through both her Illinois constituent dispensaries or her Illinois illicit drug dealers in back alleys ready to swoop in and pick up any slack left after our legitimate, safe products are all gone in her perverted reality.

Why would Mary Miller support an Amendment to the Farm Bill that would make the only THC products available in Illinois products with wild amounts of THC and only from the limited grow-operations that supply the Marijuana-based drugs Mary Miller is trying to make (by default) the only legal option? There are a few possibilities;

1. Mary Miller is owned by the Marijuana industry and is intentionally misrepresenting this issue, at great harm to your Children’s health as well as all users, intentionally in return for campaign donations from drug pushers.
2. Mary Miller thinks that by eradicating the more responsible THC products in Hemp that consumers in surrounding states will have to spend even more money in Illinois (where consumers go already because that’s where you get the stuff that “fucks you up” really good that Mary wants your children to take). It should be noted that Illinois has legalized Marijuana and is collecting lots of tax revenue on these addict-level THC doses. They also make tax revenue on DELTA products, but they are available in all surrounding states, which could have Mary thinking she will be a "heroine" after basically requiring all of the kids (and adults too) from throughout the midwest to come and buy Illinois' addict-level THC products.
3. Mary Miller is confused/unintelligent and believes that receiving a very low dose of THC from a slightly different plant is somehow worse than the life-ruining effects of her home state’s drugs/addictions she is such a champion for.
4. Mary Miller is a desperate politician aiming for the "mom vote" using lies and deception.

Whether she’s dumb or just a dirty politician, every single word she has stated on this topic is demonstrably/scientifically false and if she intends to have any credibility/integrity moving forward she should pull the Amendment and admit publicly her attempt to make such a disastrous mistake and disclose any conflicts present.

Hopefully Mary Miller, Congresswoman from Illinois, stops trying to promote illegal and harmful drug use by Americans.

https://mjbizdaily.com/marijuana-lobbies-push-for-hemp-derived-cannabinoid-ban-in-farm-bill/

Welcome!

Cuando traemos a inquilinos, amigos, clientes y socios de nuestro programa de propiedad de condominios fraccionados en Punta Cana a la República Dominicana por primera vez, todos dicen lo mismo... ¡La comida es increíble y los precios son increíbles! ¡Estamos de acuerdo!

Es muy común conseguir una comida aquí en la República Dominicana con una vista increíble, un ambiente elegante y un personal de servicio cuatro veces mayor que el que esperarías en los Estados Unidos, mientras gastas entre $25 y $30 en un plato en el que habrías gastado entre $50 y $100 en una sencilla franquicia de comida mediocre. Aquí puede esperar comida increíble prácticamente en cualquier lugar de Punta Cana y tenemos un directorio de restaurantes que puede consultar. (Haga clic aquí)

Cuando llegue la factura, querrás saber cómo dar propina, porque aquí en la República Dominicana dar muy poca (o ninguna) propina no tendría clase… pero dar demasiada propina puede ser ofensivo.

“ITBIS” y “Ley”

Cuando recibas el cheque, casi siempre verás “ITBIS”. Esa es básicamente la manera que tienen los dominicanos de generar ingresos tributarios. La gente aquí apenas reclama impuestos sobre sus ingresos personales y el país no tiene los recursos para perseguir las deudas tributarias, incluso si el dominicano promedio ganara más de unos pocos cientos de dólares estadounidenses al mes. Esta tarifa es del 18% y es fácil de comparar con un impuesto sobre las ventas ligeramente más alto al que estamos acostumbrados en los Estados Unidos.

La mayoría de las veces (pero ciertamente no siempre) encontrarás una línea llamada “Ley”. Generalmente es una tarifa del 10% y no se moleste en intentar traducir esto en algo que tenga sentido. La traducción literal es “ley”, lo cual resulta algo engañoso cuando miras tu factura por primera vez aquí. Si sabes aunque sea un poco de español y ves la palabra “Ley” con un monto del 10% de la factura adjunto, parece ser un impuesto o algún requisito gubernamental. Es una propina forzada, como ocurre en South Beach y Fort Lauderdale.

