After selling my apartment and relocating to a temporary residence, I'm pleased to report that I am back in the saddle here at Jobacle. The home selling/buying experience put me in touch with more service professionals than ever before: lawyers, bankers, real estate agents, movers, etc. And just when I was beginning to think that we've all been programmed on auto-pilot to do our jobs and get home, I was pleasantly surprised. The individuals who shined (and there were several of them) all shared a common theme: passion.

I love people who love what they do. It sounds like a canned statement that you're expect to slip out of the corner on an HR lifer's mouth, but I've never felt stronger about that sentiment.

Let's take the case of the two home inspectors...

HOME INSEPCTOR A: Arrived on time. Spent approximately 70 minutes surveying the exterior and interior of the home. If it was within his range of vision, he gave it a cursory look. A man of few words, getting him to explain things I didn't understand was like pulling teeth. Upon conclusion, I was handed a hand-written inspection form containing a series of check boxes and a three sentence conclusion. He completed the job (as he was hired to do), pointed out several negative items and was on his way.

HOME INSPECTOR B: Arrived 10 minutes early and was already surveying the exterior when I arrived. Whether he was up on a ladder, chipping away paint, peeling up carpets or crawling behind the boiler, this man was determined to discover any potential problems. After a 130- minute inspection, I was told that a typed report would be e-mailed to me the next morning. Much to my surprise, this report exceeded 50 pages and did not only include problems - but solutions as well. This was followed up by e-mails and phone calls.

Did Inspector A do a bad job? I guess it depends who you ask. Until I brought in Inspector B, I did not realize how limited A was.

The great thing about Inspector B is that he wanted to be doing what he was doing. This is a profession he enjoys.

When you're dealing with the biggest purchase of your life, you want someone who is on your side. After all, isn't that what you're paying them for?

I can begrudgingly forgive the call center operator making $9 an hour for not going the extra mile. But when it's your career, show some life!

By all accounts, being a home inspector appears to be a darn cool gig, one we had never considered before. You get to set your own hours; travel independently; help people make the one of the biggest financial commitments of their life; learn about homes, neighborhoods, and how to rig a boiler to run on a AA battery!

No matter what you do for a living, you should strive to be Inspector B every time.

If you're in the New York area, you can;t go wrong with Kings Bay Inspections.