January 2018 Reporter

ASHI

1.18

REPORTER

INSPECTION NEWS & VIEWS FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HOME INSPECTORS, INC.

EBPHI ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF ROLE DELINEATION STUDY

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Paul Staron,

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: HANDLING REJECTION

Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors

AROUND THE CORNER

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M EET YOUR NEW LY ELE CTED ASHI LEADERS FOR 201 8

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ARE YOU GOING TO “SCORE” IN 2018?

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SM ART INSPECTOR SCIE NCE

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THE W ORD: TIM E

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ASHI Reporter • January 2018

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1.18

ASHI

REPORTER

January 2018

FEATURES 8

Around the CoRner Hollis Brown, Speaker of the CoR

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Interpersonal Skills: Handling Rejection

By Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop,

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18

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www.carsondunlop.com, 800-268-7070

Meet Your Newly Elected ASHI Leaders for 2018 ASHI Staff

Are You Going to “Score” in 2018?

A Home Energy Cheat Sheet ASHI Staff

Smart Inspector Science

By Tom Feiza, Mr. Fix-It, Inc. HowToOperateYourHome.com

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EBPHI Announces Results of

Role Dilineation Study

By Paul Staron, Examination Board

of Professional Home Inspectors

28 The Word: Time

By Bruce Barker, ACI

Vol. 35, #1

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DEPARTMENTS 6

Being Frank Frank Lesh, ASHI Executive Director

32 ASHI Community

Chapter News, Listing and Education

36 See You in Sunny Orlando!

By Jennifer Gallegos ASHI Membership Services Manager

42 Postcards From the Field

It’s Wacky Out There

46 On My Mind

By ASHI President Howard Pegleow

By signing on with this home inspector, you have access to something extra.

18 January 2018 • www.ASHIReporter.org

3

ASHI National Officers and Board of Directors Educated. Tested. Verified. Certified.

A SH I M ISSIO N S TATEM ENT To set and promote standards for property inspections and to provide the educational programs needed to achieve excellence in the profession and to meet the needs of our members.

Officers Howard Pegelow, President Gilbert, AZ, 414-379-4186 hpegelow@yahoo.com

Donald Lovering, Sr., Treasurer Indian Trail, NC, 704-443-0110 Stonehouse1@earthlink.net

Tim Buell, President-Elect Marysville, OH, 614-746-7485 tim.buell@gmail.com

Mike Wagner, Secretary Westfield, IN, 317-867-7688 mwagner@ralis.com

Scott Patterson, Vice President Spring Hill, TN, 615-302-1113 scott@traceinspections.com

Randy Sipe, Immediate Past-President Spring Hill, KS, 913-856-4515 randy@familyhomeinspections.com

Directors

Main Phone: 847-759-2820, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Mon. - Fri., CST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Frank Lesh, Executive Director, 847-954-3182, frankl@ashi.org Bonnie Bruno-Castaneda, Executive Assistant & Project Coordinator 847-954-3177, bonnieb@ashi.org EDUCATION, CE APPROVAL, ASHI ONLINE LEARNING CENTER, INSPECTIONWORLD, CHAPTER RELATIONS

Michele George, Director of Education, Events and Chapter Relations, 847-954-3188, micheleg@ashi.org MEMBERSHIP, BOOTH RENTAL, PRODUCT ORDERS

Jen Gallegos, Manager of Membership Services & U.S. DOE Home Energy Score Assessor Coordinator, 847-954-3185, jeng@ashi.org Janet George, Membership Services Supervisor, 847-954-3180 janetg@ashi.org George Herrera, Membership Services Assistant, 847-954-3196 georgeh@ashi.org

Bruce Barker 2015-2017 Cary, NC, 919-322-4491 bruce@dreamhomeconsultants.com

Bruce LaBell 2015-2017 Scottsdale, AZ, 602-765-2140 inspect@cox.net

Michael Conley 2017-2019 Anna Maria, FL, 941-778-2385 FLinspector@outlook.com

Reuben Saltzman 2017-2019 Maple Grove, MN, 952-915-6466 reuben@structuretech1.com

Mark Lester, Membership Services Coordinator, 847-954-3176 markl@ashi.org

James J. Funkhouser 2017-2019 Manassas Park, VA, 703-791-2360 jfunkhousr@aol.com

Bob Sisson 2017-2019 Boyds MD, 301-208-8289 Office@inspectionsbybob.com

ACCOUNTING

Bryck Guibor 2017-2019 Tucson, AZ, 520-795-5300 bryck@msn.com

Tony Smith 2015-2017 Cedar Rapids, IA, 319-533-4565 inspecthathouse@netscape.net

Beverly Canham, Financial Assistant, 847-954-3184 beverlyc@ashi.org

Ken Harrington 2015-2017 Delaware, OH, 614-507-1061 InspectorKen@kustomhi.com

Blaine Swan 2016-2018 Columbus, OH, 614-506-0647 goodeyeinspections@gmail.com

Richard Hart 2016-2018 Conyers, GA, 770-827-2200 Ashi1@comcast.net

John Wessling 2016-2018 St. Louis, MO, 314-520-1103 john@wesslinginspections.com

David Haught 2016-2018 Huntington, WV, 304-417-1247 inspector@wvchi.com

Speaker, Council of Representatives Hollis Brown, 2017-2018 Manassas, VA, 703-754-8872 Inspectors@ThoroSpec.com

Publisher: Frank Lesh Editor: Carol Dikelsky Art Director: Kate Laurent Assistant Art Director: George Ilavsky American Society of Home Inspectors, Inc. 932 Lee Street, Suite 101 Des Plaines, IL 60016

847-954-3179 Reporter calls only

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

Michael Krauszowski, Membership Relations Administrator 847-954-3175, Michaelk@ashi.org

Toni Fanizza, Accounting, Purchasing and Human Resources Manager, 847-954-3190, tonif@ashi.org

WEBSITE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, DATABASE

Mike Rostescu, Assistant Executive Director & Director of IT 847-954-3189, miker@ashi.org COMMUNICATIONS

Dave Kogan, Director of Marketing & Business Development Advertising, Marketing, IW Expo Hall, Public Relations 847-954-3187, davek@ashi.org Kate Laurent, Design & Digital Strategy Manager, “ASHI Reporter” Art Director, 847-954-3179, katel@ashi.org Chris Karczewski, Social Media & Digital Strategist, 847-954-3183 chrisk@ashi.org

847-299-2505 (fax) Reporter only Email: frankl@ashi.org

George Ilavsky, Graphic Designer & Free Logos, georgei@ashi.org

Advertising: Dave Kogan Phone: 847-954-3187, Email: davek@ashi.org

THE ASHI SCHOOL

ASHI REPORTER – ISSN 1076-1942 – the official publication of the American Society of Home Inspectors, Inc. (ASHI), 932 Lee St., Suite 101, Des Plaines IL 60016, is published monthly. Annual subscriptions: $44.95 to non-members. Periodical postage paid at Des Plaines, IL 60016 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ASHI Reporter, 932 Lee Street, Suite 101, Des Plaines, IL 60016-6546.

Copyright© 2017, ASHI. None of the content of this publication may be reproduced, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Inclusion of or specific mention of any proprietary product within does not imply endorsement of, nor does exclusion of any proprietary product imply non-endorsement, by the American Society of Home Inspectors, Inc. Opinions or statements of authors and advertisers are solely their own, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents or editors. See above for information pertaining to submission of articles, advertising and related materials.

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ASHI STAFF

Russell Daniels, Executive Director of the ASHI School 847-954-3178, Russelld@theashischool.com Michelle Santiago, Executive Assistant, 847-954-3198 Michelle@theashischool.com Tracy Vazquez, Sales Representative, 847-954-3181 Tracy@theashischool.com Avery Dinn, Sales Representative, 847-954-3191 Avery@theashischool.com

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January 2018 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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BEING FRANK

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE

BY REMEMBERING THE PAST

By Frank Lesh ASHI Executive Director American Society of Home Inspectors Direct: 847-954-3182 Frankl@ashi.org • www.ashi.org

W

hat really surprised me after I became a home inspector was something I never contemplated (although I guess that’s one definition of being surprised). Although I had been in the repair and remodeling industry for almost 20 years, I had a couple of rude awakenings once I stumbled into the home inspection profession. The first was how much I really didn’t know. In my career leading up to home inspections, I had been a jack-of-all-trades, doing plumbing, electrical, carpentry, roofing and concrete work. Add a little welding and deck building, and I thought I was pretty hot stuff.

After my first day at the ASHI ’89 International Conference, which is what InspectionWorld® was called back then, it dawned on me that I didn’t know squat. Here’s an excerpt from my column in the ASHI Reporter from 10 years ago: Friday’s session is forever embedded in my memory. It was the gas forced-air heating session. The hot topic of the day was the dreaded cracked heat exchanger and how to detect it. Using a mirror to look for cracks could help, albeit only where one could see. But there was a lot of buzz after the session and I remember an old salt saying, “Essence of wintergreen, my friends. You carefully pour a few drops in the heat exchanger, then turn the blower on, go to a register and sniff. If you smell wintergreen, you’ve got yourself a crack in the H.E., pilgrim. Try not to inhale any when you pour it...that’s all you’ll smell the rest of the day.”

Needless to say, all I could smell for the next couple of days were Christmas trees. After finding out wintergreen didn’t work, I invested in a sonic sound tester. You placed the sender device into a chamber of the heat exchanger and the receiver at a heat register. If you heard the sound at the receiver, then ta-da! You had a crack because the sound went through the crack. Yeah, right.

The next foolproof method of finding cracks in a heat exchanger was to gain access to the top of the unit and spray water (or even WD-40 on it). Oh my, what a mess. Needless to say, there was no easy way to find that holy grail.

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ASHI Reporter • January 2018

Lesson 1: Shortcuts typically are wrought with detours, roadblocks and hours of wasted time.

So, after realizing there are no easy routes, I traveled down the path of learning everything I could from the guys who’d been down that road before. I attended every seminar I could, read everything I could lay my eyes on and, most importantly, listened to what smarter folks than me were willing to share.

Lesson 2: You never learn everything there is to know because the inspection world keeps changing.

So, what’s going to be different this year? One thing I’m certain of is that products will be “value-engineered” and methods of inspecting them will have to be found.

But this is where we have to utilize the second part of the title of this article: Remembering the Past. Our clients are still going to want an inspection that they can count on to make the biggest financial decision of their lives. So, although using Google to ask a question may give you countless answers, that method of learning is just like finding out about yesteryear’s “wintergreen” or “sonic crack detector.”

There is no substitute for learning on your own and from others’ mistakes. You just have to be wise enough to not dismiss the past as a waste of time. You may not want to admit it, but the past is what brought you here.

7January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

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AROUND THE CORNER

C O U N S E L O F R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S

T

he New Year is upon us. I, for one, can’t wait to take the lessons of this past year and apply them to the upcoming year. Before we get started, though, let’s first remind ourselves of why we’re here.

The Council Policies and Procedures Manual (P&P) clearly defines four purposes:

1. Elect Directors 2. Form the Officer Nominating Committee 3. Provide a training ground for future ASHI leaders 4. Act as a two-way conduit of information between the board, chapters and membership If I start with number 3 and apply it to myself, well... I have been schooled on how ASHI works, or in some cases, doesn’t work, or at least not very well. Education is expensive and sometimes painful, but I’m a good student.

If I then apply those lessons to numbers 1 and 2, the learning opportunities are poignant. I promised last January to modernize the Council. The need for modernization became apparent with the recent nominating and election processes. Bring your ideas to the meeting at 8:00 a.m. on January 21 in Orlando. This promises to be an interesting discussion.

With number 4, I need your help. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. My favorite comment in the Council P&P is the following, from Article 5: 5.4 Comment: Desired Representative Behavior

Each Council member is encouraged to speak the desires of his/her respective membership, and not promote his or her own agenda.