Si solo ve ITBIS como una línea de pedido y nada que diga “Ley” (o alguna otra palabra con una tarifa del 10%), entonces no se ha agregado ninguna propina. En ese caso, entre un 10% y un 15% sería suficiente, un 20% si recibiste un servicio increíble y te sientes generoso.

Si ve una línea para "Ley", estaría bien ofrecer entre un 5% y un 10% de propina adicional. Si hace mucho más que eso, corre el riesgo de ofender a los que le rodean (incluidos los dominicanos con los que podría estar cenando), ya que aquí se trata de una importante faux paus. El pensamiento predominante detrás de esto es que si usted da una propina excesiva, el personal se acercará a usted y el servicio para los demás, incluso si pagan una propina de nivel normal, se verá disminuido. También existe un concepto cultural que dice que comprar propinas excesivas aumenta los costos laborales generales dentro y fuera de la hotelería.

Sé que todo esto suena ridículo para un estadounidense, especialmente cuando vemos infinitas noticias sobre personas famosas por dar propinas generosas y cómo respetamos a quienes nos sirven. Esto puede parecer una falta de respeto, pero en realidad no lo es. La intención de todos es crear un nivel estable de crecimiento para la clase trabajadora aquí en la isla.

Ahora que conoces la cantidad aceptable para dar propina... ¿da la propina en el comprobante de la tarjeta de crédito o en efectivo?

¡Estamos seguros de que sabes hacia dónde va esto! Sí, los camareros preferirían propinas en efectivo. Este es un concepto bastante universal, pero aquí en República Dominicana REALMENTE quieren propinas en efectivo. ¿Recuerdas ese 18% de ITBIS? Bueno, todo lo que se paga a los empleados a través de la empresa se grava como un impuesto directo. Si das una propina de $5 USD, $1 irá al gobierno dominicano.

Si desea que sus camareros estén contentos en este momento, dé una propina en efectivo. Simplemente convierta DOP (pesos dominicanos) a USD (dólares estadounidenses) y luego dé propina de acuerdo con las cantidades indicadas en la última sección. Serás apreciado en el momento, pero creemos que hay una mejor manera para ti y para la República Dominicana.

En nuestra opinión, es mejor dejar una propina (en la línea de propina de su factura) y simplemente agregar la cantidad necesaria para cubrir los impuestos del servidor. En otras palabras, si la propina debe ser de $5, que sea $6. Si tiene una razón comercial para estar allí (como a menudo lo hacen nuestros socios en el sistema de propiedad fraccionada de El Grupo Thornberry), entonces tiene una cancelación de impuestos que excede el beneficio para el empleado en más que la propina adicional que compensa el pago de sus impuestos. No hay ningún inconveniente para nadie, existe un beneficio fiscal potencial para usted y hay más dinero destinado a un país en desarrollo que está haciendo un excelente trabajo agregando infraestructura diariamente que hace que este maravilloso lugar sea aún mejor.

A veces recibirán un recibo de tarjeta de crédito sin línea de propina ni línea de firma. Si solicita que uno firme, a menudo obtendrá uno para firmar. La razón por la que le dieron un recibo sin firma fue un intento de fomentar las propinas en efectivo. No suele pasar, pero sucede, te dirán que “ya estaba cerrado”. Esto no es más que un engaño para intentar obligarte a encontrar algunos billetes en tu bolsillo.

¿Por qué un servidor intentaría forzar una propina en efectivo de esta manera?

Si experimenta esto, es probable que se encuentre en un restaurante donde el personal no confía mucho en el propietario (o sus gerentes). Es probable que el personal crea, con precisión o no, que las propinas (o como las llaman aquí “propinas”) no se comparten en su totalidad con los empleados. También pueden sentir que se están incorporando al grupo de propinas más empleados de los que merecen. También es posible que hayas conocido al servidor más codicioso y egoísta del lugar.

