January 2019 Reporter

ASHI

1.19

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

EXPERIENCE ® INSPECTIONWORLD P14

REPORT WRITING MADE EASIER:

USING THE RIGHT WORDS FOR HOME INSPECTIONS

By Keith Swift P8

MARKETING FOCUS

THE REAL VALUE OF VALUE-ADDED SERVICES TO BECOME A TRUE ONE-STOP SHOP

By Christopher Casey P20

TECHNICAL FOCUS ACCURATE AND COMPLETE: CAN A HOME INSPECTION MEET THAT STANDARD?

By Gil Hendrickson, ACI P32

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

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ASHI

1.19

REPORTER

January 2019

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FEATURES 6 M ANAGING RISK

Claim 5: Plumbing

By InspectorPro Insurance

Vol. 36, #1

8 Report Writing Made Easier:

Using the Right Words for Home Inspections

By Keith Swift, PhD

10 HES UPDATE:

Scoring to Win

By ASHI Staff

12 Gaps in the Roof Deck (Asphalt Shingles)

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

HowToOperateYourHome.com

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14

14 Getting the Most Out of Your

InspectionWorld® Experience

By Dave Kogan, Director of Marketing, ASHI

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Marketing Focus

The Real Value of Value-Added Services

to Become a True One-Stop Shop

By Christopher Casey, President and CEO, Monroe Infrared

28 Are These Violations of the ASHI Code of Ethics?

By Jamison Brown, ASHI Ethics Committee Chair

32

20

Technical Focus

Accurate and Complete:

Can a Home Inspection Meet That Standard?

By Gil Hendrickson, ACI

DEPARTMENTS

36

36 Two Inspectors, Two Mentors…

Stories From the Women of ASHI

By ASHI Staff

40 Postcards From the Field

It’s Wacky Out There

By Tim Buell

44 On My Mind: Thank You 46 Attending IW San Diego?

Here’s a Checklist of Must-dos at the Conference

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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

A S H I M I S SIO N STATEM EN T 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 Tim Buell, President Marysville, OH, 614-746-7485 tim.buell@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

DIRECTORS Bronson Anderson 2018-2020 Waynesboro, VA, 540-932-7557 2inspect4u@gmail.com

Darrell Hay 2018-2019 Snohomish, WA, 206-226-3205 darrell@safesoundhome.com

Eric Barker 2018-2020 Lake Barrington, IL, 847-408-7238 ebarker@morainewoods.com

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

Bob Sisson 2018-2020 Shannon Cory 2018-2020 Boyds MD, 301-208-8289 Fayetteville, GA, 770-461-3408 shannon@rainbowhomeinspections.com Office@inspectionsbybob.com James J. Funkhouser 2017-2019 Manassas Park, VA, 571-214-4039 jfunkhousr@aol.com

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

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

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

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

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

Skip Walker 2018-2019 San Bruno, CA, 650-873-4224 homeinspection@sanbrunocable.com

Publisher: James Thomas 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 847-299-2505 (fax) Reporter only Email: jamest@ashi.org Advertising: Dave Kogan Phone: 847-954-3187, Email: davek@ashi.org

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© 2018, 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 Reporter • JANUARY 2019

ASHI STAFF Main Phone: 847-759-2820, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Mon. - Fri., CST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR James Thomas, Executive Director, 847-954-3182, jamest@ashi.org Bonnie Bruno-Castaneda, Executive Assistant, Human Resources & 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 & 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 Project Coordinator 847-954-3180, janetg@ashi.org George Herrera, Membership Services Coordinator 847-954-3196, georgeh@ashi.org Michael Krauszowski, Membership Services Administrator 847-954-3175, Michaelk@ashi.org Gaby Nava, Membership Services Administrator 847-954-3176, Gabyn@ashi.org ACCOUNTING Toni Fanizza, Accounting, Purchasing & Human Resources Manager 847-954-3190, tonif@ashi.org Beverly Canham, Financial Assistant, 847-954-3184 beverlyc@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, 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 George Ilavsky, Graphic Designer & Free Logos, “ASHI Reporter” Assistant Art Director, georgei@ashi.org THE ASHI SCHOOL Michelle Santiago, Education Manager, 847-954-3198 Michelle@theashischool.com Janna Grosso, Education Coordinator, 847-954-3181 jgrosso@theashischool.com Rhonda Robinett, Marketing and Communications Specialist (847) 954-3194 Rhonda@theashischool.com

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5

Managing Risk

Managing Risk

Claim 5: Plumbing

By InspectorPro Insurance

Note: The Managing Risk column reviews the most common allegations in the industry and provides tips to make inspectors better equipped to prevent claims.

Last fall, one of our home inspectors received a claim alleging that he failed to identify the existence of polybutylene pipes during his inspection of a condominium two months earlier. The property did, in fact, have polybutylene pipes. However, the pipes were located in the attic, which was not included within the scope of the inspection.

Despite the attic’s exclusion, which was noted in both the Standard of Practice and the inspection report, the client persisted. According to their attorney’s letter, another inspector had inspected the condo on behalf of another prospective buyer and discovered the polybutylene pipes, which led to that prospective buyer rescinding their offer. If another home inspector could discover the polybutylene pipes, argued the client’s attorney, then our home inspector “should have known to check” for the polybutylene pipes in the attic, too.

Our home inspector’s client accused him of negligence and breach of reasonable care. The client’s attorney called for our home inspector to pay to replace the polybutylene pipes, including the cost to repair whatever walls were demolished in order to replace the pipes. The initial demand: more than $17,000.

WHY ARE PLUMBING CLAIMS SO COMMON?

Not to be confused with septic, sewer and waste issues, plumbing problems like the one in this example are the fifth most common type of claim against home inspectors. Most often, plumbing claims result from one of two issues: misidentification or leaks.

Misidentification occurs when the home inspector incorrectly classifies the pipes in the home. Some plumbing types are more durable, whereas others are more susceptible to corrosion or bursts. Thus, clients are likely to desire certain types of plumbing over others and to be upset if the pipes are mislabeled. Failure to identify the correct type of plumbing, too, may lead to improper care or maintenance, causing issues later on.

Because plumbing types can vary throughout the home and most plumbing is out of sight, correct piping classification can be difficult.

Leaks, too, can be hard to spot, because most drainpipes are hidden from view. In addition, poor client expectations can lead to claims alleging negligence when the inspector was simply abiding by their Standard of Practice.

Since plumbing replacement costs several thousands of dollars and needs immediate attention, it’s no wonder why clients often demand inspectors foot the bill. And if the leak or misidentification leads to water damage, the cost can increase exponentially.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

WHAT CAN INSPECTORS DO? As with all claims prevention, it’s important to have a thorough preinspection agreement (https://www.inspectorproinsurance.com/risk_ management/why-pre-inspection-agreement/?utm_source=ASHI%20 Reporter&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=Claim%205) and inspection report (with pictures!). However, to avoid plumbing claims specifically, there are certain elements you should draw particular attention to during your inspection and in your inspection report.