While this is not a policy and, therefore, not enforceable, it is specifically written into our governing document for a reason—a reason that I take seriously. I believe this is the most important thing we are called on to do—keep the membership informed and represent the ideas of the grass roots to the Board.

Frankly, I don’t think we do it well enough. This is on me. I have failed to get my message to the members through the Represen tatives. More importantly, though, I have failed to hear what the grass roots are telling me.

The ASHI Council of Representatives (CoR) is a representative system. The chapters are made up of members who send Representa8

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

By Hollis Brown, Speaker of the Council of Representatives (CoR)

tives to the Council, but the Council meets only once a year. Group Leaders meet monthly and often discuss important matters. These discussions, however, often don’t make their way all the way through the Representatives by way of the chapters to the ASHI membership.

This will be a significant topic of discussion on January 21.

I promised last January to vitalize the CoR. The arithmetic is easy: I’m one year into a two-year term; I have one year left. I intend to take the lessons of the first year and apply them to the second. I’m aware of many of the issues and am working with the Group Leaders, the Board of Directors and ASHI staff members on solutions.

I’m sure some of you are aware of issues that you would like to see addressed. Please pass these ideas up the communications chain.

Members, tell your Representatives. Representatives, tell your Group Leaders. Group Leaders, I look forward to some informed dialogue as we hit the ground running with our modernized nominating process.

Finally, let me remind all of us that the New Year brings with it the first step in our election process. So often we think that the election season begins with nominations of the Directors and Officers. We know intellectually that this is not accurate. A quick look at the calendar tells us that we seat the Nominating Committees before we begin to accept Officer and Director nominations, but it goes back further than that. The ASHI nominating and election process begins with the chapters sending Representatives to the Council. These are the members who become eligible to run for Director positions. These are the members who sit on the nominating committees.

So, my message to chapter leaders is this: Please give some real thought to your role in the selection of ASHI leaders. Who you send and how seriously they take their responsibilities makes a difference.

It makes a difference in who sits on the nominating committees.

It makes a difference in who runs for Director positions. It makes a difference in how smoothly the Council functions. Most importantly, though, it makes a difference in how effectively we perform our most important representative function: CoR communications.

Most importantly, though, it makes a difference in how effectively we perform our most important representative function: CoR communications.

I look forward,enthusiastically to a New Year full of new challenges and opportunities. We have work to do. Let’s get after it.

9January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

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INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: Handling Rejection

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: HANDLING REJECTION

By Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, www.carsondunlop.com, 800-268-7070

Y

ou probably chose to become a home inspector not only because you know houses, but also because you enjoy working with people.

Chances are, you already have the interpersonal skills necessary to be a good salesperson. That’s great because technical expertise alone doesn’t sell. People skills are essential. You may know everything there is to know about houses, but if you can’t communicate effectively, you won’t have any clients to whom to pass on your knowledge.

Your sales depend on your ability to effectively communicate information about yourself and your services to prospective clients, while listening to those prospects and understanding what they need. Ultimately, success in sales relies equally on personality, skill and hard work. Top salespeople are ambitious, honest, empathetic, responsible and caring, and they are excellent at building and maintaining relationships and servicing customers. This is also the foundation of a successful home inspection business.

Have you ever come away from an interaction with someone and said to yourself, “That person is a really good conversationalist”? If you could play the conversation back, you might find that you did most of the talking and that the other person simply asked questions that allowed you to keep talking about something you are interested in. You can be a really good conversationalist, too, and you don’t have to say much.

Just show that you are interested in the other person and ask enough questions to encourage them to talk about what matters to them.

LEARN TO COPE WITH REJECTION If you are just starting out, remember that real estate agents likely have established relationships with other inspectors. You will have a few conversations like this: You: Good morning, I’m calling to ask you to recommend my services as a home inspector.

The agent: I’ve been working with the same home inspector for 10 years and I’m very satisfied. He’s never lost me a deal. No, I’m not looking for anyone new.

This kind of rejection might feel like failure, and you may wonder how you will ever break into the market if most agents already have home inspectors to whom they refer their clients.

Don’t underestimate the difficulty of the sales process. You are soliciting business from people who don’t think they need what you have to offer.

Being told, “No, don’t bother me!” is something you have to learn to live with. But here’s another way to look at it. If you don’t hear “no” from time to time, perhaps you are not knocking on enough doors.

Each time you hear “no,” it is bringing you a step closer to hearing “yes.”

A “no” most likely means the benefits of your service are not clear.

Treat this response as an opportunity to request more information.

The rejection will help you better prepare for the next prospect.

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ASHI Reporter • January 2018

If you don’t like being rejected, then congratulations, you’re normal!

It’s important to know, however, that rejection is a part of sales and that successful salespeople know how to confront the fear of rejection.

This fear is the main reason why home inspectors don’t like prospecting for new real estate agents.

The number and frequency of your sales calls will determine the quality and volume of your sales results. There’s an old saying among salespeople: “If someone just comes up to you and buys your product, then that’s a purchase, not a sale. You must sell if you want to increase results!”

UNDERSTAND FLAT-OUT REJECTION VERSUS SOFT REJECTION Flat-out rejection is hard on the ego, but there is another reason to reduce your rejection rate. You want to avoid the word “never.” It’s one thing to be told that a real estate agent doesn’t want your services at the moment, but it’s another thing when an agent says not to call them ever again. If an agent says, “Not now,” you may have struck out for the moment, but the door may open later. If the agent says, “Don’t call again,” the door has been shut and locked.

Although you can’t do much about rejection, you can increase your chances of a soft rejection by improving your sales technique. A soft rejection means the prospect said “no”, but not “never.” You can still try again with this prospect at a later date.

How can you reduce flat-out rejection? It’s understandable that, if you call agents out of the blue who have never worked with you before and ask for their business, you are likely to get rejected. Top agents are used to being inundated with sales calls from inspectors and others.

Top agents understand sales techniques and are sensitive to being manipulated. Top agents are also the busiest in their profession. So, if your call gives an agent a reason to try your service, you will be far more successful in getting appointments.

Let them know you understand their problems and their world. Perhaps you’ve heard that the agent had a bad experience with another inspector or that they already anticipate how they will feel once they have tried your service. Maybe you can offer your service as being more convenient or you can indicate that you’ll make the agent look better in the eyes of their client.

Everything you say or do must accomplish one of two things: First, you must be able to solve a problem or satisfy a need, and second, you must answer a key question that will help them make the decision to try you out. By uncovering the problems that agents face, you’ll be in a better position to present solutions that will motivate agents to make a decision about you.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: Handling Rejection

WRITE YOUR OWN SCRIPT Good professionals in any field rarely give impromptu presentations.

They script every conversation to some degree, from an initial phone call to formal presentations. Even your doctor has a series of questions that he or she asks you when you feel sick. The questions are somewhat preset, but they also respond to the specifics of your problem. Using a script you’ve created can help you stay relaxed and focused because you have some specific words or questions to fall back on.

Using a script when you approach a prospect also can give the impression that you are an experienced professional. Of course, this assumes that you listen and adapt your script for the situation.

Relax.

Another benefit of a scripted presentation is that you will be less likely to be taken off guard by a question or comment. When preparing your script, anticipate everything a real estate agent might say to you, and write down responses or key words to use in response. In this way, you can be sure that you touch on the most common objections to trying someone new upfront and get them out of the way.

At the very least, your solid preparation to approaching real estate agents and prospective clients will help ensure that, even if you don’t get the answer you are looking for, you are more likely to get a soft “no” instead of a flat-out “no.”

Carson Dunlop - Consulting engineering firm devoted to home inspection since 1978. www.carsondunlop.com

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Serving as a strategic partner exclusively to home inspectors since 1998 January 2018 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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MEET YOUR NEWLY ELECTED ASHI LEADERS FOR 2018

Officers Who Will Lead ASHI in 2018 The President-elect automatically becomes the President.

The winners will be installed at the IW 2018 Board Meeting in Orlando, Florida, and will serve immediately afterward.

TIMOTHY BUELL

SCOTT L. PATTERSON

PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Tim Buell, LLC, dba Pillar to Post Hilliard, OH

Trace Inspections, LLC Spring Hill, TN

Our mission statement says we provide our members with education and value. Given that, for 2018, I have four primary goals to get our members more business and strengthen our chapters.

First, establish a relationship with the National Association of Realtors® because we do need referrals from them. Second, engage our public relations committee and our marketing firm, Public Communications, Inc. (PCI), to educate Realtors® and consumers about ASHI. Also, explore other avenues that will generate more income for members. Third, continue working with The ASHI School to develop more classes that create ancillary services.

Fourth, the Leadership Training Conference (LTC) will go back to the basics by having workshops teaching chapter leaders how to put on an education seminar, use social media and websites, increase membership and much, much more, along with hearing from an inspirational speaker. We are thinking “out of the box” for this one, including scheduling visits of Officers and Directors to chapter meetings to allow for one-on-one direct contact with members.

Membership Highlights • 1996, joined ASHI • 2001-2003, Education Committee Member and Chair • 2003-2005, Mississippi ASHI Chapter President

Membership Highlights

• 2005-2007, 2011-2012, Membership Committee Chair

• 2017, President-Elect, ASHI National

• 2008-2017, Mid-Tennessee, ASHI Director

• 2012-2015, Director, ASHI National

• 2011-2012, ACI Certification Committee

• 2013, Director, ASHI Education Inc.

• 2013, Board Liaison Finance Committee • 2013, Member Strategic Planning Committee • 2010-2011, Member, Council of Representatives • 2011, Instructor, The ASHI School • 2009-2011, President, Ohio Chapter • 2015-2016, Treasurer

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

I work well with others, and I feel I have earned the respect of everyone with whom I have served over my entire volunteer career with ASHI. I strive to be a team player, to listen and to learn from others. My listening skills and logical thinking have proven over and over to be a benefit in my personal and professional life. Having served as the ASHI Secretary and as the ASHI Vice President, I have learned a great deal of the internal and financial operations of the ASHI organization.

Bottom line…by getting you more business and strengthening chapters, 2018 will be another great year for ASHI.

• 2013, Board Liaison Membership Committee

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With the large increase in our membership over the past 18 months, we need to help improve the success of our new members and existing members, and to increase ASHI’s presence in the marketplace so that consumers and those in need of a quality inspection will ask for an ASHI Inspector. This can be fostered by ASHI having more of a physical presence at various real estate industry trade shows and events across the country.

• 2013-2015, ASHI Board of Directors • 2014-2015, ASHI Certification Committee, Board Liaison • 2015-2017, ASHI Education Inc. Board Director • 2016, ASHI Board of Directors Secretary • 2017, ASHI Board of Directors Vice President

ASHI Leaders for 2018

Candidates Identified Issues in Matrices Officer and director candidates for 2018 were asked what they considered to be the two most pressing problems ASHI would be facing in the next 12 months. The comments shared here were taken from their answers to this question in the matrices they submitted to be considered by voting members for their respective offices. Links to all the matrices can be found in this section of the January 2018 issue at www.ashireporter.org.

MIKE WAGNER

BRUCE A. BARKER

MICHAEL D. CONLEY

VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

SECRETARY

RAL Inspections Services Westfield, IN

Dream Home Consultants, LLC Cary, NC

Straight Inspection Service Anna Maria, FL

One of the main issues in front of ASHI is finding a way to engage with a higher percentage of active members. We still have a high number of paid members not affiliated with a chapter or active with ASHI in any other way. I feel these members are missing out on some of the great benefits of membership, and ASHI is missing out on the talents and experience these valuable members could contribute. This untapped source of talent also could help address another significant issue ASHI is facing, which is the development of qualified new leaders and an improved longterm leadership development plan.