Cuando esto sucede, a menudo me acerco al nivel mínimo de propina en efectivo y la dejo en billetes de 1 dólar. Si bien se podría dejar nada y “darles una lección”, lo que tal vez incluso conduzca a una mejora en el restaurante y la compensación de los empleados, se necesitaría que mucha gente lo hiciera para lograr ese efecto. Solo dejamos una propina mínima en esa circunstancia y no hacemos un escándalo por ello. Sabemos que cuanto más avance este país, lo cual no puede suceder sin que se paguen impuestos, mejor, ¡pero elegimos nuestras batallas!

En resumen…

Con Ley 10%: 5 - 10%, preferiblemente en tu tarjeta de crédito
Sin Ley: 10 - 15%, preferiblemente en tu tarjeta de crédito
Sin tarjeta de crédito: 10% en billetes de $1 dólar

On Tue, Jan 30, 2024 at 1:19 PM Nathan Thornberry <nathan@thornberrygroup.com> wrote:
Tipping in Punta Cana for Americans

By El Grupo Thornberry, Dominican Republic

When we bring tenants, friends, clients, and partners in our fractional condominium ownership program in Punta Cana to the Dominican Republic for the first time, they all say the same thing…the food is amazing and the prices are incredible! We Agree J

It is not uncommon to get a meal here in the Dominican with an insane view, a fancy environment, and four times the service staff you would expect in the States all while spending $25-$30 on a plate you would have spent $50-$100 on in a simple chain steakhouse for mediocre food. Here you can expect amazing food virtually anywhere in Punta Cana and we have a restaurant directory for you to check out. (Click Here)

When the bill comes you will want to know how to tip because here in the Dominican Republic tipping too little (or none at all) would be classless…but over-tipping can be offensive.

“ITBIS” and “Ley”

When you get the check, you will almost always see “ITBIS”. That is basically the Dominican’s way of making tax revenue happen. People here hardly claim any taxes on their personal incomes and the country doesn’t have the resources to go chase down tax debts even if the average Dominican made more than just a few hundred US dollars per month. This fee is 18% and it is easy to compare to a slightly higher sales tax than what we are accustomed to in the States.

Most of the time (but certainly not always) you will find a line called “Ley”. It is generally a 10% fee and don’t bother trying to translate this into anything that makes sense. The literal translation is “law”, which is somewhat deceptive when you look at your bill for the first time here. If you know even a little bit of Spanish and you see the word “Ley” with a 10% amount of the bill attached to it, it appears to be a tax or some government requirement. It is a forced tip, much like they do on South Beach and in Fort Lauderdale.

If you only see ITBIS as a line item and nothing that says “Ley” (or some other word with a 10% fee), then there has been no tip added. In that case, 10-15% would suffice, 20% if you received amazing service and are feeling generous.

If you do see a line for “Ley”, it would be fine to offer 5-10% additional tip. If you do much more than that, you run the risk of offending others around you (including Dominicans you might be dining with) as this is a major faux paus here. The predominant thinking behind this is that if you over tip, the staff will gravitate towards you and service for others even paying a normal level tip will be diminished. There’s also a cultural concept here that buy over-tipping you are increasing the overall labor costs within and outside of hospitality.

I know it all sounds ridiculous to an American, especially when we see endless news stories about famously generous tippers and how we respect those that serve us. This may seem like disrespect, but its actually not. The intention from all is to create a stable level of growth for the working class here on the island.

Now that you know the acceptable amount to tip...do you tip on the credit card slip or in cash?

We’re sure you know where this is going! Yes, the wait staff would prefer cash tips. This is a fairly universal concept, but here in the Dominican they REALLY want cash tips. Remember that 18% ITBIS? Well anything paid to the employees through the business is assessed a tax out the door. If you tip $5 USD, $1 will go to the Dominican government.

If you want to make your servers happy in the moment, tip in cash. Simply convert RDP (Dominican Pesos) to USD (United States Dollars) and then tip according to the amounts stated in the last section. You will be appreciated in the moment, but we think there is a better way for you and for the Dominican Republic.