Define the inspection: Because most homebuyers don’t have the time or the forethought to research the inspection process ahead of time, it’s important for you to provide them with some basic information.

By defining a home inspection for your client, you can make sure they understand your responsibility. In so doing, you decrease the likelihood of receiving a claim for something outside of your scope, like identifying plumbing that’s obstructed from view.

WHEN DEFINING A HOME INSPECTION, CONSIDER ADDRESSING THE FOLLOWING: • A home inspection is a visual examination of the home’s physical structure and systems. Because you can only inspect what you can see, you cannot account for anything hidden from view, such as things obstructed by furniture or personal belongings and things behind walls or below ground.

• A home inspection is a snapshot in time. The defects you find during your inspection are the ones that were present at the time of the inspection. While you will do your best to identify potential future problems and suggest preventive measures, the client will experience future issues in the house that your inspection cannot predict.

• Home inspections are not code inspections. Although many home defects have roots in code compliance, you don’t enforce building code.

Being their primary source for their inspection expectations ensures that your clients understand your services. Thus, they’re less likely to rely on information from another inspector or a real estate professional who may offer different inspection types or inspect under different standards.

Managing Risk

Remember, it’s your responsibility to know what inspection standards are appropriate for your area. Be sure to review the ASHI Standard of Practice (SOP) (http://www.homeinspector.org/Standards-of-Practice) and your state’s requirements to make sure you’re compliant.

Know your pipes: Because defining piping materials is part of the ASHI SOP, it’s important to be able to recognize different piping types when you see them. Some key clues to assist in plumbing identification include: • MATERIAL, SUCH AS METAL OR PLASTIC • COLOR • PIPE DIAMETER • MARKINGS, SUCH AS “PB2110” ON POLYBUTYLENE (PB) PIPES • LOCATION • WHEN THE HOME WAS BUILT To learn more about identifying pipes, read Bruce Barker’s article “Plumbing Pipes,” in the February 2015 issue of the ASHI Reporter (http://www.ashireporter.org/HomeInspection/Articles/Plumbing-Pipes/14864).

Use technology: As with water damage claims, you are more likely to spot a leak if you use technology. An infrared (IR) camera can help you find leaks that may not be visible to the naked eye. A particularly good time to use a thermal imaging camera is when testing drains.

After using an IR camera to find suspected areas of water damage caused by a plumbing problem, you can use a moisture meter to confirm.

The moisture meter assists to verify that moisture is, in fact, present.

Protect yourself from claims: After establishing that the home has plumbing issues, it’s important to accurately communicate your findings to the client. Inspectors recommend emphasizing the limitations of an inspection and explaining your findings in terms the client can understand.

EVEN IF YOU DO EVERYTHING RIGHT, YOU CAN STILL GET A PLUMBING CLAIM. JUST TAKE IT FROM OUR HOME INSPECTOR IN THE EXAMPLE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS ARTICLE. After receiving the attorney’s letter, our inspector contacted our claims team, who worked with him to resolve the claim. Our team drafted a Denial of Liability letter to the claimant and their attorney, citing excerpts from the ASHI Standard of Practice, the inspection agreement and the inspection report to prove that the inspector wasn’t liable for the polybutylene pipes in the attic. The client then dropped their claim against our inspector.

It’s essential to carry errors and omissions insurance (E&O) for defense and payout help. Contact your InspectorPro broker or submit an application (https://www.inspectorproinsurance.com/application/?utm_source=ASHI%20 Reporter&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=Claim%205) with us to receive a quote at no obligation.

UP NEXT MONTH: STRUCTURAL DAMAGE

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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Report Writing

GRAMM

EXPOS DESCRIPTIVE WRIT REPORT WRITING MADE EASIER: USING THE RIGHT WORDS FOR HOME INSPECTIONS Keith Swift, PhD

Keith Swift was born and raised in England, and after traveling through the Mideast and the Far East, he immigrated to the United States. He earned a doctorate in 1982 with a dissertation on the work of W.S. Merwin, who was appointed poet laureate in 2010. After teaching at California State University for a few years, Keith obtained a general contractor’s license, together with a certification in asbestos, and embarked on a career as a residential and commercial building inspector until retiring in 2016. He enjoys reading and writing and working with his hands, and sharing what he has learned with others.

More than 30 years ago, when I was teaching freshman English, it was reported that 27 million American adults were illiterate, a fact somewhat related to the development of media and its effect on human consciousness. It seems that people who grew up with the spatial medium of television are not likely to write as easily as those who grew up with the linear medium of books and newspapers. It’s an interesting theory and perhaps a comfort to those who blame themselves for not being able to write easily. Before we talk about writing, let’s talk about language—specifically, words and their meanings.

Words have different meanings, known as denotations and connotations. Denotations are the meanings found in dictionaries, and connotations are meanings that attach themselves to words and come and go through usage. We might say something is “cool,” for instance, by which we mean it’s “impressive” and has nothing to do with temperature.

There are also two different types of words—concrete and abstract.

To distinguish between them, remember that concrete words name things that can be experienced with the senses, like “bell,” “book” and “candle,” whereas abstract words like “love,” “hate,” “truth” and “justice” cannot.

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

Many inspectors learned their trade by working in construction or with their hands. They often are described as being handy, but being handy is not much help when it comes to writing. There are different types of writing, but the general aim is to communicate efficiently. “Communication” comes from a word that means “to share,” and sharing is what good writing is all about. The following three examples of writing have nothing to do with home inspection, but they illustrate my point.

The first is from an essay by John D. Stewart called “Vulture Country”: The eagles, buzzards, kites, and falcon are already on the wing, quartering the plain fast and low, seeking reptiles and small game. But the vulture sits on a crag and waits. He sees the sun bound up out of the sierra, and still he waits. He waits until the sun-struck rocks and the hard earth heat up and the thermal currents begin to rise. When the upstream is strong enough, he leaps out from the cliff, twists into it and without one laborious wingbeat, spirals and soars.

ITORY WRITING ING

The word “disaster” is even more interesting. Once again, break it into “dis” (a prefix meaning something that’s bad or negative) and the Latin word “aster” (meaning “stars”). Thus, a disaster can be understood as “bad stars” and confirm an ancient belief in astrology.

Similarly, when we eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, we might be reminded that we’re being nourished by the harvest of the ancient earth goddess Ceres. I’m sharing this to show that words can be interesting and powerful, and that concrete words are typically more interesting than abstract ones.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

The hardest weather in the world is there. Winter brings blizzards, hot tornadic winds arise in the spring, and in the summer the prairie is an anvil’s edge. The grass turns brittle and brown, and it cracks beneath your feet. There are green belts along the rivers and creeks, linear groves of hickory and pecan, willow and witch hazel. At a distance in July or August the steaming foliage seems almost to writhe in fire. Great green and yellow grasshoppers are everywhere in the tall grass, popping up like corn to sting the flesh, and tortoises crawl about on the red earth in the plenty of time.