We are in a unique position to set the foundation for growth by attracting, engaging and retaining quality individuals to ASHI. We are an aging association looking at significant leadership retention issues unless we can engage current members and attract youth into our ranks. Promoting the inspection profession and ASHI to attract young, talented and dedicated individuals will be a critical driver to the association’s long-term success.

Membership Highlights • 1999, joined ASHI • 2003-2004, INASHI Membership Chair • 2003-2004, INASHI Board of Directors

Mentoring is a potential significant differentiator between ASHI and other inspector organizations. A program of remote men toring should be considered and established at chapters that wish to participate, and at the national level to accommodate members who are not in a participating chapter. Remote mentoring could get more experienced inspectors involved by removing the “training my competitor” issue.

Probably the most important ROI opportunity ASHI can provide is the potential for inspections through the ASHI website. There is a lot of good content on our website. Consideration should be given to making this content more easily searchable so that our website comes up higher and more often in searches. We appear to be heading in this direction, and we should continue and expand this opportunity.

Membership Highlights • 2003, joined ASHI • 2004-2006, Technical Committee Member • 2006-2009, Standards Committee Member • 2009-2015, Standards Committee Chair • 2014, CoR Representative of NC ASHI

Increasing non-dues revenue without added burden to the membership. Increasing more significant benefits for the membership, while reaching out to non-affiliated home inspectors.

As a previous Board member and alternate member serving actively, I have studied ASHI governance and the issues ASHI is currently facing. I feel I can bring opportunities to the table, as well as resolutions to issues that the membership faces. My conduct and voting record are something I can be proud of and stand by. All, I feel, were the result of doing what was best for the organization to the best of my abilities.

Membership Highlights • 1992, joined ASHI • 1995-1998, SW FL Chapter Officer • 1998-2001, 2017, SW FL Chapter President • 2001-2004, 2001, 2017, ASHI Board Director and Alternate • 2002-2016, SW FL Board of Directors Advisory • 2004, Survey Review Committee Chair • 2004-2010, 2012-2016, CoR SW FL Representative • 2005, Membership Survey Committee Chair

• 2012-2013, ASHI CoR Group Leader

• 2015-Present, NC ASHI Vice President

• 2013, GLC Board of Directors

• 2015-2018, ASHI Board Director

• 2009, Technical Review Committee Chair

• 2014-2016, ASHI Board Director

• 2017, President’s Award Recipient

• 2010-2017, ASHI School Instructor

• 2016, Ethics Committee Liaison • 2017, Graphics Department Board Liaison • 2017, Legislative Committee Board Liaison • 2017, ASHI Board of Directors Secretary January 2018 • www.ASHIReporter.org

13

ASHI Leaders for 2018

COUNCIL ELECTS NEW DIRECTORS BRONSON ANDERSON Inspector Homes Inc. Waynesboro, VA

I’m a second-generation inspector and ASHI member who falls under the category of GenX. I can relate to both the baby boomer generation and the millennial generation. With help from other great ASHI members, I created a “Young ASHI Professionals Group.” We are beginning to make progress in new ideas that may very well shape the future of our awesome association. I like to surround myself with people whom I feel are better than me and have more knowledge than me in certain areas. I feel as though if I surround myself with great people, better ideas and action will follow.

ERIC BARKER Moraine Woods Consulting, Inc. Lake Barrington, IL

I know how to work with others and encourage camaraderie to maintain cohesiveness within a group. I have seen what happens when Board members do not get along and how that can drastically compromise progress for the good of the Society. I have no ego to bruise and I can accept decisions of the majority. Because of my involvement with the online forums and groups, I have a strong sense of what ideas can truly benefit the members. We’re doing better at showing members what they get in return for their dues, but we can’t let our guard down on this. So far, members are not fully realizing what is available to them.

The Council of Representatives elected four new ASHI Directors and one Alternate. The introductions on this page are excerpts from the matrices submitted by candidates for the three-year terms. Links to the candidates’ full matrices are available via the online January 2018 ASHI Reporter, www.ashireporter.org.

DARRELL HAY Safe & Sound Home Inspections Snohomish, WA

Integrating younger inspectors into ASHI and ASHI Leadership. Incorporating technology. Blending the desire to make ASHI a welcoming and inviting place for prospective members, while at the same time not sacrificing the standards that make it attractive and respected. Chapters and national have a disconnect. We need to fix that. Is this a structural issue? That needs to be explored. Unaffiliated members are on the periphery with regard to the entire ASHI chapter experience; we have disparate solutions and ideas, but no real over arching strategies for improving this holistically.

SHANNON E. CORY

BOB SISSON

Rainbow Home Inspections Inc. Fayetteville, GA

Inspections by Bob Frederick, MD

We need to show non-ASHI inspectors why they need to be part of our society. We need to stop worrying about our competition and engage outside inspectors who attend these events by proving to them how networking and educational programs can benefit them and their businesses. Most of these inspectors have survived the economy during the last couple of years, which already shows that these are successful people.

Most of the time, successful people, when given the chance, would like to be associated with other successful people.

14

Four new Directors and one Alternate will take their seats at the April Board meeting.

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

I am a negotiator with an open mind.

I want to understand the issues that are to be brought before the Board before they are presented to the Board, listen to all the opinions and make a decision based on only the information present, with no personal bias from history or hearsay. I have no tolerance for members who talk to hear their own voice, adding nothing to the discussion.

The Board should be doing more strategic work and less wordsmithing of motions coming out of a committee.

I only want what is best for the association.

ASHI

REPORTER CORRECTION

On Page 22 of the December 2017 issue of the ASHI Reporter, the byline for the article “Never and Always” inadvertently lists Lon Grossman as being “retired.”

Lon is still an active inspector and continues to welcome new and returning clients.

We regret the error.

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262-303-4884 15January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

15

Providing Living in Place Home Assessments

WHY HOME INSPECTORS SHOULD DIVERSIFY AND PROVIDE LIVING IN PLACE HOME ASSESSMENTS Louie Delaware, Erik Listou, Living In Place Institute

S

ince the late 2000s, the economy has suffered, and many are still feeling the effects. Some faced complete financial ruin. After the Great Recession, many financial systems froze. The stock market, employment, real estate and many other markets suffered, and wage growth continues to be slow.

Some inspectors are struggling to stay in business, but many are prospering. How? By diversifying—offering related services such as commercial inspections, expert witness testimony and by testing for radon, lead-based paint, septic system defects and indoor air quality.

In short, forward-thinking home inspectors are diversifying by adding to their current home inspection services. Business gurus tell us that having “all your eggs in one basket” is not a wise choice for business comfort or longevity. One “missing” service for home inspectors has been inspecting for home accessibility and safety. And, as the size of the older population increases, society is experiencing what some call the “silver tsunami.” The trend for this group is to live in their homes for as long as possible, regardless of their needs or age.

SMART DIVERSIFICATION: ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY INSPECTIONS Providing home inspections that focus on accessibility and safety is a smart way to diversify your business. Through certified training offered by the Living In Place Institute and supported by the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), home inspectors now can help their clients understand what changes are needed in their homes that will allow them to live comfortably and avoid injuries at home.

Because inspectors are already trusted advisors of their past clients, by providing these new additional services, inspectors become recognized and respected by clients for additional objective assessments that are grounded in their training and experience.

The professional home inspection industry demands a high level of education and skills. ASHI has led the industry for more than 40 years, providing the educational opportunities necessary to perform visual evaluations and operational testing of a home’s systems and components to determine their current condition. ASHI also has provided the industry with access to special discounts, resources and networking opportunities designed to grow your inspection business and make you a better inspector.

The professional home inspection industry demands a high level of education and skills.

16

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

NEW DIVERSIFICATION OPPORTUNITY: LIVING IN PLACE ASSESSMENTS ASHI continues to help its members with advanced education to embrace this new opportunity. Unlike most diversifications, this new direction taps into your base of former clients and then connects you with a vast base of new opportunities. The new base is simply all homes, and your new clients include people of all ages and abilities. Offering Living In Place assessments helps people in their homes and visitors, especially friends or family members who have either temporary or chronic physical or cognitive challenges. Most home inspections are connected to real estate transactions. By providing Living In Place assessments, the opportunity is virtually unlimited.

When you become a Certified Living In Place Professional (CLIPP TM), you are of value to real estate agents, helping them guide their clients to find the most accessible and safe homes. Your services are vital to homeowners planning renovation projects, as well as to people who experience an injury and who need immediate, temporary help. Your expertise and service will bring peace of mind to all homeowners, helping them continue to live in their homes.

Just as you currently identify items that are deficient in homes, when you perform accessibility and safety assessments, you identify items needed in every home. Through your expertise and training, you create a report identifying areas and features of the house that need attention now, soon and in the future. As their trusted advisor, you will increase your business by providing your services and working with their designers, contractors and many other specialists.

ARE LIVING IN PLACE ASSESSMENTS RIGHT FOR MY HOME INSPECTION BUSINESS? The bottom line is threefold. By offering Living In Place assessments, you will have opportunities to do the following:

• Diversify your business. By increasing your services, you add to your current revenue sources, offsetting market fluctuations and future recessions.

• Take advantage of an emerging market opportunity. Homeowners need trained, reputable professionals to perform home assessments to make their homes more accessible, comfortable and safe, now and for years to come.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE LIVING IN PLACE INSTITUTE CAN HELP YOU DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS, VISIT WWW.LIVINGINPLACE.INSTITUTE/.

ASHI’s Recruit-aMember Program

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( Who knows best how to sell ASHI membership?

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Earn $50 in gift cards for every new member you recruit. Download the Membership Application form, have the new member fill it out (including his/her member number in the referral field), scan and email it to: jeng@ashi.org or fax to 847-759-1620. Questions?

Contact Jen Gallegos, jeng@ashi.org.

17January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

17

ARE YOU GOING TO “SCORE” IN 2018?

A HOME ENERGY SCORE CHEAT SHEET

By ASHI Staff

Why the U.S. Doe’s signature program for inspectors might be worth a look for your business this year.

With another dizzying InspectionWorld ® coming up soon, many readers will find themselves warming toes by the fire as they sift through dozens of vendor business cards, each representing a recent conversation centered on a promising new service for their business. For those members, and for anyone who’s engaged in the overwhelming annual tradition of strategizing business development during the hard-earned off-season, we offer a handy overview using some key factors that any good business owner brings to bear when considering a new offering.

THE COST FACTOR Taking on any new service requires an investment in both time and money, so how much of both of those does it take to become a Home Energy Score Assessor? First, being an Assessor doesn’t require any new tools, since it was designed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from the very beginning to roll smoothly into an inspector’s existing services and established practices. You can leave the blower doors and the duct blasters to the energy auditors of the world.

Zero investment in new tools to lug around is a plus, but there is a cost to maintaining compliance with a high-credibility program like this one, so here’s the deal: Getting through the Home Energy Score “fast track” developed by ASHI and ID Energy will cost you $200 as a one-time fee. From there, the ongoing quality assurance that the DOE requires (the same QA, it should be noted, that will keep the riff-raff out of the competition pool) could run you as much as $22 per Score if you do only a few. But ID Energy is offering a bundle right now as part of the initial partnership rollout that gives you unlimited Scores for $399. That means that if you do more than 20 Scores per year, you’re saving money, and if you do dozens or even hundreds of Scores per year, you’re saving a lot of money.

So, there’s your cost in dollars. In terms of the time commitment required, we can’t tell you with great certainty how long it will take you to get through the self-paced online training (for some, that pace is measured in hours; for others, in weeks), but we can tell you that it’s a lot easier to do that than it used to be. In fact, this is the first off-season in which ASHI members have access to the well-received services of ID Energy, whose friendly, simplified approach to Home Energy Score training has guided dozens of ASHI inspectors through the process in record time.

The other time-related component here is reflected in the additional steps required to perform a Home Energy Score as part of a normal home inspection. Feedback from inspectors currently offering the Score suggests that an experienced Assessor can complete the necessary data collection and data entry tasks in 30 minutes, when he or she conducts them as part of an inspection on an average-sized home.