It is our position that it is best to tip on the tip line of your bill and to simply add the amount needed to cover the taxes for the server. In other words, if the tip should be $5, make it $6. If you have a business reason for being there (as oftentimes do our partners in the El Grupo Thornberry fractional ownership system), then you have a tax write-off that exceeds the benefit to the employee by more than the extra tip that made up for their tax payment. There is no downside to anyone, there’s a tax benefit to you potentially, and there is more money going to a developing country that is doing an excellent job at adding infrastructure daily that makes this wonderful place even better.

Sometimes you will receive a credit card receipt with no tip line and no signature line. If you ask for one to sign, you will often get one to sign. The reason you were given a slip with no signature line was an attempt to encourage cash tips. Seldom, but it does happen, you will be told that “it was already closed out”. This is nothing but a deception to attempt to force you to find a few greenbacks in your pocket.

Why would a server attempt to force a cash tip in this manner?

If you experience this, you are likely at a restaurant where the proprietor (or his managers) are not very trusted by the staff. The staff likely believes, accurately or not, that tips (or as they call them here “propinas”) are not being shared in full with the employees. They may also feel that more employees are being brought into the tip pool than deserve to be. It’s also possible you met the greediest, most selfish server in the place.

When this happens, I often just go towards the minimum level cash tip and leave it in $1 bills. While you could leave nothing and “teach them a lesson”, perhaps even leading to an improvement in the restaurant and compensation of employees, it would take a lot of people doing so to have that effect. We just leave a minimal tip in that circumstance and don’t make a stink about it. We know the more this country advances, which can’t happen without taxes being paid, the better, but we pick our battles!

In summary…

With 10% Ley: 5-10%, preferably on your credit card.

Without Ley: 10-15%, preferably on your credit card.

No Credit Card Slip: 10% in $1 bills (USD)

Are you a home inspector that offers water sampling? When a client has a well system especially, testing for Bacteria, Nitrates/Nitrites, and Lead in water is not just a great idea to protect their family's health, it's also very often required under (conventional/FHA/VA) financing rules!

Add water testing to your business today and deliver convenience to your clients while simultaneously adding profit to your business, and do so with the #1 lab in the business...PriorityLab! PriorityLab is open on the weekends and is the only lab receiving packages on Saturdays allowing you to take a water sample on any day of the week in combination with your inspection (instead of having to make a return trip like you would have to do with those OTHER guys).

Make the best decision for your business, your clients, and your profits by utilizing the fastest, most economical, most convenient lab in the business with the ability to handle all of your environmental testing needs including Mold, Asbestos, Radon, Radon Scintillation, Water Testing, and More!

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If you fly private into KFXE (Fort Lauderdale Executive), there is no better FBO than Banyan. The facilities are incredible, the pilot shop is legendary, the restaurant next door on the field is always good (and packed!) and they just treat you wonderfully. I have been going there for almost a decade now and have had too many great experiences to list, but I will give you one from just 3 days ago!

I came into KFXE from MDPC (Punta Cana, where I run a fractional ownership program), and prior to take off I did my normal pre-flight and found both engines below minimums on oil. Unfortunately upon arrival I had to move pretty fast and didn't have a chance to wait for the oil to settle to see where the levels were properly, so I was left with little choice: I had to add oil.

I landed at KFXE and was set to depart a few days later. During my next pre-flight, the oil levels had crept up (my fault!) and now I had no choice but to reduce the oil levels (or risk damaging two $170,000 engines). The line crew got maintenance over right away, and Curtis (supervisor there) came over himself to pop the filter out for me so we could drain some oil (which is a giant pain in the ass to do yourself!).

We perfected the levels and then I asked him to put it on my account. He said "Don't worry about it, we know you have been coming here for years...thanks for the business!"

Words can hardly describe the best FBO in the world...except for one: BANYAN!

https://www.banyanair.com/banyan-receives-pilots-choice-award/

THC-A is only slightly different, on a genetic level, from what many would refer to as "Marijuana", but otherwise it is just as good! (Maybe even better)

We have had countless users of THC products (like marijuana) switch to our 100% legal products, delivered to your door throughout the U.S., and most say it is even better and more consistent!