AR

Because speech preceded writing, all words were once concrete. In fact, concrete words can be found at the root of many abstract words. Take the abstract word “repair,” for instance. If you break it into two parts, you get “re” (meaning to go back to) and “pair” (which comes from the Latin word “patria,” meaning “father”). So, to repair something means to restore it to its original state.

There is much to admire in these sentences, but notice the concrete words and how the sentences act in the same way as the vulture and make us “wait” until the moment it leaps from the cliff and soars.

This is an example of descriptive writing at its best. Here’s another fine example, taken from an essay by N. Scott Momaday, titled “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” which describes lands in Oklahoma sacred to the Kiowa.

MAR

Report Writing

SITORY WRITING TING Once again, the sentences are rich in concrete words and details, and I’m confident that you understood them even if you weren’t interested in the topic. However, I’m equally confident that you won’t understand the next example. I certainly don’t. It was written by a professor and quoted in George Orwell’s famous essay “Politics and the English Language.”

On the one side we have free personality: by definition it is not neurotic, for it has neither conflict nor dream. Its desires, such as they are, are transparent, for they are just what institutional approval keeps in the forefront of consciousness; another institutional pattern would alter their number and intensity; there is little in them that is natural, irreducible, or culturally dangerous.

But on the other side, the social bond itself is nothing but the mutual reflection of these self-secure integrities.

I don’t know how you feel about this example, but one can only guess what he’s trying to teach because it’s a clutter of pompous and abstract words that babble on in search of meaning. The professor’s prose is immortalized as bad writing.

GRAMMAR

Something that can be equally dull and confusing is grammar. In traditional grammar, we distinguish between two “voices”—active and passive. Here’s an example—the first sentence is written in active voice; the second sentence in passive voice.

Trees lined the street. The street was lined with trees.

Both sentences are examples of expository writing, or writing that’s intended to convey information efficiently and without necessarily evoking emotion, in contrast to the previous descriptive writing examples. Although such distinctions are somewhat arbitrary, expository writing is what we’re interested in as home inspectors.

In accordance with the terms of our contract, the service recommendations made in this report should be completed within the contingency period by licensed specialists who may well identify additional defects or recommend upgrades that could affect your evaluation of the property and its components.

Here’s another quasi-legal statement that I took from another inspector’s contract.

Consultant does not turn on, or otherwise cause to [be] activated, any gas–fueled utility, nor light gas-pilots or activate any gas-fueled appliance not functionally in service at the time of observation.

With the exception of the word “be,” which was missing and I added within brackets, this sentence is exactly as it appears in his contract.

I wonder what he means by “not functionally in service at the time of observation”? You don’t have to decide, because the whole thing is bloated nonsense that I wrote about many years ago in my book Inspect and Protect (available at www.lulu.com). This is an excerpt of what I said: What does he mean? Perhaps he wants to say: “If the gas is off, I won’t turn it on or light pilots.” And if that’s what he wanted to say, why didn’t he just say it?

Getting back to our main subject of using the right language, consider the following six rules in George Orwell’s famous essay, “Politics and the English Language.”

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

EXPO ESCRIPTIVE WRI Consider how the active and the passive voice are formed. In the sentence using passive voice, the subject (“trees”) has changed places with the object (“street”). You can recognize a passive sentence by noticing if it employs a form of the verb “to be”—in this case, “was” with the past participle “lined.” The active sentence is shorter and more vigorous, and that’s what you should remember. Just try to be direct and write as simply as possible. Staying on the topic of grammar—specifically, parts of speech—it’s worth remembering that the power of an English sentence is in the verb, and verbs are action words, like “run,” “walk,” “jump,” and “swim.”

EXPOSITORY WRITING

Okay, let’s move on from grammar—its rules were not made in heaven, the best writers often violate them, and it can be really dull. Instead, let’s look at more examples of expository writing (as opposed to descriptive writing) related to the home inspection industry. The example that follows is a quasi-legal statement full of fancy abstract words that appeared on the first page of my reports when I was doing inspections.

Its purpose was to protect me from scoundrels. You are welcome to use any or all of it in your own reports.

4. Never use the passive when you can use the active.

5. Never use a foreign word or phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

6. B reak any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Orwell’s essay was written more than 70 years ago and parts of it are dated, but it taught me something about human nature as well as language. “The great enemy of clear language,” he says, is “insincerity.”

Considering the clause in the inspector’s contract for a moment longer, no one will ever convince me that he’s being sincere. Similarly, no one will ever convince me that the average summons and complaint that accompany a lawsuit are written with a sincere desire to communicate openly and honestly.

In upcoming articles, I’ll talk more about words used in the inspection industry and in lawsuits. In the meantime, if you want to chat about the industry, I am a retired home inspector with time on my hands. I can be reached by email at keithswift2@gmail. com or by phone at 208-916-8263.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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HOME ENERGY SCORE UPDATE

SCORING TO WIN

By ASHI Staff

A MAJOR HOME INSPECTION FRANCHISOR JUMPS INTO THE HOME ENERGY SCORE FRAY

T

he Home Energy Score (HES) team is announcing this month that one of the nation’s leading home inspection firms, WIN Home Inspection, is joining forces with the rapidly expanding industry initiative. Readers of this column are well aware of the strides that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program has made in our industry over the last few years: • Droves of single operators around the country have made the HES a significant and profitable addition to their businesses.

• Several key industry players have signed on as enthusiastic supporters on behalf of their inspector clients.

• We are witnessing a major surge in policy initiatives around the country that are encouraging—and in many cases, requiring—the Score to be delivered to homebuyers as a “nudge” for the market toward providing critical energy- and budget-related information to buyers when they need it most.

Our partners at the HES program told us recently that, as proud as they are about such progress within the inspection industry, there’s something that seems pivotal in being embraced by a leading inspection firm, something that signals a new level of industry validation.

Joan Glickman, Program Manager of the Residential Building Integration initiative at the DOE, has been with the Home Energy Score since its earliest days. “We’re so proud to be at a point where the most successful actors in the inspection industry are seeing value in what the Score provides,” she told us recently. “Home inspectors are in a better position than anybody to build business with this tool, and to think that we are now in the mainstream within this critical industry is beyond thrilling.”

EARLY ADOPTION FOR THE WIN With nearly 200 locations in 33 states, WIN Home Inspection is a major player in the industry—a distinction they emphatically did not earn by taking reckless gambles on the services they make available to their franchisees, a team known to WIN as “strategic partners.”