18

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

Would this logo look good on you? Your customers probably think so.

THE PROFITABILITY FACTOR Like our partners at the DOE, ASHI is dedicated to helping create a marketplace where homebuyers are fully aware of the energy implications of their purchase and fully empowered to make good decisions about lessening their home’s energy impacts.

There’s one additional factor that inspectors must work into the equation, however. We need to make actual money while we’re at it.

That means that we have to weigh the “cost” section (see above) against the ability for the Home Energy Score to drive more contracts or better margins for our businesses.

There are a good many factors involved in gauging that increased revenue potential and most assessors out there now are going about it in one of two ways:

• Offer the Home Energy Score as an ancillary service and charge $100-$150 for it. The rates are entirely up to the individual inspector, of course, but reports from the field suggest that this fee range is the general sweet spot. You may hear that inspectors in Portland, Oregon, are getting $250 or more for the same service, but that may be for stand-alone assessments and it probably isn’t applicable to business models where the Score is opted for voluntarily.

• Include the Score as part of a standard inspection and raise rates accordingly. Some inspectors are seeing that they can handle the necessary steps very quickly once they nail down the process, and they’re marketing the inclusive package as a differentiator to win more jobs and to be seen as an industry leader by a savvier clientele.

Home Energy Score Update

By signing on with this home inspector, you have access to something extra.

THE X FACTOR

WILL OFFERING THE HOME ENERGY SCORE MAKE YOU AS HAPPY AS THIS GUY IN 2018?

These “intangible” benefits are harder to put solid numbers around, but smart inspectors understand that they can sometimes equate to a lot of value for a customer-focused business. Branding is probably the best single example of this phenomenon at work with the Home Energy Score—if there are other associations out there that offer the same recognition and immediate credibility as the U.S. Department of Energy, we’re not aware of them.

And while the hope is that ASHI members will start including the Score on all of their inspections, a business model that delivers Scores only often enough to remain in good standing with the program (and to continue to co-brand liberally in your marketing) is one that we can understand.

Showing your increasingly younger, greener clients that you’re in tune with their proven priorities around energy efficiency is quickly becoming more of a “must have” than a “nice to have” when it comes to presenting your business.

And offering the Score—whether or not you sell one on every job—is one of the best ways to project professionalism to clients and to Realtor networks alike.

SOUND LIKE A GOOD FIT? GET STARTED NOW. Jen Gallegos at ASHI HQ is always on hand to answer questions and to help you get the ball rolling. You can reach her at jeng@ashi.org.

Or you can save a step and head right to ID Energy to get signed up.

They’re waiting for your application at energyscoreusa.com/sign_up.php.

19January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

19

SMART INSPECTOR SCIENCE

IS POLARITY REALLY IMPORTANT?

A

ll home inspectors use small outlet testers to determine whether an electrical outlet is wired correctly. We are checking polarity: Is power at the narrow slot and neutral at the wide slot? We also check for grounding and other potential faults. These small testers are sometimes fooled by unusual wiring problems, but generally, they work pretty well.

When an outlet has reversed polarity, the black wire supplying power is switched with the white neutral wire. This means that power is at the wide slot in the outlet. Even so, any device plugged into the outlet will work. So, what’s the big deal about documenting polarity?

In the old days, before internal transformers powered most electronic equipment, reversed polarity often resulted in a “buzz” in stereo equipment. It could also make clocks run backward…no, just joking.

THE MOST COMMON REVERSED POLARITY SAFETY ISSUE

By Tom Feiza, Mr. Fix-It, Inc. HowToOperateYourHome.com

MISWIRING CAN ALSO CAUSE PROBLEMS

Reversed polarity can result from a miswired outlet or a miswired lamp cord. If the plug on the cord has been replaced and was not installed properly, reversed polarity may result. Take a close look at a lamp cord; one wire will have a raised edge or a color marking for the neutral wire

On really old outlets, the two outlet slots are identical and there is no ground slot.

Those non-polarized outlet slots are not very safe, so it’s a good idea to recommend replacing them. In the old days, lamps also lacked plugs that had a wide and narrow blade, so safety involving polarity was just ignored; back then, homeowners were happy to have any type of power.

Our job as home inspectors is to identify outlet wiring problems—and yes, polarity is important.

To m F e i z a h a s b e e n a professional home inspector since 1992 and has a degree in engine ering. Through HowToOperateYourHome. c o m, he provides high quality marketing materials that help professional home inspectors boost their business. Copyright © 2017

by Tom Feiza, Mr. Fix-It, Inc. Reproduced with permission.

The most common and serious issue with reversed polarity may occur with a simple Edison-base lamp or fixture. You know the kind: the basic screw-in “A” bulb with the little pull chain or twist switch.

When a lamp is powered with reversed polarity, the neutral line, or the line that should be returning power to the electrical system, is providing electricity to the threaded ring around the bulb. The metal around the bulb is electrified at all times. When the lamp is clicked off, the return line is switched and the lamp goes off, but the ring around the bulb stays electrified. You change the bulb with the light off and if you touch the ring around the bulb—ZAP—ouch!

20

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

MEET TOM AT INSPECTIONWORLD ORLANDO! IF YOU FIND TOM’S “SMART INSPECTOR SCIENCE” ARTICLES HELPFUL, BE SURE TO ATTEND HIS PRESENTATIONS AT INSPECTIONWORLD

The Science Behind Great Home Inspections MONDAY, JANUARY 22ND 4PM – 6PM Report Writing—Describe That Defect TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD 1PM–3PM

OR

LANDO 201

8

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FREE to ASHI members!! The ASHI Online Learning Center provides 2-hour modules approved for 2 ASHI CEs. (Special section) Many Past IW modules State-approved for online education.

21January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

21

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EBPHI Announcement

EBPHI ANNOUNCES ANNOUNCES EBPHI RESULTS OF OF ROLE ROLE RESULTS DELINEATION STUDY STUDY DELINEATION Paul Staron, Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors

T

he Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors (EBPHI) has developed and maintained the National Home Inspection Exam (NHIE) since 1999. The exam is the cornerstone for entrance into the profession of home inspection in the United States and Canada. A key component of maintaining the exam is to perform a Role Delineation Study (RDS) every five years. The study analyzes the profession to understand what changes have occurred and updates the exam template from which exam questions are derived.

The 2017 RDS Study was performed with the assistance of a group of dedicated subject matter experts making up the RDS Task Force (RDTF) and ACT Credentialing Advisory Services. We are pleased to share the results with you.

There were a total of 1,606 complete survey responses received from the United States (1,299 responses) and Canada (307 responses). After carefully considering the characteristics of the U.S. and Canadian respondents, the RDTF determined that these respondents well represented the population of professional home inspectors with respect to key practice characteristics, including work setting, role, respondents’ level of education, types of firms at which they are employed and demographic characteristics. The RDTF agreed that there were sufficient numbers of respondents in various subgroups to produce stable and interpretable results in these groups.

CANADA VERSUS UNITED STATES A key component that made this RDS different from previous studies is the extent that the study also focused on Canada. The goal was to extend EPBHI’s understanding of the practice of home inspection in Canada, with a view toward understanding similarities and differences in practice, and evaluating the extent to which the content of the NHIE addresses the domains, tasks and knowledge bases most relevant to Canadian practice.

EBPHI went the additional step of translating the entire survey into French to ensure that people from the French-speaking provinces were well represented. Although the NHIE has been used in Canada for many years, this is one of the first studies of this magnitude to define the profession and how it compares with the United States.

Although the study showed some differences between U.S. and Canadian inspectors and their businesses, the results showed that there were few differences in the actual scope of inspections performed.

24

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

SCOPE CREEP One of the important discussions of the RDTF had to do with scope.

What should or shouldn’t be considered part of the home inspection versus an ancillary service? If a majority of inspectors are inspecting pools or irrigation systems, should that be included within the scope and should the exam test for it? Likewise, if a majority of the inspectors are offering radon testing as an ancillary service, how much knowledge, if any, should an inspector have regarding radon?

It was the general consensus that we should keep the scope confined to the actual inspection and not add anything that could be deemed as an ancillary service. There was also consensus that the inspector should have a basic knowledge about some of these ancillary areas such as radon, termite damage, pool safety and so on. Therefore, the new exam outline removes the primary knowledge area for pools and spas, but there may be some questions regarding basic pool safety in the Site portion of the exam.

MAINTENANCE Another important update pertains to maintenance questions. Most sections of our current outline require exam questions on maintenance. This was an area of debate over the years. The ASHI Standard of Practice does not require us to inspect for maintenance concerns and there are few industry resources from which to derive questions.

It was decided that questions on general maintenance would not be included in the exam. When a maintenance concern becomes bad enough, it then becomes a defect and thus reportable.

OTHER CHANGES The names of the three domains were updated.

Domain 1: Building Science was changed to Property and Building Inspection/Site Review to better reflect the actions performed by the home inspector within the domain.

Domain 2: Analysis and Reporting was changed to Analysis of Findings and Reporting to better distinguish between the analysis that the inspector engages while conducting the inspection (part of Domain 1) and analysis of the overall inspection findings (Domain 2).

Domain 3: Business Operations was changed to Professional Responsibilities to better focus on the purpose of the tasks in the domain (that is, to conduct business responsibly in service of the client).

U.S. RESPONDENTS BY REGION SURVEY RESPONDENTS EVENLY REPRESENTED THE VARIOUS REGIONS OF THE U.S.

YEARS OF HOME INSPECTION EXPERIENCE – FREQUENCIES The survey respondents had an average of nine years of experience.

Comparing the U.S. with Canada, there appears to be a large crop of newer inspectors in the U.S.

EBPHI Announcement

DOES YOUR PRIMARY JURISDICTION REGULATE, LICENSE, CERTIFY OR REGISTER HOME INSPECTORS? Seventy-five percent of U.S. respondents and 81% of Canadian respondents worked in jurisdictions that regulate, license, certify or register home inspectors. There continues to be a slow, but persistent, trend toward regulation in our profession.

TYPE OF FIRM(S) IN WHICH EMPLOYED Sixty-four percent of U.S. respondents were sole proprietors, and 29% worked in multi-inspector local firms; in Canada, 32% were sole proprietors and 48% worked in multi-inspector local firms. This supports the trend we’ve seen with more multi-inspector companies in the U.S. and Canada.

HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION

A larger percentage of Canadian inspectors had college degrees.

25January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

25

EBPHI Announcement

NUMBER OF HOME INSPECTIONS PERFORMED ANNUALLY U.S. VS CANADA

Canadian respondents performed more home inspections than U.S. respondents; 72% of Canadian respondents performed more than 200 home inspections annually versus 47% of U.S. respondents.

MEMBERSHIP IN HOME INSPECTION PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

AGE OF INSPECTORS

NOTE: MULTIPLE RESPONSES WERE PERMITTED.

This table shows the differences in average inspector age, with Canada’s inspectors being younger on average. In the U.S., the majority of respondents were from 45 to 64 years old (63%), whereas in Canada, 54% were 35 to 44 years old. Almost none of the respondents were younger than the age of 25.

This table shows a large number of the survey respondents were members of a professional association, with the two largest associations, ASHI and InterNACHI, represented in the results.

26

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

EBPHI Announcement

RATINGS OF ANCILLARY SERVICES—TOTAL SAMPLE As you can see, there is a lot of detail in the data that were collected on ancillary services. Because the 2012 survey did not get very involved in these services, it’s hard to compare for trending purposes. The scope of services and what is included in the standard home inspection varies by state or region.