Check out all of the THC-A products, including flower, pre-rolls, and more from the leading supplier of CBD and THC products in America... Blue Moon Hemp!

https://bluemoonhemp.com/product-category/thc-a-flower/

Carmel's new Mayor, and friend to us all, is off and running! Congrats to Sue on the victory!

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/carmel-mayor-appoints-city-next-police-chief-drake-sterling-zionsville-police-department/531-c9af7dcb-2af3-46ee-b6d4-b4bf9c75f73c

If you haven't tried the Watermelon gummies from Blue Moon Hemp, one of the largest distributors of CBD & THC products in America, you are missing out!

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Start with half, wait an hour, take the other half if you feel like you still need it.

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Warning! This product will NOT get you "messed up" unless you abuse it and take more than you should. It's a "mild chill" effect. If you want to get high as balls, check out our Delta 9 and THC-A products

Traveling to the Dominican Republic? Punta Cana? Santo Domingo?

Tipping in Punta Cana for Americans
By El Grupo Thornberry, Dominican Republic

When we bring tenants, friends, clients, and partners in our fractional condominium ownership program in Punta Cana to the Dominican Republic for the first time, they all say the same thing…the food is amazing and the prices are incredible! We Agree!

It is not uncommon to get a meal here in the Dominican with an insane view, a fancy environment, and four times the service staff you would expect in the States all while spending $25-$30 on a plate you would have spent $50-$100 on in a simple chain steakhouse for mediocre food. Here you can expect amazing food virtually anywhere in Punta Cana and we have a restaurant directory for you to check out. www.Dominican.US.com

When the bill comes you will want to know how to tip because here in the Dominican Republic tipping too little (or none at all) would be classless…but over-tipping can be offensive.

“ITBIS” and “Ley”

When you get the check, you will almost always see “ITBIS”. That is basically the Dominican’s way of making tax revenue happen. People here hardly claim any taxes on their personal incomes and the country doesn’t have the resources to go chase down tax debts even if the average Dominican made more than just a few hundred US dollars per month. This fee is 18% and it is easy to compare to a slightly higher sales tax than what we are accustomed to in the States.

Most of the time (but certainly not always) you will find a line called “Ley”. It is generally a 10% fee and don’t bother trying to translate this into anything that makes sense. The literal translation is “law”, which is somewhat deceptive when you look at your bill for the first time here. If you know even a little bit of Spanish and you see the word “Ley” with a 10% amount of the bill attached to it, it appears to be a tax or some government requirement. It is a forced tip, much like they do on South Beach and in Fort Lauderdale.

If you only see ITBIS as a line item and nothing that says “Ley” (or some other word with a 10% fee), then there has been no tip added. In that case, 10-15% would suffice, 20% if you received amazing service and are feeling generous.

If you do see a line for “Ley”, it would be fine to offer 5-10% additional tip. If you do much more than that, you run the risk of offending others around you (including Dominicans you might be dining with) as this is a major faux paus here. The predominant thinking behind this is that if you over tip, the staff will gravitate towards you and service for others even paying a normal level tip will be diminished. There’s also a cultural concept here that buy over-tipping you are increasing the overall labor costs within and outside of hospitality.

I know it all sounds ridiculous to an American, especially when we see endless news stories about famously generous tippers and how we respect those that serve us. This may seem like disrespect, but its actually not. The intention from all is to create a stable level of growth for the working class here on the island.

Now that you know the acceptable amount to tip...do you tip on the credit card slip or in cash?

We’re sure you know where this is going! Yes, the wait staff would prefer cash tips. This is a fairly universal concept, but here in the Dominican they REALLY want cash tips. Remember that 18% ITBIS? Well anything paid to the employees through the business is assessed a tax out the door. If you tip $5 USD, $1 will go to the Dominican government.

If you want to make your servers happy in the moment, tip in cash. Simply convert RDP (Dominican Pesos) to USD (United States Dollars) and then tip according to the amounts stated in the last section. You will be appreciated in the moment, but we think there is a better way for you and for the Dominican Republic.