Careful observers of our ever-evolving industry, WIN’s leadership team takes a rigorous approach to signing on with new products that will serve their strategic partners by enabling them to deliver a superior inspection service to their clients, a group for WIN that includes homebuyers and real estate professionals alike.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

Pat Knight, Director of Training and Licensing for WIN, describes the decision to incorporate the HES as a natural outgrowth of WIN’s business development philosophy, a mission that focuses both on practical impact and inclusive decision-making. He said, “We want to stay on the leading edge of the industry, but not the bleeding edge. We get bombarded by opportunities to expand our inspector services, but it’s not often that a service comes along that so clearly meets the goal of doing better for our strategic partners by letting them more fully serve their own customers.”

These decisions don’t come down to WIN’s strategic partners from on high, either, but rather, they are the outcome of bringing inspectors to the table to make sure it’s the right call. Knight explained that “it was one of our inspectors working in Portland, Oregon (where the HES is required at point-of-sale), who opened our eyes to the Score.

We looked into it and then put it to our inspector-driven advisory group, who gave it the thumbs up as a great opportunity for everyone across the country.”

“BOOT CAMP” FOR AN ARMY OF ASSESSORS WIN could have chosen the easy route in getting on board with the Home Energy Score program, by sponsoring an energetic inspector or two within their ranks so that they could co-brand with the DOE on national marketing materials to look the part without truly making a commitment to the program. But that’s not how things work at WIN Home Inspection. Knight told us,

THESE INSPECTORS ARE OUR CUSTOMERS, AFTER ALL, WE CAN’T RIGHTLY ASK THEM TO BE OUT THERE PROVIDING THE BEST SERVICE OF ITS KIND TO THEIR CLIENTS IF WE’RE NOT WILLING TO DO THE SAME FOR THEM.

Home Energy Score Update

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS For a project like this one, with more than 100 inspectors chomping at the bit to become Home Energy Score Certified Assessors™, that commitment to serving their “customers” takes the form of a dedicated track at WIN’s annual conference in Nashville this month, where—in a first for the DOE—a super-sized boot camp event has been organized to whisk WIN inspectors through an HES onboarding process that can sometimes be painstaking for inspectors attempting to go it alone.

WIN went straight to the source for this specialized training event, as well, enlisting Brent Loya from I.D. Energy and Ken Slattery from the DOE’s Home Energy Score team to deliver their battle-tested “Sim” training/field mentorship combination package that delivers confident Assessors in record time. After one classroom day completing the Sim training with Brent and Ken, the WIN team will spend the following half day at a home in the area to get additional in-field instruction, and then they’ll be turned loose to their markets around the country to deliver in-demand energy performance information to their homebuying clients.

Attending this training and becoming a Home Energy Score Certified Assessor™ isn’t required by WIN, but Knight says that the vast majority of their partners have signed up for this unique event, an organizational feat that he links to a key WIN skill set.

ONE OF OUR REAL STRENGTHS IS CREATING CLEAR, RELIABLE SYSTEMS THAT QUALITY-FOCUSED INSPECTORS CAN REALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF —IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE HAVE SUCH A STRONG CONTINGENT OF MILITARY VETERANS ON OUR TEAM, I’M PROUD TO SAY.

As to how these freshly minted HES Assessors will actually capitalize on this new service in their businesses, WIN characteristically sees that decision as one that’s best left in the hands of the inspectors who will actually be doing the work, although WIN will be there with plenty of backup support for those who want it. Knight described the arrangement as “…building support for the Score on the tech side by including the HES report as part of the inspection report automatically, and we’ll have ongoing materials available for helping our strategic partners talk about the Score with their clients and with their agent networks to help them get the most out of this investment.”

Pressed to describe how he sees the HES benefiting his partners’ businesses, Knight notes that “as a guiding principle, we understand that our strategic partners know their particular markets better than we do. I expect that many will offer the Score as a built-in, easy-todeliver part of every inspection, and others will feature it as an ancillary service. We know that some of them serve markets where the Score is actually part of state or local policy, and we want to make sure that we give them a leg up on their competition that way.”

And if the experience of the many smaller operators around the country is any guide, WIN’s odds of securing that “competitive advantage” for their inspectors through the Home Energy Score are pretty high. For our part, ASHI will continue in 2019 to build upon the success that we’ve achieved through our partnership with the DOE to ensure that our inspector members remain at the forefront of this dynamic industry.

GET STARTED NOW!

Jen Gallegos (jeng@ashi.org) at ASHI HQ is always on hand to answer questions and to give encouragement to inspectors looking to get started using the Score. Or you can head right to ID Energy and get signed up at energyscoreusa.com/sign_up.php.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

11

SMART INSPECTOR SCIENCE

GAPS IN THE ROOF DECK (ASPHALT SHINGLES)

I

nspecting a roof covering gets complicated because of access issues, snow, rain and an unlimited variety of roof and shingle designs. One thing a smart inspector should do is check the underside of the roof in the attic if it is accessible. In the attic, inspect the roof deck—the boards, plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) supporting the asphalt shingle assembly. We can’t see the roof deck from the outside because the deck is covered (Illustration: Metal Edge Flashings).

Photo 2. Roof deck boards plus plywood.

WHAT IF YOU SEE BLACK ROOF FELT BETWEEN BOARDS? When black roof felt or a synthetic underlayment is visible through the spaced roof deck board, this may indicate a serious problem (Photo 3). Try to reach the space between the roof boards; push on the felt to check for a roof deck of plywood or OSB. If there is no roof deck, you found a problem. You may also see the shingle, felt and nails pushing into the attic through the gap because there is no proper roof deck.

Most installation instructions for new asphalt shingles use some version of this statement: “Roof deck: The deck surface must be clean, bare, gap-free and flat.” Most manufacturers assume the use of a plywood or OSB deck. But what happens with older homes?

WHEN YOU’LL ENCOUNTER SPACED BOARDS In older homes, asphalt shingle roofing is usually installed over OSB (Photo 1). From the attic side, you can often see the underside of the OSB placed over the spaced roof boards.

Photo 1. Roof deck boards plus oriented strand board (OSB).

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

You will also find plywood placed over the spaced boards (Photo 2). In the case of OSB and plywood decking, decking should be nailed to roof rafters at the edges and there should be no gaps larger than 1/8 inch between the sheets.

Photo 3. Roof deck large gap, roof felt

IN THE OLD DAYS, SOME GAPS WERE TOLERATED Twenty years ago, gaps of up to ¾ inch between boards often were ignored and the asphalt shingle assembly was installed over the spaced boards. At that time, these smaller gaps seemed to cause no issues, but now the rules have changed. New asphalt shingles must have a roof deck that is “clean, bare, gap-free and flat.”

Tom Feiza has been a professional home inspector since 1992 and has a degree in engineering. Through HowToOperateYourHome.com, he provides high-quality marketing materials that help professional home inspectors educate their customers. Copyright © 2018 by Tom Feiza, Mr. Fix-It, Inc. Reproduced with permission.

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

WHAT SHOULD YOU NOTE?