5.2%

1.9% 15.5% 82.6% Asbestos Testing 575 total

23.6%

5.9%

87.2%

66.3%

84.8%

Clearance reports for wood-destroying organism inspection – 573 total

13.1% 13.1%

3.5% 12.4%

84.1%

Exterior Insulated Finishing System (EIFS) moisture intrusion inspection 573 total

76.7% Lead paint sample collection 575 total

74.7% Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) testing 573 total

Mold sample collection 575 total

43.3%

18.4% 57.5% Infrared thermography 576 total

0.7% 4.5%

5.1% 38.7% 56.2%

94.8%

66.1%

15.5% 13.70%

2.6% 57.4%

24.1%

75.6%

31.3%

Irrigation systems inspection 576 total

1.4% 23.9%

2.6%

94.8% Electromagnetic field testing 575 total

8.4%

Floor level survey 573 total

2.3% 21.0%

74.1%

Drone services 572 total

16.1%

73.8%

9.2% 16.7%

1.9% 3.3%

9.3%

10.1%

7.5%

Back–up generator testing 572 total

Energy efficiency evaluation 571 total

It is interesting to see emerging technologies coming into focus within our profession, including thermography, use of drones, solar, indoor air quality, mold testing and home automation.

Neighborhood environmental reports 572 total

Pool and spa inspection 573 total

2.3%

1.4% 11.2%

19.1% 20.2%

40% Radon gas testing 573 total

70.8% Radon mitigation system inspection 569 total

93.4% Soil testing 572 total

Septic system inspection 570 total

6.5% 6.5%

3.7% 5.6%

89.2% Solar pool heater inspection 572 total

1.6% 37.2%

Solar water heater inspection 571 total

14.4%

18.1%

66.7% Water quality sample collection 574 total

Solar/photovoltaic system inspection 571 total

1.7%

Other 299 total

Sewer lateral inspection 573 total

1.4% 3%

95.6%

90.7%

87%

15.2%

61.2% Water quality sample collection 570 total

Reporting wood-destroying organism evidence 573 total

2.4% 8.4%

0.5% 6.1%

87.4%

78.6%

36.5%

Underground storage tank inspection 572 total

THANK YOU

I would like to thank the members of the RDS Task Force and ACT for their good work. Finally, on behalf of the EBPHI Board of Directors, I’d like to thank all of you who took time 83.9% out of your day to complete the survey and, thereby, to support your profession. Your input provided vital information as we maintain our focus on the ever-changing job of the home inspector. We feel the quality of this study will allow us to move forward with the NHIE with confidence.

27January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

27

The Word: Time

THE WORD:

TIME

By Bruce Barker, ACI

O

nce again, The Word invites you to travel into the dark realm of subjects that are sometimes misunderstood by home inspectors.

The Word hopes you will find this trip informative and maybe a little entertaining.

Our subject this month is time. The Word finds this subject interesting because, while time itself may be effectively infinite, time is a finite resource for home inspectors. To effectively serve our clients, our communities, our families and ourselves, it is important that we manage this finite resource in the most effective way possible.

BACKGROUND The Word has been participating in, and trying not to be too much of a hindrance to, the fascinating project of revising the content outline for the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE). This content outline determines the topics of questions that will appear on the NHIE (see the report presented by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors [EBPHI] on Page 24).

Because passing the NHIE is a prerequisite for a license in many states and for full membership in ASHI, schools tend to use this outline to teach prospective home inspectors and new inspectors use it to prepare for the exam. This outline is, therefore, a very important document.

A lot of time, effort and money is invested to try to get it right. The entire home inspection profession, and the public at large, owes a big thank you to those who participate in this project. More about this at the end of this article.

You may be wondering what the NHIE content outline has to do with time. Well, there’s a limited amount of time available to teach prospective home inspectors. New inspector classes are usually between 80 and 120 hours. This isn’t nearly enough time to train a home inspector. New inspectors have a limited amount of time to study for the NHIE. All inspectors have a limited amount of time to perform an inspection and to write a report. It’s important—one might even say essential—to focus our limited time on topics that will best serve our clients and the public at large.

WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF A HOME INSPECTION? A home inspection is a project. To successfully complete a project given limited resources (time being one limited resource), one must have a clear understanding of the project’s objective. It is said that if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there and you may waste a lot of time getting somewhere that you don’t want to go.

There are many ways to answer this home inspection objective question.

A brief history lesson may provide part of the answer. The original objective of a home inspection, before ASHI and the ASHI Standard of Practice (ASHI SoP), appears to have been to warn the client about 28

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buying the proverbial money pit. Early home inspections involved an “inspector,” often a contractor, who would walk around the house with the “client” and point out major defects such as structural and roof-covering defects. The “report,” if any, would be handwritten notes on a piece of paper. The original ASHI SoP defined the systems and components included in a home inspection, expanded the scope of reportable conditions to include unsafe and near the end of service life, and required a formal written report. The basic objective, however, remained the same: to find and report money pit–level defects. This is a reasonable objective, especially given the inspection fee.

The home inspection profession has evolved since the original ASHI SoP; some say it has evolved beyond the current ASHI SoP. The ASHI SoP has evolved, too, adding new systems and components such as kitchen appliances to the inspection scope. The basic objective, however, remains the same. In The Word’s opinion, this basic objective of finding and reporting money pit–level defects remains both relevant and appropriate today.

ASHI SoP Section 2.1 states the objective of a home inspection.

Home inspections performed using this Standard are intended to provide the client with information about the condition of inspected systems and components at the time of the home inspection.

ASHI SoP Section 2.2.B defines how to achieve this objective. This definition also remains relevant and appropriate today.

The inspector shall provide the client with a written report, using a format and medium selected by the inspector, that states: 1. those systems and components inspected that, in the professional judgment of the inspector, are not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe, or are near the end of their service lives,

2. recommendations to correct, or monitor for future correction, the deficiencies reported in 2.2.B.1, or items needing further evaluation (Per Exclusion 13.2.A.5 the inspector is NOT required to determine methods, materials, or costs of corrections.),

3. reasoning or explanation as to the nature of the deficiencies reported in 2.2.B.1, that are not self-evident, 4. those systems and components designated for inspection in this Standard that were present at the time of the home inspection but were not inspected and the reason(s) they were not inspected.

Let’s summarize the key points of these ASHI SoP sections to get a better understanding of how we can most effectively allocate limited time. The objective is to provide information to the client. The information is about the condition of a limited number of systems and components specified in the ASHI SoP. The limited number of conditions we are required to report is stated in 2.2.B.1. These are the

The Word: Time

following: not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe and near the end of service life. We may elect to report about additional systems and components, as well as report about other conditions, but (and this is important) if we do a good job inspecting the house, writing the report and complying fully with the ASHI SoP, we have served our client well.

Many states have a state standard of practice (SoP) that is enforceable by state law. If you practice in one of these states, you must comply with the state SoP. If you don’t live in one of these states, then you must comply with the ASHI SoP. This preceding discussion takes a project-oriented, and somewhat legalistic, view of the home inspection objective. The business-oriented objective is equally important: a satisfied client. Satisfied clients refer new clients, and they don’t sue and complain to regulators. Unfortunately, it is possible to achieve the home inspection project objective and still have a dissatisfied client. To achieve both objectives, it is necessary to focus limited time resources on activities that can increase the odds of achieving both objectives.

WHAT MAKES CLIENTS DISSATISFIED? Clients, and people in general, may become dissatisfied when their expectations are not met. Expectations come in three basic flavors.

Some expectations are inherent in the client. You can’t do much about these expectations. Some expectations are borne of misunderstandings about the scope and limitations of a home inspection. Investing time to manage client expectations is a wise use of your limited time resource.

Some expectations are based on you fulfilling your responsibility to perform a home inspection according to the ASHI SoP. Investing time fulfilling your responsibility, including the inspection and the report, will go a long way toward reducing client dissatisfaction.

Some people have unrealistic expectations and no amount of reasoning or communication will have any effect. There are also a small number of ethically challenged people who will be dissatisfied no matter what you do. Sometimes you can weed out these people and not accept the inspection. For example, if the first or second question is about errors and omissions insurance, it might be best to send these people on their way. Sometimes, you can call their bluff if they complain, but this may require paying an attorney. Sometimes, you just have to write a check and consider it a cost of doing business. Nothing more needs to be said about these people.

It is your responsibility to educate your clients to help them understand what you do and what you can’t do.

Start this process on your website.

Most clients have never heard of, much less read, a home inspection SoP. Misunderstandings are, therefore, inevitable. It is your responsibility to educate your clients to help them understand what you do and what you can’t do. Start this process on your website. Continue it in your inspection agreement by at least citing the SoP that you will follow or, better yet, by providing a copy of the SoP with your agreement. Invest some of your limited time at the start of the inspection by explaining

important inspection limitations such as the visual limitation, and by asking the client about questions or concerns about the inspection process and about the house. This is sometimes called the driveway talk or the kitchen table talk. Every inspector should have a script for this talk and use it.

FULFILLING YOUR INSPECTION RESPONSIBILITIES A client may be justifiably dissatisfied when you don’t deliver what you promise (that is, an SoP-compliant inspection). Fulfilling your responsibility requires completing two tasks. You must identify conditions in inspected components that are not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe or near the end of their services lives.

Equally important, you must communicate your findings, in writing, in a manner that the client can understand and can use to make decisions.

Finding reportable conditions in all inspected systems and components is your responsibility, but given limited time, where should you focus your efforts? Errors and omissions claims statistics compiled by Robert Pearson of Allen Insurance suggest that well over half of all claims involve the structural systems, roof coverings and water intrusion. This makes sense because these are most likely to involve money pit–level dollars to repair. Claims involving the rest of the systems and components are mostly in the single digits.

Reporting your findings in a manner that your client can understand and use is also your responsibility. You can find every defect in the house, but if you don’t invest time reporting this information so that the client can use it, all of your inspection time does little good and your client may be justifiably dissatisfied.

The formula for reporting defects is the same regardless of the defect and is stated in ASHI SoP 2.2.B.2 and 2.2.B.3. Simply stated, you should always: (1) Describe what you saw,

(2) Explain the implication if the defect is not addressed,

(3) Recommend what action the client should take to address the defect (correct, further evaluation, monitor).

A GOOD HOME INSPECTION? ASHI SoP Section 2.1 states that the ASHI SoP is the minimum standard for performing a home inspection. The word minimum has a negative connotation, especially in the home inspection profession where exceeding expectations is valued. Many inspectors, therefore, misunderstand the word minimum in Section 2.1. The Word hereby clarifies this misunderstanding. The ASHI SoP is the minimum standard for performing a good home inspection.

Many of us go beyond the ASHI SoP, or our state SoP, and perform a better inspection. But how much of an improvement is this better inspection compared with a good SoP-compliant inspection? This is an interesting question and is worthy of evaluation.

A BETTER HOME INSPECTION? What services, procedures, tools, systems and components might be included in a better home inspection? There are as many answers as there are home inspectors. The following are but a few possibilities.

Most of us stick our three-light tester in every receptacle we can get to and we operate every accessible window, although only one per room is required by the ASHI SoP. Are these procedures a big part of a 29January 2018

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better inspection? Not really. Complaints about electrical issues account for only three percent of claims and complaints about windows don’t even rate their own category.

Some of us use combustible gas detectors. Are these a big part of a better inspection? Not really. The Word can still smell a small gas leak and The Word’s nose doesn’t work as well as it once did. Most people can smell a gas leak that is large enough to be dangerous.

What about infrared cameras? They can help detect hidden moisture intrusion, and absent or improperly installed insulation, under the right conditions and with a trained operator interpreting the images. The right conditions and a trained operator are not always available at the time of the inspection, so this might not be a good candidate for inclusion in a better inspection.

Drones? See infrared cameras—only under the right conditions and with a trained (and licensed) operator.

Given that the basic objective of a home inspection is to find and report money pit–level defects, providing these and other services, procedures, tools, systems and components seems to be mostly tinkering around the margins. Yes, they make the home inspection better. Yes, they provide value. Do they make a significant improvement to a good ASHI SoP– compliant inspection? The Word thinks not.