It is our position that it is best to tip on the tip line of your bill and to simply add the amount needed to cover the taxes for the server. In other words, if the tip should be $5, make it $6. If you have a business reason for being there (as oftentimes do our partners in the El Grupo Thornberry fractional ownership system), then you have a tax write-off that exceeds the benefit to the employee by more than the extra tip that made up for their tax payment. There is no downside to anyone, there’s a tax benefit to you potentially, and there is more money going to a developing country that is doing an excellent job at adding infrastructure daily that makes this wonderful place even better.

Sometimes you will receive a credit card receipt with no tip line and no signature line. If you ask for one to sign, you will often get one to sign. The reason you were given a slip with no signature line was an attempt to encourage cash tips. Seldom, but it does happen, you will be told that “it was already closed out”. This is nothing but a deception to attempt to force you to find a few greenbacks in your pocket.

Why would a server attempt to force a cash tip in this manner?

If you experience this, you are likely at a restaurant where the proprietor (or his managers) are not very trusted by the staff. The staff likely believes, accurately or not, that tips (or as they call them here “propinas”) are not being shared in full with the employees. They may also feel that more employees are being brought into the tip pool than deserve to be. It’s also possible you met the greediest, most selfish server in the place.

When this happens, I often just go towards the minimum level cash tip and leave it in $1 bills. While you could leave nothing and “teach them a lesson”, perhaps even leading to an improvement in the restaurant and compensation of employees, it would take a lot of people doing so to have that effect. We just leave a minimal tip in that circumstance and don’t make a stink about it. We know the more this country advances, which can’t happen without taxes being paid, the better, but we pick our battles!

In summary…

With 10% Ley: 5-10%, preferably on your credit card.
Without Ley: 10-15%, preferably on your credit card.
No Credit Card Slip: 10% in $1 bills (USD)

Want to OWN your vacation? It's more affordable than you think! As little as $50,000 down, no credit check, and 5% APR!

www.Dominican.US.com

vistaspringsliving wrote:At Vista Springs, we’re committed to giving every community member the care they need with our Full of Life experience. Beyond helping seniors manage their activities of daily living and health concerns, we offer a variety of experiences to meet their emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual needs, too.

Can units be purchased, or are these lease only opportunities?

PointMan wrote:Now Nathan, I just read another article that says you are a certified inspector.... YET... have never done a home inspection! I know that's not your gig in the home inspection world. But reading this through me off haha

There are very few things that stump me

But it is true, I have never done a fee paid inspection. I have passed tests, taken and given thousands of hours of CE. I simply wouldn't want to compete with my clients!

https://youtu.be/J14Q0xO7938

Okay, so it is a little off the topic of home inspection or real estate, but it works!

Step 1: Make a video about something people are curious about.
Step 2: Be entertaining.
Step 3: Post it somewhere it gets quite a few views to jumpstart YouTube's algorithms.
Step 4: Respond to comments! Interact!
Step 5: Wait. Time will only increase views.

I know, overly simple.

Here's a major marketing tip for Buck (and anyone with a website for their business, whether a home inspector or not)!

DO NOT GIVE YOUR BUSINESS AWAY.

While it may seem incredibly unintelligent to give away your business to your competition, Buck Fleming does so. Not because he intends to! In a way, this sort of absolves Buck of all the very likely unintentional deceptive statements on his website and defamation of his entire industry (or at least, by implication, his local competition...Buck says you suck!).

How does Buck give away his business you might ask? Go back to the last section about being "InterNACHI Certified". He made it into a link...back to InterNACHI. As you can see in the pictures I posted here, Buck made it so I can get a list of all the other qualified inspectors in the area along with their contact information within 3 clicks.

Oh, and here's the worst part. I have literally never seen an inspector do that who IS NOT EVEN LISTED ON INTERNACHI'S SITE!!!! Buck gives all of his potential clients a link to something he claims to be such a benefit (in reality it is not) so that they can find all of his competition and be left with the impression that Buck lied about his membership in this ubiquitous and basic organization.

As a side note, I personally called InterNACHI's founder, Nick Gromicko, to confirm Buck's membership. He is a member, but is a "hidden member". LOL

The cure is easy. Kill the links!