IF YOU SEE EXCESSIVE GAPS AND A RELATIVELY NEW ASPHALT SHINGLE, NOTE IT IN YOUR INSPECTION REPORT AS A DEFECT REQUIRING FURTHER EVALUATION. GAPS OVER ¾ INCH ARE ALWAYS AN ISSUE.

To learn more, attend Tom’s technical presentations at educational sessions for ASHI chapters.

Tom will be presenting “Describe That Defect” and “The Practical Science Behind Great Home Inspection” at InspectionWorld® 2019 in San Diego.

Tom can also provide his knowledge for your educational event; contact him at Tom@HTOYH.com.

NEW! 2018 $295

• Over 1800 Illustrations • 300+ Color Illustrations • JPEG Digital files • Dowload, Flash Drive or DVD • 368 Page Reference Book • 400+ NEW Illustrations of decks, stairs, railings, siding, flashing and structural details HOW TO OPERATE YOUR HOME www.htoyh.com | 262-303-4884

Marketing products that help your customers... and boost your business!

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

13

Your IW Experience

GETTING THE MOST O INSPECTIONWORLD

®

EXPERIENCE Dave Kogan, Director of Marketing, ASHI

I’m a conference enthusiast. Most people, including my wife, think I’m nuts. In fact, when I return home from a conference, my wife tells me to unpack everything I received when I’m at work, not at home. I love keeping what exhibitors hand out—not the swag, mind you, but the marketing fliers. I want to see the messaging and learn from the marketing tactics. Also, I do love the swag! I ponder over each item. Did it turn heads? Were people talking about it? Will people use it when they’re back home? I also like to keep expo hall floor plan layouts and overall conference schedules and figure out what worked—or didn’t—and why.

But this article is not about what I love about conferences—it’s about how you can get the most out of attending ASHI’s InspectionWorld®. A key piece of advice?

You, too, should act as if you love attending conferences.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

PLAN YOUR EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS Some view the IW education schedule as if they are selecting classes for high school or college, telling others, “Take the class that soand-so is teaching,” or “Don’t take that class, it’s really boring.” My advice: Don’t listen to anyone but yourself about which classes to take. Immerse yourself in the experience of IW, and make decisions based on your own experiences and interests.

With 45 courses organized into five tracks, you’ll have many choices. Some of your choices may be based on what you need to maintain your licenses or memberships in other organizations.

Keep in mind that you’ll earn 20 ASHI continuing education units by attending classes, visiting the expo hall and taking part in events.

Your IW Experience

OUT OF YOUR THE FIVE TRACKS

GET READY TO BE AN IW ATTENDEE

INSPECTING ESSENTIALS COURSES Designed for new home inspectors and as refreshers for experienced inspectors. If you take one of these courses and think, “that was too easy,” you should modify the rest of your schedule to include sessions from other tracks.

Survival items and app: When you arrive at the conference, ASHI will give you an IW survival pack, including a totebag, notebook, pen and water bottle. You’ll also have access to a conference app that contains all the information you’ll need. Remember to bring your conference registration information, as well as your phone and computer charger.

ADVANCED LEARNING CLASSES Provide in-depth information covering home inspection techniques and home components.

WEST COAST SESSIONS Focus on home inspection topics specific to states along the West Coast, including low–slope roofing, issues pertaining to earthquakes, solar panels, specialty roofing and more.

SPECIALTY DIVERSIFICATION COURSES Focus on building your business repertoire and your income. Cool, right?

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COURSES Focus on the business aspects involved in running a home inspection company.

PRE-CONFERENCE COURSES Don’t forget to consider attending Pre-Conference Courses. The knowledge you’ll gain is well worth any additional fee, as these courses are designed to help you develop your business and generate more income.

• Two-Day Radon Measurement course, presented by Terry Howell, President, Radalink • FEMA P-50 and P-51 course on seismic vulnerabilities in homes • Two-Day Residential Thermographer course • Part 107 Test Preparation for flying drones

Pre-conference social media tips: If you want extra points for pre-conference awesomeness, start following the #IW2019 (conference hashtag) on Twitter and Facebook right now. You’ll see who will be attending and by interacting online, you could start making plans to meet up with people in San Diego. You can also use the social wall in the conference app to chat with attendees and vendors.

Check–in: Conference check-in can be hectic. Some registrations are somewhat disorganized, with a general feeling of chaos in the front of house. But that is not the case at InspectionWorld®! Registration areas are set up specifically for attendees and for exhibitors.

When it’s your turn, you’ll type your name on a tablet, confirm the spelling and receive your badge in seconds. Once your badge is put together, you’ll grab a lanyard, collect your tote bag, water bottle and t-shirt, and go enjoy the conference.

• Dave’s Pro Tip 1: You never know who will be working the registration table. It’s very possible that you might meet the organizers of IW or other influential ASHI leaders who are running the welcome area!

• Dave’s Pro Tip 2: Soon after you check in, take some time to read through everything in your IW totebag. You’ll find great information from vendors about what you can learn at their booths, details about educational sessions, topics for the Grab & Go sessions and a lot more. It’s all there for you.

• Plus many others—check the IW 2019 website at www.inspectionworld.com for a complete list.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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IW Experience

MORE ON NETWORKING GET READY TO BE AN IW ATTENDEE Choosing sessions: I recommend attending sessions on topics that interest you but you don’t know much about. Many people attend sessions with familiar speakers or content, but you’ve invested time and money to be at IW, so expand your horizons. And if you really can’t choose between two sessions being held at the same time, find out if one of the sessions will be recorded and attend the one that will not be recorded. Then, be sure to watch the other session later.

Talking to speakers and panelists: Approaching presenters at IW (or at any conference) can be intimidating—especially when they’re surrounded by a gaggle of fans. But making those connections is crucial. Not only is “I talked to you at IW” a great opening line for an email, but the fact that speakers are also interested in the same things that you are can make them valuable allies. Plus, in my experience, I’ve noticed that some speakers attend several different conferences, so it’s great to build those relationships over time.

Of course, striking up a conversation with a speaker can be easier said than done, so here are some tips: • Position yourself so that you are near the speaker. If he or she is on the right side of the stage, station yourself toward the front right part of the seating area. Look engaged during the presentation. During the session, write down some interesting points you’d like to ask about.

• In terms of your approach, be aggressive but not rude. I’ve seen conference attendees literally push people out of the way to talk to a particular speaker—I don’t recommend that, but you should get yourself in there! Then, introduce yourself, ask your question, make whatever connections you want to make and walk away within a couple of minutes, especially if there’s a long line of people waiting behind you.

• Be open to talking to any of the speakers. If you heard an eloquent message from someone who is not very well known, that person might have more time to talk to you and can be a fountain of knowledge.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

In person: When you see “Break” or “In the Expo Hall” on the agenda, it’s time for you to put those business cards to use! Remember, the majority of people are there to mingle with like-minded individuals and vendors whose products and services will help their inspection business thrive, so don’t be afraid to make connections. Obviously, don’t be overly eager (“Here’s my card! We’re best friends now!