GIVE CLIENTS A CHOICE Airlines and other industries have adopted a model of charging a base fee for the base service and charging additional fees for additional services. Perhaps this is the model for the home inspection profession going forward.

Every inspector should be trained and tested so that he or she is qualified to provide a good, SoP-compliant home inspection for clients who need, and only want to pay for, this service. Some inspectors will elect to provide additional services beyond the SoP. In many cases, these services require additional training and experience. Some inspectors may elect to differentiate themselves by providing these additional services as part of the home inspection at no additional charge (see Southwest Airlines). Some inspectors may charge extra for these services. Which beyond-SoP services to offer and at what price is a business decision for each home inspector, and a purchase decision for each client.

THE BOTTOM LINE The Word was a student at Indiana University during some of coach Bobby Knight’s most successful years. Coach Knight didn’t have superstar players. His success was based, to a large extent, on using discipline and a relentless focus on the fundamentals to get the most out of each player.

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The Word believes that this model applies to the home inspection profession, too, absent Coach Knight’s excesses. Each inspector, from the “freshman” right out of inspector school to the most senior inspector, should invest his or her limited time to perform each inspection with a disciplined focus on the fundamentals, as stated in the ASHI SoP. What an inspector does beyond the fundamentals is a matter of negotiation between the inspector and the client.

Memo to Cronus (god of time): The Word does not reside on Mt. Olympus (just at its base) and welcomes other viewpoints. Send your lightning bolts or emails to Bruce@DreamHomeConsultants.com.

The thoughts contained herein are those of The Word; they are not ASHI’s standards or policies.

BEHIND THE SCENES Like most professions, important work is done behind the scenes so that most participants can go about their daily business. Much of this work is done by volunteers who give their time, and often give up opportunities to make money, to do this work. These people usually get little or no appreciation for this important work. Such is the case for the members of the task force that is revising the NHIE content outline.

These people deserve your appreciation. Task force members are listed below. The Word apologizes if he missed someone.

Tim Clark, Alan Fisher, Martin Garcia, Chris Green, Welmoed Sisson, Uli Sommers, Sean Troxel, Les Van Alstine and Skip Walker.

A task force requires a leader. In this case, the leader is Paul Staron. Home inspectors tend to be opinionated; after all, opinions are what we are paid for. Debates between opinionated people can get intense, and a leader like Paul is who is needed to bring calm and focus. Thank you, Paul, and thank you to all Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors (EBPHI) board members, for your service to the profession and for your leadership.

Bruce Barker, owner of Dream Home Consultants, in Cary, NC, is the author or editor of several books, including Everybody’s Building Code, Deck Codes and Standards, The NHIE Home Inspection Manual, Codes for Homeowners, The Complete Guide to Wiring, and The Complete Guide to Plumbing.

Bruce is an ASHI Certified Inspector who currently serves on the ASHI Board of Directors. Bruce has been building and inspecting homes for more than 29 years. He is an ICC-certified Residential Combination Inspector, a licensed contractor and a licensed home inspector in multiple states.

Notes From The ASHI School

By Russell K. Daniels, Executive Director of The ASHI School

I

t used to be so simple... When it came to promoting The ASHI School, we would just create a gorgeous brochure, mail it to potential students and wait for the phone to ring and the admissions appointments to roll in. But not anymore.

Today, schools must be marketable to increasingly savvy consumers. Prospective students have a long list of things they are looking for in a school. They want to get a great education for an affordable price.

The ASHI School is positioned to provide this great education. It is very important that we continue to produce educated home inspectors so that we keep the national organization of ASHI stocked and restocked with well-informed, up-andcoming home inspectors.

Whether it is the 93-hour fast track course, the 120-hour course, the 160-hour course or the special ancillary courses, The ASHI School provides comprehensive, interactive and updated educational opportunities for potential home inspectors.

One of the best ways we can promote The ASHI School is by tapping into our network—that’s you! We need you—ASHI members—to talk to your colleagues, especially those potential home inspectors who visit your chapters, and encourage them to take one of our classes. Tell them how beneficialThe ASHI School’s classes were for you. Maybe even suggest that you attend an ancillary class together to learn something new or brush up on a topic.

Also, when you meet a new inspector who has not yet had any formal education in the home inspection field, why not mention the benefits of getting more education and building skills by enrolling in the many types of courses available through The ASHI School?

Keep in mind that people who take classes at The ASHI School have a wide variety of backgrounds—handymen, carpenters, builders, professional engineers, police officers, people from the armed forces and many more.

Becoming a home inspector is an important, responsible job.

We believe that an educated home inspector potentially can help save lives.

Be proud of your organization (which, by the way, owns its own home inspection school) and be sure to mention the ASHI School to the people you meet and know.

For more information, please contact The ASHI School at www.theashischool.com or by 888-884-0440.

Upcoming Classes in 2018 Jan 29-Feb 3 Columbus, OH Cincinnati, OH February 12-17 Brentwood, TN February 12-23 Cumming, GA Leesburg, VA Tampa, FL Feb 26-Mar 9 Baltimore, MD Bellevue, WA Des Plaines, IL

March 5-16 St. Louis, MO

May 7-12 Brentwood, TN

June 18-29 Des Plaines, IL

March 12-23 Columbus, OH

May 21-June 1 Cumming, GA Leesburg, VA

Jul 30-Aug 10 Columbus, OH

Mar 26-Apr 6 Lakewood, CO April 2-13 Cypress, CA

June 4-15 Baltimore, MD Bellevue, WA

Apr 23-May 4 Columbis, OH Des Plaines, IL

June 11-22 Lakewood, CO Columbus, OH

August 6-17 Des Plaines, IL

September 10-21 Baltimore, MD Bellevue, WA Columbus, OH Cumming, GA Lakewood, CO Tampa, FL

August 20-25 Brentwood, TN

September 17-28 Des Plaines, IL

August 20-31 St. Louis, MO September 3-14 Leesburg, VA

Note: All class dates subject to change.

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ASHI Chapters and Council News

NORTH CENTRAL ASHI Central PA

www.ashicentralpa.com Second Monday, 6 pm, except Jan. & July, Hoss’s Steakhouse 1151 Harrisburg Pike, Carlisle, PA Kevin Kenny, 717-226-3066 info@midpennhomeinspections.com

Keystone (PA)

www.keystoneashi.org First Monday, 5:30 pm The Crowne Plaza, Reading David Artigliere, 610-220-1907 artihi@gmail.com

Ohio

www.ohioashi.com Ken Harrington, 614-507-1061 ohioashi@yahoo.com

North Central Ohio

www.ncohioashi.com Paul Wancata, 216-571-1074 inspectionsunlimited@cox.net

OHIO SOUTH ASHI Meeting: Last Sat. every month, noon @ Frickers, North College Hill, OH P.O. Box 532197 Cincinnati, OH 45252 Chris Green, 513-939-4036 Email president@ohsoashi.com

Pocono-Lehigh (PA)

www.pocono-lehighashi.org Third Tuesday, Tannersville Inn, Tannersville Ronald Crescente, 570-646-7546 amerispec@pa.metrocast.net

Heartland (IA, MN, ND, SD, WI) www.ashiheartland.org Reuben Saltzman, 612-205-5600 reuben@ashiheartland.org

Indiana ASHI

www.inashi.com Quarterly Danny Maynard, 317-319-7209 danny@inspectinc.net

Iowa ASHI

www.iowaashichapter.org Fourth Tuesday, 7:00 - 9:00 pm Clarion Inn, Cedar Rapids Craig Chmelicek, 319-389-7379 elitehomeandradon@gmail.com

Kentuckiana (IN, KY)

www.ashikentuckiana.org Allan Davis, 502-648-9294 elitehomeinspections@ insightbb.com

Mid-Missouri

www.midmoashi.com Second Thursday, 12:00 pm, even months of the year; Columbia Board of Realtors office: 2309 I-70 Drive NW, Columbia, MO Mark Kelsey, 573-356-5305 mark@inspectcolumbia.com

Northern Illinois

www.nicashi.com Second Wednesday (except Dec.) 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm Allegra Banquets, 237 W St. Charles Rd., Villa Park, IL 60181 Jeremy Meek, 630-854-2454 jeremy@discoveryinspector.com

PRO-ASHI (PA)

www.proashi.com Second Wednesday of Jan., March, May, July & Nov. Ray Fonos, 412-461-8273 southpittsburgh@hometeam.com

Arkansas

Tri-State (DE, NJ, PA)

Great Plains (KS, MO)

www.tristateashi.org Second Tuesday except April, Aug. & Dec., Dave & Buster’s Plymouth Meeting, PA Jules Falcone, julesfalcone@me.com

SOUTH MIDWEST Lonnie Moore, 479-530-5792 mhinsp@cox.net www.ashikc.org Second Wednesday of even months The Great Wolf Lodge, Kansas City Doug Hord, 816-215-2329 doug@firstchoice.com

Midwest PRO ASHI (KS)

MIDWEST Great Lakes (IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, OH, WI) For monthly meetings: www.greatinspectors.com/ schedule-of-events/ Carol Case, 734-284-4501 carol@greatinspectors.com

Greater Omaha (NE)

www.ashiomaha.com Jon Vacha, 402-660-6935 jon@hsinspections.com

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Ray Fonos, 412-461-8273 rfonos@hometeam.com

St. Louis (MO)

www.stlashi.org Second Tuesday, 6:30 pm Spazios Westport 12031 Lackland Rd. St. Louis, MO 63146 Frank Copanas, 314-456-0783 Acropolis-inspection@live.com

MOUNTAIN Arizona

www.azashi.org Bryck Guibor, 520-419-1313 bryck@msn.com Quarterly education on azashi.org

New Mexico

www.ashinm.org Bi-monthly meetings are held on the second Saturday of the month at LePeep’s Restaurant (Jan., March, May, July, Sept.) located at I-25 and Jefferson in Albuquerque. Meeting starts at 8:45 am; Breakfast starts at 8 am.

Lance Ellis, 505-977-3915 lellis@amerispec.net

Northern Rockies (ID, MT) Steve Jenicek, 406-949-6461 Steve@taskmasterinspections.com Secretary: Kelly Campeau 877-749-2225 Kelly@inspectormt.com

Rocky Mountain Fourth Tuesday, 6:30 pm Brian Murphy, 303-791-7824 brian@murphyinspection.com

Southern Colorado

www.ashi-southerncolorado.org Second Thursday each month, 6:30 pm Valley Hi Golf Club, 610 S. Chelton Rd. Colorado Springs, CO 80910 Daniel Noteboom, 719-332-9660 SCCASHI@gmail.com

Utah

www.ashiutah.com First Tuesday, 7 pm Marie Callender’s, Midvale Fred Larsen, 801-201-9583 Fred.larsen@pillartopost.com

PACIFIC Alaska Meeting dates: Jan. 1, March 1, Aug. 1, Nov. 1 Location varies each meeting David Mortensen, 907-243-4476 dave@discoveryinspect.com

ASHI Hawaii

www.ashihawaii.com Alex Woodbury, 808-322-5174 Woodburya001@hawaii.rr.com

California Randy Pierson, 310-265-0833 randy@southbayinspector.com

Central Valley CREIA-ASHI Peter Boyd, 530-673-5800 Boyd.p@comcast.net

Golden Gate (CA)

www.ggashi.com John Fryer, 510-682-4908 johnfryer@gmail.com

Inland Northwest (ID, WA) Chris Munro, 208-290-2472 chris@peakinspections.net

Orange County CREIA-ASHI (CA) www.creia.org/orangecounty-chapter Third Monday, 5:30 pm Hometown Buffet 2321 S. Bristol, Santa Ana Bill Bryan, 949-565-5904 bill@rsminspections.com

Oregon

www.oahi.org Fourth Tuesday, 6:30 pm 4534 SE McLoughlin Blvd., Portland Jay Hensley, 503-312-2105 jay@carsonconstruction.com

San Diego CREIA-ASHI First Tuesday each month Elijah’s Restaurant 7061 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard San Diego, CA 92111 Dennis Parra II, 619-232-1100

San Joaquin Valley (CA) Third Thursday, 6 pm 1736 Union Avenue, Bakersfield, CA Raymond Beasley, 661-805-5947 rbinspector@aol.com Mail: 3305 Colony Oak St. Bakersfield, CA 93311

Silicon Valley ASHI-CREIA (CA)

www.siliconvalleyinspector.com Skip Walker, 650-873-4224 homeinspection@sanbrunocable.com

Southwestern Idaho Second Monday David Reish, 208-941-5760 dave@antheminspections.com

Los Angeles-Ventura County ASHI-CREIA First Thursday, 5 pm Holiday Inn, Woodland Hills Bob Guyer, 805-501-0733 guyerinspections@roadrunner.com

South Bay (CA) Webinar meetings Randy Pierson, 310-265-0833 randy@southbayinspector.com

Western Washington

www.ashiww.com Chapter Meetings held at chapter seminars in March and Sept.