In the next section, still on the home page, we run into a few more problems. It states the following:

"Be sure to hire the right home inspector:"

"InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector | Local Knoxville Company | 20+ Years of Experience | Detailed Inspection Reports"

Once again we have a mix of issues. On a good note, Buck reiterates his 20+ years of Experience...but it was already stated only inches away! (see previous post attachment). While Buck's experience is definitely a good thing and there is no doubt about that, saying it twice in 2" on a screen makes it look like Buck is either careless or has nothing else to say about his company that would set him apart. There really isn't another possibility, so it is best to delete it and leave the bigger, better looking braggadocio in place!

Now to the other points...

Being "sure to hire the right inspector" implies that if you don't hire Buck (or someone like him) that you are hiring the wrong inspector. It's sort of ironic coming from the inspection company in Knoxville with the shortest menu of services and lowest level of features, but then Buck goes on to list features that every single Knoxville inspection company could rightly claim to be true of their inspection company - almost all of them are InterNACHI members (which is just a membership by the way, I am an InterNACHI member and a Certified Professional Inspector despite having never completed a full home inspection ever), all of them are "Local Knoxville" companies, all of them claim to deliver "Detailed Inspection Reports", and the last time I spoke to a group of inspectors there (I do that for a living by the way) most of them appeared to have 20+ years of experience too.

I hope you see the deception here and how it certainly didn't come with bad intentions, but it is definitely deceiving to the public to suggest they need to "hire the right inspector" and then list features of your inspection company as if these features weren't something Buck had in common with every company in the area.

"Hey, home visiting my website, I am going to cause you fear that you might choose the wrong inspector if you don't go with me because of the features I have (that all other inspectors have too, but I am going to imply otherwise)."

If I didn't know Buck Fleming of Integrity Inspection Service was a good guy, I would call this website out for being not just deceptive, but an outright scam.

Let's dig right in to Buck Fleming's home page! Again, clean look and there's a nice simplicity to this website of only a few pages.

WARNING: WE ROAST THE ONES WE LOVE.

Buck is a friend and an inspector and that means he is family. If I am direct or insulting, it is because I want results for Buck!

REVIEW OF THE FOLD

"The Fold" refers to the top of a page you see when you land on a website. See pic below! From here on we will have 3 categories.

Good Things!

The contact form right on front page. Love it! Simple, no BS, no captcha, easy to get in touch. Too many websites out there make that difficult!

There's a "REALTORS" Section! That on its face is good, but later in this review we will show you how this is likely losing Buck a lot of referrals. Remember this part for later!

20+ Years of Experience right in the fold. Love it!

Bad Things!

The logo is nothing particularly unique and definitely needs to be redone, which is actually good news considering how pixelated this version is. It takes a website full of good looks and striking pictures and drags it down!

The "Book Online" button - People don't need to be reminded they are on the internet. They are usually fairly aware of this fact. You may as well change it to "Book Online, Dummy!" It would be better to change this to "Book Your Home Inspection" or "Book Your Inspection" or even something more flashing like "Book Now!" or "Schedule Now!"

Phone number is at the top of the page, which is good, but it is a button with a script. This is a mistake! Make it plan text and it would be universally usable to dial your business right now and fill that schedule

Generic photo right on the home page, despite having great custom photos everywhere else! It is so obviously a $5 photo from some online source (or came with the template website) that it takes away from the credibility you would otherwise have with all that experience! Get a real photo of you inspecting!

Deceptively Bad Things!!!!

1000's of Happy Clients...this is a totally unqualified statement. Far less than thousands, in fact a fraction of a single thousand have ever expressed "Happiness" via a demonstrable tool like reviews. There is no possible way that Buck could know that all of his clients ever, which he grouped together for this deceptive statistic, were not totally angry with him in reality. This is easily fixed by the way, because Buck like many other participants in the industry pay for review services that help drive traffic looking for Buck to sites with other inspection company options. Yes, that seems like (and is) an enormous detriment and a really horrible business decision but in this case it is going to pay off for Buck because he can replace "1000's of Happy Clients" with "Over 500 Reviews Online!" and put 5 stars under the stat. It will look better, it isn't purely assumptive, and it is true!