Give me a discount!”), but don’t be afraid to ask for business cards and hand out yours, too.

Starting a conversation with strangers can be scary and awkward.

However, unlike a networking event where you’re thrown together in a room with little or no context, a conference gives you one topic you all have in common: the conference itself!

If you want to start chatting with someone, ask a question about what sessions they attended or what speakers they liked the most.

From there, it’s natural to ask what that person does for a living and why IW appeals to them.

In the Expo Hall: Whether it’s your first or fiftieth time entering an expo hall, you may get overwhelmed by the sheer madness of all the lights, sounds, gadgets, tools and discussions. This is not the time to freeze up. Your time in the hall is finite, so make the most of it.

Try to check out all of the more than 100 exhibitors in the hall.

You may have heard of some of them from discussion forums and social media group pages, but you’ll also see many new companies with products and services to improve your business’ expediency, management or income rate. Don’t just walk by a booth, drop your business card in a bowl and hope to win some item. Take a moment and find out about what that exhibitor is presenting. You’ll leave the expo hall with new ideas to implement in your business.

IW Experience

ATTEND THE BIG EVENTS At the end of the day after attending classes, working an expo booth or walking an expo hall, you’re wiped out. Probably the last thing you want to do is go to another event. But hey, you’ve spent your hard-earned money to attend this conference—so missing out on an event is a missed opportunity. Consider how often have you been out with friends only to meet someone, mention what you do for a living and later hear from that person looking for your services or advice? This can happen at IW as well!

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 4PM OPENING EXPO HALL RECEPTION Kick off the conference by meeting the vendors. A special ribbon– cutting ceremony starts the event and everyone floods into the hall to meet terrific vendors, have some hors d’oeuvres and enjoy a cash bar. See the box bellow for a list of some of the new IW exhibitors.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 7:30-9:00PM —INSPECTPAC EVENT NO POOL. SOME PARTY. ALL FUNDRAISER At $50 per ticket, this is your chance to give back to your profession.

This event raises funds for InspectPAC, which helps elect and reelect candidates to Congress who understand the home inspection profession and support the industry. Your ticket includes drinks, appetizers, raffles, a photo booth, a souvenir glass and more!

TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 7-10 PM ROCK THE YACHT: IW GALA DINNER/DANCE CRUISE

DO THE SOCIAL MEDIA THING Be cool: Never underestimate the power of using social media (live tweeting, following the conference hashtag, liking and favoriting posts) during a conference. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve networked on Twitter and Facebook with awesome conference-goers and highly sought-after speakers. If anything, being present on social media gives you the ability to be an influencer for an event.

Be even cooler: Meet up with people you’ve met on social media to make some new friends and contacts. To this day, some of my closest friends and professional contacts are people I met through live tweeting at events.

Be the coolest: Your customers are on social media. Oops, I meant to say that they live and breathe social media. So, the more you’re out there, the more they see you and the more likely they will be to hire you in the future. The more posts (positive posts, people!) that you place, the more searchable you will be by potential customers.

For $100 per person, you get a party plus shuttle service from the conference venue! The Adventure Hornblower, a 150-foot yacht, will set sail at 7 pm and return to port at 10 pm. You’ll dine and dance under the stars with a backdrop of the San Diego skyline, Coronado Bay Bridge and the USS Midway.

FIRST-TIME EXHIBITORS AT IW 2019 • ALS Global • AnswerConnect • Ford Motor Vehicles • Fotric • Damage Recon • Eneris Technologies • Home Manager Systems • InspectedHouses.com • Inspection Surveillance Supplies • Ispecx • Instaspections • Japanese Society of Home Inspectors • LeakTronics

• MB&A • Perma-Liner Industries • Principal Financial Services • Red Moon Grafix & Print • Sedgwick • Shower Pan Tester • Smoke Detector Pole • Spectora • SPER Scientific • Taxbot • Trusted Water • Vent Cap Systems • Ward Manufacturing JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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Your IW Experience

Join us!

MAKE A POST-CONFERENCE TO DO LIST Follow up Try to contact all the contacts you made at the conference within 24 hours of the last conference day. Why so soon? If you wait longer to make contacts, the people you met might have already forgotten your face. Don’t let them!

Talk about IW Whether you’re on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or if you have a blog, show your love for IW online! Personally, I love writing blog posts about conferences I go to and sharing what I learned. Another fun thing to do is to apply the lessons you learned at the conference through social media. For example, if I hear a speaker at a conference give a great talk and then a couple of weeks later I read an article about that topic, I’ll tweet a link to that article and tag the speaker or conference organizer using the conference hashtag. It’s a great way to make connections and establish yourself as an influencer.

Love the Location Another thing I love about conferences is visiting great places. In 2014, IW was in Nashville. I’d never been there, so I made a point to walk around and visit restaurants and locales not specifically for tourists. In 2015, IW was in Philadelphia—I’d been there before, but I took time to explore more of the city. In 2019, IW returns to San Diego—a place I love and so does my family!

Oh, right, Family!

San Diego is a great place to visit with your family. There’s so much for them to see and do while you’re busy at the conference. The Old Town Trolley takes you to many of the sites and you can visit the San Diego Zoo, the USS Midway, Seaport Village, the Gaslamp District, Old Town and Little Italy. Spouses who are along for the trip can register for some fantastic organized tours.

Make it an extended stay The education doesn’t end with the last session of the conference.

You can take a post-conference training class on the topics of Sewer Scans, Commercial Inspections and Advanced Radon. Or just relax.

Whatever your plans, you’ll have the world of home inspection at your fingertips and plenty to do around town. See you there!

Visit the IW 2019 website at www.inspectionworld.com or contact Michele George, Education and Events Director (847-954-3188, email micheleg@ashi.org) with any questions.

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For a night of dinner & dancing on a starlight voyage of the San Diego Bay. Tickets only $100

7PM -10PM Transportation to & from cruise dock provided

January

22

Sponsored by

All aboard the Adventure Hornblower, a 150-foot mega yacht that offers magnificent views of the San Diego skyline from the deck.

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3dinspections.com | 800-745-6126

INSPECTPAC

InspectPAC is ASHI’s federal political action committee (PAC).

With ASHI members’ contributions, InspectPAC focuses on and coordinates efforts to generate important political support for members of Congress who share ASHI’s views.

SUPPORT INSPECTPAC AT IW! Join Us for a Fundraising Reception on Sunday, January 20, 7:30 pm Plan now to attend the InspectPAC reception during InspectionWorld® SanDiego.

Enjoy a cocktail reception and entertainment in a lounge atmosphere.

InspectPAC PUTS THE “FUN” IN FUNDRAISER. JOIN US AND CONTRIBUTE WITH OTHERS WHO BELIEVE IN A STRONG HOME INSPECTION PROFESSION.