Karl Nueffer karl@G4inspections.com

NEW ENGLAND Coastal Connecticut

www.coastalctashi.org Third Thursday, 6 pm, Westport VFW Lodge, 465 Riverside Avenue, Westport John Hamlin, 203-912-1917 john.hamlin@pillartopost.com

New England (ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)

Greater Rochester (NY)

www.ashirochester.com Second Tuesday, 6 pm, Jeremiah’s Tavern, 2200 Buffalo Rd. Gates, NY 14624 Jim Brennan, 585-520-5575 jbrennan@independentinspectionservice.com

Hudson Valley (NY)

www.ashinewengland.org Fourth Thursday, 5 pm The Lantana, Randoph, MA Michael Atwell, 617-630-5629 mike@jmhi.com

Second Tuesday, 6 pm Daddy O’s Restaurant 3 Turner Street Hopewell Junction, NY 12533 Michael Skok, 845-592-1442 ashistatewide@yahoo.com

Northern New England (NNEC) (ME, MA, NH, VT)

Long Island (NY)

www. ashi-nnec.org Third Thursday of Jan., April, June and Sept.

Tim Rooney, 603-770-0444 homeviewnh@comcast.net nnec.ashi.2016@gmail.com

Southern New England (CT) www.snecashi.org First Tuesdays, 6:30 pm Billy T’s, 150 Sebethe Dr. Cromwell, CT Richard W. Hall, 860-281-4238 rhall@usinspect.com

NEW YORK/JERSEY/ DELAWARE Capitol Region (NY)

www.goashi.com Richard Waskew, 518-383-4804 rondack1@gmail.com

Central New York

www.cnyashi.com Third Wednesday each month, 6 pm, Tony’s Family Restaurant, Syracuse Richard Alton, 315-415-4847 dick@altoninspect.com

First State (DE)

www.firststateashi.org Third Wednesday, 7 pm The Buzz Ware Center 2121 The Highway, Arden Mark Desmond, 302-494-1294 mark@delvalleyhome.com

Garden State (NJ)

www.gardenstateashi.com Second Thursday The Westwood, Garwood Ernie Borsellino, 973 761 0050 gsashipresident@gmail.com

www.liashi.com Third Monday, 6 pm, Domenico’s Restaurant, Levittown Steven Rosenbaum 516-361-0658 inspector@optonline.net

New York Metro

MAC-ASHI (MD, VA)

www.mac-ashi.com Second Wednesday, Rockville, 6 pm Senior Center, Rockville Mark Mostrom, 301-536-0096 pivotalinspections@comcast.net

NOVA-ASHI (MD, VA)

www.novaashi.com Fourth Tuesday, Associate hour 6-7 pm, Membership meeting 7-9 pm, Northern Virginia Resources Center, Fairfax Tony Toth, 703-926-6213 tony_toth@msn.com

Piedmont ASHI (VA) Robert Huntley, 540-354-2135 rwhuntley@cox.net

SOUTH ATLANTIC ASHI Georgia

www.ashigeorgia.com Shannon Cory, 404-316-4876 shannon1943@comcast.net

www.nyashi.com Last Thursday, 5pm Travelers Rest 25 Saw Mill River Road Ossining, NY 10562 Chris Long, 914-260-8571 pres@nyashi.com

East Tennessee

Southern New Jersey (NJ)

Ray Baird, 615-516-5511 bairdr@comcast.net

www.southernnjashi.com Third Wednesday, 6:30 pm Ramada Inn, Bordentown Rick Lobley, 609-208-9798 rick@doublecheckhi.com

Western New York Second Thursday, 6:30 pm Tony Rome’s, West Seneca Andy Utnik, 716-636-9676 esimail@aol.com

MID-ATLANTIC Central Virginia

www.cvashi.org Second Tuesday, 6:30 pm Keegan’s Irish Pub 2251 Old Brick Road Glen Allen, VA 23060 John Cranor 804-873-8537 cranorinspectionservices @gmail.com

Hampton Roads (VA) Second Thursday, 7 pm, Cypress Point Country Club, Virginia Beach Gregory Murphy, 757-535-4355 gmurphy@coastalinspect.com

www.etashi.org Third Saturday of Feb., May, Aug. and Nov. Paul Perry, 866-522-7708 cio@frontiernet.net

Mid-Tennessee

Mid-South (TN) Steven Campbell, 901-734-0555 steve@memphisinspections.com

North Carolina

www.ncashi.com Meeting TBA Andy Hilton, 336-682-2197 hiltonhomeinspection@gmail.com

South Carolina First Saturday of Feb., May, Aug. & Nov., 8 am Roger Herdt, 843-669-3757 herdtworks@msn.com

GULF ASHI South (AL)

www.ashisouth.org Quarterly, Homewood Library Homewood John Knudsen, 334-221-0876 jgknudsen111@gmail.com

Florida Wiregrass

Gulfcoast (FL) First Thursday, 7 pm, The Forest Country Club, Fort Myers Len Gluckstal, 239-432-0178 goldenrulehi@comcast.net

Lone Star (TX)

www.ashitexas.org Bud Rozell, 214-215-4961 goodhomeinspection@att.net

Louisiana Quarterly Meetings Michael Burroughs 318-324-0661 Mburroughs2@comcast.net

Suncoast (FL)

www.ashisuncoast.com First Tuesday, 6:30 pm; Please see our website for meeting locations.

Steve Acker, 727-712-3089 buyersally@gmail.com

Southwest Florida

www.swashi.com Serving Manatee, Sarasota & Charlotte Second Wednesday, 6 pm Holiday Inn, Lakewood Ranch 6321 Lake Osprey Drive, Sarasota Michael Conley, 941-778-2385 FLinspector@outlookcom

CANADA Home Inspectors Association BC

www.hiabc.ca Sean Moss, 604-729-4261 sean@homeinspectorsean.com

CAHPI Atlantic

www.cahpi-alt.com Lawrence Englehart 902-403-2460 inspections@eastlink.ca

CAHPI Ontario

www.oahi.com Rob Cornish, 613-858-5000 robc@homexam.ca

Alberta Professional Home Inspectors (APHIS) www.aphis.ca Meetings held 3 times a year Alan Fisher, 403-248-6893 admin@aphis.com

Quebec AIBQ

www.aibq.qc.ca Pascal Baudaux, 450-629-2038 info@almoinspection.ca

www.ashiwiregrass.org Second Wednesday, 6:30 pm Sleep Inn Hotel, Wesley Chapel Nancy Janosz, 813-546-6090 ProTeamInsp@aol.com

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ASHI CHAPTER EDUCATION Northern New England Chapter Winter Educational Seminar When: January 18, 2018 Location: Puritan Backroom Manchester, NH Topics: Standards of Practice & LiftMaster presentation CEUs: 7 ASHI CEs

NC ASHI Educational Event When: January 26-27, 2018 Location: Tar Heel Basement Systems Winston-Salem, NC CEUs: Earn 16 NCs & 16 ASHI CEs Topics: ASHI Standard Deck Inspections, Predrywall Inspections & the North Carolina Mandatory class Contact: Bruce Barker, bruce@dreamhomeconsultants.com

St. Louis ASHI Chapter When: January 29-31, 2018 Location: Electrical Connection, 3620 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, MO Topics: FAA Remote Pilot Ground School CEUs: 24 CE hours Contact: Paul MacNeill, paul.appleinspections@gmail.com When: May 4, 2018 Topics: Annual Peer Review CEUs: 5 ASHI CE hours Contact: Mark Goodman, mark@homeinspectstl.com When: June 12, 2018 Topics: CertainTeed Roofing Manufacturing facility tour CEUs: 4 ASHI CE hours Contact: Mark Goodman, mark@homeinspectstl.com

NOVA ASHI Chapter 2018 Spring Seminar When: April 11-12, 2018 Location: Waterford at Fair Oaks, 12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax, VA 22033 Topics: Building Science Fundamentals CEUs: 15 ASHI CEs Contact: Dave Rushton, 540-660-2403

IMPORTANT REPORTER DEADLINES: • MARCH 2018 ISSUE -1/7/18 • APRIL 2018 ISSUE -2/7/18 • MAY 2018 ISSUE -3/7/18 • JUNE 2018 ISSUE -4/7/18 • JULY 2018 ISSUE -5/7/18 The Reporter is produced 6-8 weeks ahead of the week it arrives in your mailbox.

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ASHI Reporter • January 2018

ASHI Central PA Chapter Spring Education Seminar When: March 3, 2018 Location: Radisson Harrisburg West, Mechanicsburg, PA Topics: Report Writing, PA Liscensing, Mold & Asbestos, Drone Regulations and Foundation Problems CEUs: 8 ASHI CEs Contact: pwreilly@comcast.net

ASHI Western Washington Chapter 2018 Spring Seminar When: March 17, 2018 Location: Courtyard by Marriott, Downtown Everett Topics: Fiber Cement Siding and New House Inspection CEUs: 6 ASHI CEs Contact: joanne.ashiww@gmail.com

May 23-26, 2018 Los Angeles/Ventura County Chapter AND San Diego County JOINT CREIA & ASHI CHAPTER Level-1 Thermography Certification Class Taught by Mr. Bill Fabian of Monroe Infrared.

Presented at the Downey, CA, Board of Realtors Conference Room.

Registration information TBA.

To have your chapter seminar listed here, email all information about your chapter seminar to: micheleg@ashi.org.

BE SURE TO INCLUDE ALL INFORMATION: seminar subject, when, where, CEUs & a link for more information or contact information.

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35January 2018

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35

SEE YOU IN SUNNY ORLANDO!

By Jennifer Gallegos, ASHI Membership Services Manager

GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR INSPECTION REPORTS IN PERSON

H

appy New Year, everyone! We hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. We are grateful to have you as part of our ASHI family and we hope that you enjoyed receiving a little gift from ASHI in the mail.

Now that the holiday season is over, here at headquarters, we are hustling to get the final items prepared for our annual conference, InspectionWorld® 2018, which is being held in sunny Orlando, Florida.

We are so excited for this IW and we can’t wait to see you all there!

While at IW®, you should…

MEET THE ASHI STAFF First of all, stop by the ASHI booth and meet the team members who answer your calls and emails! Michal, Janet, George and myself will be there to meet you face to face and answer your questions. ASHI Executive Director Frank Lesh will be there, too, as will some of our board members, including the ASHI President! Please plan to stop by for a meet and greet—we all enjoy getting to know our members.

GET YOUR INSPECTION REPORTS VERIFIED IN PERSON Dr. Jim Johnson, one of ASHI’s top verifiers, also will be at our booth.

He will be able to answer any questions regarding your submissions for verification. Dr. Johnson also will do verifications of reports and go over the results with you in person. If you’d like to take advantage of this great opportunity, please just make sure to bring your thumb drive loaded with five reports.