"100% locally owned" - this statement is only a little deceptive, and mostly in an implied way. I, like Buck, own a business. He may have several as I do and as hardworking dudes that weren't handed anything we are definitely proud of that and should be. God Bless America! The problem with Buck's wording here is that he would have been fine if he had gone with the go to "Locally Owned and Operated", but he went with "100% Locally-Owned" (which doesn't need hyphenation of course). So what does that mean? How many owners are there? The implication is that there are multiple and all are local. Maybe there are multiple owners but I sort of doubt it. I will post records here from the Tennessee Secretary of State's public records to show you how I came to this conclusion. I could be wrong but it is unlikely!

"Trust a True Professional" and "Providing the Best Home Inspections", etc. on main page picture...this is a completely deceptive couple of lines. Read them over and over and ask yourself how Buck Fleming is the self-proclaimed (or was there a third party involved here?) "True Professional" providing the "Best Home Inspections" in Knoxville and surrounding areas? The answer is simply that these lines are a misrepresentation at best and demonstrably untrue. If Buck is a "True Professional" (whatever the heck that means) and you should trust him, then who precisely are the untrustworthy unprofessional inspectors in the area he is referring to? Or is he really just using words sloppily that imply that all inspectors in East Tennessee are liars and cheats? Basically if you are an inspector in East Tennessee, Buck Fleming has called you untrustworthy, unprofessional, and suggested that he delivers better inspections than all of you without exception (hence the word "best") being utilized. There are inspection companies serving the same area with ten times the staff, ten times the business (at least, probably more and for a reason), with a home inspection product that is decisively better than Buck Fleming's with coverage for failures that happen after move in included at no additional cost. (Companies like Bentley Home Inspection and Termite Services at https://bentleyhomeinspection.com/ , feel free to send me a message for more!)

If you're a real estate professional or home buyer looking for a home inspector and anything I just said is a little confusing, here are a few links that will bring you up to speed on what you should expect in a home inspection:

https://thesavvyagent.net/ - Free online book for real estate agents, likely one of the Top 5 read and distributed in real estate.
https://inspectionguide.net/included - A short summary of coverages and protections you should expect from a qualified inspection firm.
https://cpecertification.com/ - Training for agents on home inspection issues and open to home buyers as well!
https://youtu.be/ZoyM4H9wyp0 - A video presentation with agents in Michigan where Nathan Thornberry goes through the various free coverages now a part of over 20% of all real estate transactions and how to prevent financial issues for your clients from failures that happen shortly after move in.

Now back to Buck's site, and I am far from done but done for today (expect part 3 in the next few days), so far we have found a great form, a great phone number placement, but otherwise some fairly disturbingly deceptions and misrepresentations, with a giant cherry on top of assassinating the integrity of every hard working, thorough, honest, objective, and most certainly trustworthy home inspector in East Tennessee by implication.

Do I think Buck Fleming tried to insult every inspector? No, I do not believe he knew he was doing that. Do I think Buck Fleming was being intentional deceptive? No, I do not believe that either. I believe he had truly good intentions when he wrote, himself, some of the worst copy you will ever find on a website. Why? Because he didn't want to spend the money on the right marketing experts or take advantage of all the free help from the true experts in the biz at https://inspectorservicesgroup.com/ - because despite having a pastor as our President (he has two bosses as he says and the other he works for with even more loyalty and vigor!), a diverse and well educated staff of hundreds of people in jobs we have created over the last 22 years, and a large percentage of Christian workers (particularly from a few local churches where our job opportunities have been referred often), we are not a "Christian" business on the level that Buck Fleming requires. He has such high moral standards in fact that he would rather all of his clients suffer over and over again financial pains from failures he has no ability to cover than work with us as we are not quite "Christian enough".

Well, we are working on it, and as your own personal business advisor I will be delivering you and your family an amazing gift here. Enjoy the process, we're going to improve your marketing and your product and just do such wonderful things for your clients in the process.