Inspect Our New Home NEW WEBSITE. NEW TOOLS FOR YOUR TRADE. • NHIE Study Curriculum • NHIE Exam Registration Information • Professional Inspectors Database • Communications & Marketing Toolkit

HomeInspectionExam.org

Commentary

Marketing Focus

MARKETING FOCUS

THE REAL VALUE OF VALUE-ADDED SERVICES TO BECOME A TRUE ONE-STOP SHOP

By Christopher Casey, President and CEO, Monroe Infrared

Christopher Casey is President and CEO of Monroe Infrared Technology, a 34-year young, veteran-owned small business based in Brunswick, Maine. He’s a West Point graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Business Administration from St. Martin’s University.

Since 1990, Chris has held leadership positions with regional and national companies for which his expertise in organizational management and creative problem solving has led to substantial growth. Since 2011, Christopher has led Monroe Infrared, a professional infrared training, sales and inspection services company recognized throughout the country for its customer-focused mission to help clients both large and small. He is a Certified Thermographer, a sought-after speaker at national, regional and state conferences, and an active small business mentor around the country. Christopher is the father of five children, enjoys biking, swimming and laughing with family and friends.

Are you a “One-Stop Shop” for your clients? Do you know what a one-stop shop home inspector company is supposed to be?

A

ccording to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_stop_shop), a one-stop shop, store or source is a business that offers a variety of services so that “customers can get all they need in just ‘one stop.’ The term originated in the United States in the late 1920s or early 1930s to describe a business model offering customers the convenience of having multiple needs met in one location, instead of having to ‘drive all over the town’ to attain related services at different stores.” Today, the term “one-stop shop” can be used to describe a website, a TV show or even a home inspection business—essentially anything for which “people can find most of what they need, including information, in one place.”

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

Marketing Focus

Most value-added services help to alleviate fear of the unknown for your client.

Are you providing a variety of value-added services that complement your home inspections and enhance your worth in the eyes of your clients? That is the big–money question.

Value-added services for home inspectors are dominating conversations at educational conferences, chapter meetings and online via social media platforms. So, why all the buzz?

Why should you be paying close attention and converting your business into a one-stop shop for your clients?

The answer is simple—if you fail to pay attention to how your industry is changing and what your competition is providing to clients, you will fall behind. Many value-added services that home inspectors embrace today are relatively simple to learn and execute, provide real value to clients and generate tangible incremental revenue to the bottom line. Most value-added services help to alleviate fear of the unknown for your client—for example, they will be more informed about issues like mold, radon, water leaks, poor air quality, sewer backup and termites.

Let’s do a quick overview of value-added services being offered by home inspectors across the country. I preface this list by saying that not all inspectors in every state will either want or be able to offer these services. Some states have protective licensing requirements that create barriers to entry. Some regions have better temperatures for certain services, some have bigger issues with mold, some have geologic issues that create higher levels of gas emissions and so on. Review this list, knowing that you may need to confirm with your peers, association leaders or state agency representatives to ensure that you can offer these services after your research confirms that you would like to. And also confirm by talking with your clients!

What you should understand to become a one-stop shop: • For a standard-sized family home (with variations determined by square footage and location), a basic, comprehensive home inspection has a market price of $300 to $500. Home inspectors working alone are capable of completing two or three inspections per day, although that makes for a long work day, followed by more time to complete reports.

• Including infrared (IR) inspection in a basic home inspection service can add $40 to $60 per inspection.

To add this service, you may need to earn IR certification, practice, adjust your phone and marketing scripts, and select what specific items to observe.

• A comprehensive IR inspection of an entire home may be called moisture mapping, an IR survey or a whole-home infrared inspection. When completed at the time of the home inspection, this service can add anywhere from $150 to $350; if it is completed separately from home inspection, the rate is similar to home inspection fee, normally $350-$550, depending on the region of the country and the market.

• Offering a sewer line scan to benefit your clients’ peace of mind can mean an acceptance rate of over 50% and, in some markets, closer to 70%. When completed in conjunction with the home inspection, the rates range from $175 to $275 for this 15-minute service.

Real estate agents can be your best helpers to offer this service—they can recommend prospective homebuyers who are considering having a sewer scan in homes that are more than 20 years old, or in homes that have trees or other potential issues near or over the top of sewer lines.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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Marketing Focus

Including infrared (IR) inspection in a basic home inspection service can add $40 to $60 per inspection.

• A ir quality is critical to good health and good quality of life in a home. Various sampling methods can be used and can add substantially to the revenue generated from your client.

• Including a radon inspection can add $150 to $300.

Depending on the region of the country in which you live and work, this service can quite literally be a value-added service that is expected by your clients (see EPA Radon incidence map).

• Water quality is critical to the safety of what you both ingest, and what you use to wash yourself and your dishes, floors or clothes. Well–flow testing can be especially important in areas where municipal water supplies or sewage removal may not be present.

• Mold testing has recently increased substantially in parts of the country; this service goes along with indoor air quality. Cost for basic sampling can run from $50 to $150 or more.

• Termites, or wood-destroying insects (WDI), are every prospective and current homeowner’s worst fear—a hidden enemy slowly and steadily ruining the home from the inside out. Depending on where you work, you may be able to provide an inspection that identifies likely WDIs in the home and recommend professional evaluation and corrective action.

• Less–frequently noted services are wind mitigation, gas safety and sprinkler inspections.

• By completing (possibly even printing) your report on site, you can immediately load the report to the cloud and email it to your client before they leave.

The perception here is that home inspectors who embrace technology that allows for more immediate completion and sharing of their reports may be providing a better service. (I am not advocating for or against this perception, as I have been involved in many discussions about which way is better or best.)

• Testing for pool and hot tub safety and functionality ensures that homebuyers not only get properly working recreational equipment but that the equipment and surrounding areas are safe for people of all ages to enter, exit, swim or lounge.

Including a radon inspection can add $150 to $300. Depending on the region of the country in which you live and work, this service can quite literally be a value-added service that is expected by your clients (see EPA Radon incidence map).

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

EPA Map of Radon Zones

Marketing Focus

If you’ve been keeping track, you know that the value-added services you could offer can literally double your average home inspection revenue.

That should be very interesting to you as a small business owner.

Why offer value-added services that make sense for your business as well as for your clients? The answer is simplicity!

You make the life of the real estate agent (your best source of recommendations and repeat business) easier because the agent can come to the property once, make a single call for their clients to schedule multiple services and rely on you more heavily to be the subject matter expert on a wider array of services. Similarly, you make the life of your client easier because, by being a one-stop shop, your clients can consolidate their efforts to secure an evaluation of their prospective home with one expert. And last, the one reason that I often discuss at length with home inspectors as fellow small business owners, is that understanding how to build a business is different from how to build yourself a job.