• Each report should be from an inspection done in a different month, if possible.

• The reports must be from inspections of residential homes.

You can submit your reports on the verification portal on ASHI’s website to make the process easier and faster. Be sure to submit your reports by the week before IW. Also, contact Janet George at Janetg@ashi.org to let her know that you will be attending IW, and that you would like Dr. Johnson to verify your reports and go over the results with you.

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ASHI Reporter • January 2018

Are you a new home inspector and want some guidance or feedback on your reports? Bring three reports with you on a thumb drive and sign up to have Dr. Johnson review them. He can provide you with valuable information and get you on the track to success.

ATTEND THE MULTI-INSPECTOR COMPANY MEETING Some meetings are especially important for members to attend.

Owners of multi-inspector companies, this means you! Please join us Tuesday, January 23, 2018, at 9:30 am, to discuss items regarding multi-inspector companies. Janet George and I will be there to clarify procedures and answer your questions.

MEET THE ASHI FAMILY If this is your first time at an InspectionWorld® or if you are a new member of ASHI, we invite you to join us Sunday, January 21, 2018, at 3:00 pm in Bonaire 1 & 2 for the “Welcome to ASHI” event.

Incoming ASHI President Tim Buell and Executive Director Frank Lesh and many others (including myself) will be waiting to cordially welcome you to our ASHI family. This will also be a great opportunity to network with others who may be new to ASHI, just like you.

There is so much to do at IW and it’s all worthwhile! If you haven’t registered yet, it might not be too late. Visit our website at www.homeinspector.org and click on the InspectionWorld® tab at the top of the page.

Please Note: In preparation for IW, the majority of ASHI staff members will be out of the office from January 19 to January 28. We ask for your patience and understanding. Thank you!

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MBERSHIP EFIT E LOGO DESIGN

DREDS OF ASHI Member access M B I NFREE A T O sessions.

NS to pastI IW 1. Go to www.ASHI.org 2. Under Education & Training 3. Click on:

CURRENT ASHI MEMBERSHIP ASHI Certified Inspectors: 3,290 Inspectors: 204 Associates: 3,864 Retired Members: 116 Affiliates: 84

Janu Anni ary versa ries

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Total: 7,558 Members as of 12/8/2017

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ASHI ONLINE LEARNING CENTER

Forty Years

Ten Years

Gerald Loesch

S. Craig Lemmon Curtis Carlisle Raymond Perron Raymond Perryman Mike Tomash Randy Moya John Capodice Ron Futrell Arthur Hankins Brad Phillips George Sharrett Roger Herdt Randy Iverson

Thirty-five Years Bruce Schaefer

Thirty Years Brad Albin Matthew Bezanson Paul Duhamel Gerard Gavin Ronald W. Gower William Kibbel III Fred Klein Chris Kyrgos Anthony Shupenko Greg Spencer Dean Uhler Jerome Valenti Richard Malin

Twenty-five Years Timothy Clark Clarence Sisco

Twenty Years Keith Cook Michael Hoberecht Mike King Mike Matson Pete Wilson

Fifteen Years Mac Barlow Alan Beal Michael Bell David Brower Paul Euga Dan Hicks Peter Jung Burkhard Karr Jr. David Macy Corey Mann Edward Neyland Joe Pangborn Jon Rudolph Matthew Seiple Charlie Sessums David Thomson Jr.

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ASHI Reporter • January 2018

Five Years Ian McNaught Kevin Dougherty Keith Rice Thomas Lemieux Howard Altman John Casasanto Robert Clevenger Steve Cross Edward Griffith Shannon Pettit Mitchell Allen David Kidston Dickie Garnett Beau Petrone Roberto Zorzan Eric Davis Christopher Lopez

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39

Chapter Spotlight

Chapter Education at the Northern Illinois Chapter of ASHI (NIC ASHI)

By Jeremy Meek, ACI, BPI,Discovery Inspection Services, www.DiscoveryInspector.com, 630-854-2454

W

hy do we, as inspectors, take time away from growing and managing our businesses to volunteer or be a member of an ASHI chapter?

Because it’s worth every second of commitment and time to learn. Because we are able to form valuable relationships with allied inspectors and gain up-to-the-minute education needed to become among the best inspectors and business owners in our markets.

At the Northern Illinois Chapter of ASHI (NIC ASHI), we do our best to keep our education offerings relevant and engaging every month so that our chapter members keep coming back for more.

NIC ASHI has been blessed with some very committed and creative education chairs during the last few years. In addition, our board is always actively in search of new contacts, including architects, engineers, product distributors, designers and skilled tradespeople, who can present information at our meetings. Every few months, we brainstorm ideas for topics, speakers and events, and then our education chair gets to work filling the schedule for the next three to six months.

At most meetings, we present two topics, so that means we often need to book two speakers. Generally, we invite a presenter to discuss a specialty or a general knowledge topic before dinner, and another presenter to discuss a technical or advanced knowledge topic for the evening’s main presentation.

In addition to presentations at our regular meetings, we also organize special continuing education (CE) events and opportunities like these:

NIC ASHI meets every second Wednesday of the month at Allegra Banquets in Villa Park, IL. Our doors are always open to ASHI inspectors and affiliates, so if you’d like to receive notifications of our meetings, please contact me at Jeremy@DiscoveryInspector.com. You also can keep track of us at www.NICASHI.com.

• visits to places such as UL Laboratories, structural engineering or FEMA test labs

Recent and upcoming education topics to be presented at NIC-ASHI meetings:

• hands-on building projects and on-site commercial workshops

• Approaches to crawl space encapsulation (Crawlspaces.com)

• visits to manufacturing plants that produce building components like windows and doors

• Boiler systems and inspections (Weil-McClain) • FHA inspections (chapter member)

Recently we coordinated a two-day, FAA sUAS (drone) training class and offered the class at a reduced rate to our members.

• Electrical system installation and defects (master electrician)

Also, in an effort to encourage and mentor our chapter’s newest inspectors, we have an active ride-along program. To participate, new inspectors can arrange times to go on inspections with experienced inspectors. This program helps improve relationships between new and seasoned inspectors, and it even helps us retain our new chapter members.

• Infrared thermal imaging diagnosis

As proud as I am of NIC ASHI and our members, there are always challenges. All chapter leaders get discouraged from time to time. Sometimes a speaker falls short of our expectations or cancels at the last minute, or a vendor presentation turns into a hard sales pitch (which always results in complaints from our members).

To address these issues, we brief our speakers before they attend our meetings so that they understand the role of the inspector as it relates to their topic or product, and we encourage them to focus their presentations with this information in mind. In addition, we keep a few member-prepared presentations in our “back pocket” for last-minute changes or cancellations. We continue to learn from our mistakes as well as our successes, and we do our best to make improvements along the way that strengthen the quality of our education offerings.

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We have more than 100 active members (108 at our last official count), and approximately 500 inspectors and affiliates on our mailing list.

Our regular meetings typically attract 40 to 50 inspectors, and CE-focused events can attract between 50 and 75 inspectors. Depending on the venue or class-size limitations, we attract between 10 and 75 inspectors to our off-site educational events and classes.

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

• Joint meeting with National Association of the Remodeling Industry on social media marketing, and managing moisture in residential applications (DuPont)

• Chimney, fireplace, chimney and stove inspections • Field trip to ClimateGuard Windows Factory • State Farm Insurance, CLUE reports and homeowner’s insurance • Firestone roofing presentation • Claims and risk management • Structural concerns in construction for home inspectors (structural engineer) • Residential solar panel systems Jeremy Meek, ACI, Discovery Inspection Services, Oswego, IL. Jeremy is a 2011 graduate of The ASHI School and President of NIC ASHI. He has served on the executive board of NIC ASHI since 2013.

40

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41January 2018

• www.ASHIReporter.org

41

Postcards from the Field

NEW POSTCARDS EMAIL!! Please send your name, city, state, photos, headings & captions to: postcards@ashi.org Note: By sending in your postcard(s), you are expressly granting ASHI the right to use the postcard and your name with it in the ASHI REPORTER and in other publications ASHI may select.

Termite Mudded & Ready to Paint

Aarone Mayer House Warming Home Inpections St. Louis, MO

Aarone Mayer House Warming Home Inpections St. Louis, MO

Speaking of Termites...

At Least it was Type-M Copper

Matt Steger WIN Home Inspection Elizabethtown, PA

Owner says: “Never had a Leak”

Randy Sipe Family Home Inspections Springville, KS

42

ASHI Reporter • January 2018 ASHI Reporter • January 2018

Demolition by Termite

Barry Young BSR Home Inspection, LLC Cookeville, TN

Heated Attic

Randy Sipe Family Home Inspections Springville, KS

January 2018 • www.ASHIReporter.org

43

Postcards from the Field

NEW POSTCARDS EMAIL!! Please send your name, city, state, photos, headings & captions to: postcards@ashi.org Note: By sending in your postcard(s), you are expressly granting ASHI the right to use the postcard and your name with it in the ASHI REPORTER and in other publications ASHI may select.

“Powered” Door

Dan Hagman ProSite Home Inspections Pleasant Hill , IA

Blowdry Your Hair While Cooking!

Jeremy Provan Pro Vantage Home Inspections Columbia, MD

John Gamache Capstone Home Inspection Service Escondido, CA

For “Schockingly” Clean Dishes

John Pescatore All Through The House, LLC New Egypt, NJ

44

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

How About a Matchbook Shim?

John Gamache Capstone Home Inspection Service Escondido, CA

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45

ON MY MIND

FROM VEGAS TO ORLANDO AND A LOT OF MEETINGS IN BETWEEN… A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF AN ASHI PRESIDENT

By ASHI President, Howie Pegelow

W

ell, it is hard to believe that a whole year has passed. Yes, just 12 months ago in Las Vegas, I stood on a stage and took an oath to lead our great society.

So, let’s see what’s been accomplished. We made or strengthened alliances with several other home inspection organizations. To better understand these relationships, we formed a task force with the sole purpose of bringing the alliances together, and to offer ASHI’s assistance in the respective needs of other organizations and to advance ASHI’s interests.

We established a working relationship with a Fortune 500 company and to fit its need for specialized residential inspections, we trained ASHI members and assigned them work in several states. Needless to say, this relationship has been important to us and it has brought in more than $80,000 to ASHI’s general funds.

We provided representation to the Canadian Association of Professional Home Inspectors (CAPHI) last fall. We developed a working agreement and established avenues for open dialogue within several Canadian provinces.

Our lobbyist, Randy Pence, continued to work hard on behalf of ASHI with several federal agencies in Washington, D.C., and many members and chairs of Legislation Committees from various ASHI chapters continued to monitor and report on state legislation.

Established programs such as Chapter Development and Member Development continued to be most beneficial for the growth of our chapters, and awareness about ASHI’s programs and activities among our newest members.

As we developed plans for the future, the AEI and ASHI boards decided to separate The ASHI School, making it a governance model and retaining Executive Director Russell Daniels. His duties will be to establish viable programs of profitability for The ASHI School and thus for ASHI. 46

ASHI Reporter • January 2018

ASHI Executive Director Frank Lesh and the ASHI staff continued to work most diligently for the betterment of ASHI and you, the membership.

In closing, I sincerely thank both incoming ASHI President Tim Buell and outgoing Past-President Randy Sipe for the assistance and guidance they provided me in the operation of ASHI. I also thank Frank Lesh and the ASHI staff for providing services to our members, so justly deserved. I thank Carol Dikelsky, Reporter copy editor, for taking these articles from very rough draft to finish. I thank the ASHI Board of Directors and the members of the Council of Representatives for their professionalism in handling the affairs of ASHI. Lastly, I thank each of you for electing me to the position of President of the greatest home inspection organization.

THANK YOU.

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ASHI Reporter • January 2018