Working smart instead of always working hard means recognizing and embracing change. One high-value, high-quality inspection with one or several value-added services each day might not generate as much as completing two inspections in a day, but it might! And then, as your business continues to grow, you could hire and train someone to complete that second inspection per day. That employee then can cover for you when you’re sick, want to attend a child’s event or take a vacation and still generate income. This is just my two cents—I have nothing against one-person operations. I know that hundreds of you are very successful and very satisfied having no employees. But regardless of your goals for your own business, please recognize that being a one-stop shop will help your business grow!

Termites don’t always show you where they are working.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

23

Call 866-916-9419 24

ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

Visit inspectorproinsurance.com

Keep a good roof over your head.

Don’t settle for patchy coverage.

Our pre-claims assistance works to decrease how often claims arise. And when claims do occur, our comprehensive insurance policies cover and close them quickly.

Call 866-916-9419

Visit inspectorproinsurance.com

We Protect. You Inspect.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

25

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 Double Tree, 10 N. 5th Street Reading, PA 19601 Robert H. Conner, 610-375-9675 rhconnerbcs@yahoo.com

Ohio

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

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

Heartland (IA, MN, ND, SD, WI)

www.ashiheartland.org Second Monday, 6:30 pm, except November & April. Frankie’s Pizza 3556 Winnetka Ave. N, New Hope, MN 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.ncohioashi.com Paul Wancata, 216-571-1074 inspectionsunlimited@cox.net

www.iowaashichapter.org Fourth Tuesday, 6:00 - 8:00 pm Iowa City Area Assoc. of Realtors Education Center 847 Quary Road, Coralville, IA Craig Chmelicek, 319-389-7379 elitehomeandradon@gmail.com

OHIO SOUTH ASHI

Kentuckiana (IN, KY)

North Central Ohio

Meeting: Third Tues. every month, 6:30pm @ Kriemer’s Bier Haus, OH-128, Cleves, OH 45002 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

PRO-ASHI (PA)

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

Tri-State (DE, NJ, PA)

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

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 greatlakes.president@gmail.com

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Greater Omaha (NE)

ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

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 Joe Konopacki, 630-283-2248 joe@insightpsinc.com

SOUTH MIDWEST Arkansas Lonnie Moore, 479-530-5792 mhinsp@cox.net

Great Plains (KS, MO)

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) David Mason 316-393-2152 david@allprohomeinspec.com

St. Louis (MO)

www.stlashi.org Second Tuesday, 5 pm Creve Coeur Government Center Multi-Purpose Meeting Room 300 N. New Ballas Creve Coeur, MO 63141 Mark Goodman, 636-391-0091 mark@homeinpectstl.com

Lone Star (TX)

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

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 Drury Hotel (Jan., March, May, July, Sept.) located at I-25 and Jefferson in Albuquerque.

Meeting starts at 8:30 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

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 Brian Cogley, v 510-295-8021 f 510-355-1073 CogleyInspections.com

Inland Northwest (ID, WA) Vince Vargas, 208-290-2472 vince@vargasinspections.com

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 Jon Nichols, 503-324-2000 housedetective@hotmail.com

San Diego CREIA-ASHI

Fourth Tuesday, 6:30 pm Bob Kadera, 303-588-2502 bob@360degreeinspections.com

First Tuesday each month Elijah’s Restaurant 7061 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard San Diego, CA 92111 Ray (Cliff ) Sims Jr., 619-334-1138 cliffsims@cox.net

Southern Colorado

San Joaquin Valley (CA)

Rocky Mountain

www.ashi-southerncolorado.org Second Thursday each month, 6:30 pm Valley Hi Golf Club, 610 S. Chelton Rd. Colorado Springs, CO 80910 Aaron Hunt, 719-334-5455 aaron@huntproperty inspections.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

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 Tammy Nicholas, 408-771-4939 tnicholas490@gmail.com

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

Los Angeles-Ventura County ASHI-CREIA Third Wednesday, 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) Third Thursday (usually), 5 pm Hilton Garden Inn, Waltham, MA Michael Atwell, 617-630-5629 mike@jmhi.com

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

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

Long Island (NY)

www.liashi.com Third Monday, 6 pm, Domenico’s Restaurant, Levittown John Weiburg 516-603-5770 john@greenlinkhi.com

New York Metro

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

Southern New Jersey (NJ)

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

East Tennessee

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

Mid-Tennessee

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

Ray Baird, 615-371-5888 bairdr@comcast.net

Capitol Region (NY)

Western New York

North Carolina

Central New York

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

NEW YORK/JERSEY/ DELAWARE www.goashi.com Richard W. Askew, 518-383-4804 rondack1@gmail.com www.cnyashi.com Third Wednesday each month, 6 pm Tony’s Family Restaurant, Syracuse Richard Alton, 315-415-4847 dick@altoninspect.com

MID-ATLANTIC Central Virginia

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

www.cvashi.org Second Tuesday, 6:30 pm Independence Golf Course 600 Founders Bridge Blvd.

Midlothian, VA 23113 John Cranor, President 804-873-8537 cranorinspectionservices @gmail.com

Garden State (NJ)

Hampton Roads (VA)

First State (DE)

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

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

Mid-South (TN) Steven Campbell, 901-734-0555 steve@memphisinspections.com www.ncashi.com Meeting TBA Bruce Barker, 919-322-4491 bruce@dreamhomeconsultants.com

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

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

GULF ASHI South (AL)

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

Florida Wiregrass

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

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

27

Request for Interpretation: Ethics for Home Inspectors In this column, ASHI’s Ethics Committee addresses dilemmas faced by home inspectors.

Are These Violations of the ASHI Code of Ethics?

By Jamison Brown, ASHI Ethics Committee Chair

Jamison Brown is the owner of Home Inspections

by Jamison & Company, Poquoson, VA. Before becoming an ASHI member in 1988, Jamison was a project manager, and supervised the construction and remodeling of more than 10,000 housing units for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Jamison is a former member of the Carpenters and Joiners of America and a former licensed plumber in the state of Virginia. He is a member of the International Code Council, International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) and a certified member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). He has been a member of ASHI’s Technical and Membership Committees, and was chair of the CEPP Committee. Currently, he chairs the ASHI Code of Ethics Committee. Jamison has personally inspected more than 18,000 residential and commercial properties. Contact him at jamison.brown@gmail.com.

QUESTIONS QUESTION: I have the opportunity to have my company featured on a website for real estate agents in my area. I have the choice of competing with other companies for the business and if I get the business, I pay a flat fee of $35 to the company that created the website, not the real estate agent. Or, I can be the only company on the agent’s website and pay $25 per month per agent to the website company, regardless of the number of leads I get and number of leads I close. Once again, the money for these leads goes to the website design company, not to the real estate agent.

I see this as a lead–generation program, just as any other form of advertising or marketing of my company. Can you give me the ASHI Code of Ethics Committee’s seal of approval for this program?

QUESTION: Can I join a network marketing organization? For the one I am interested in, you pay an annual fee of $330. Only one professional from an industry can join at a time. The concept is to get referrals from other business professionals and also to give referrals to those other business professionals. There is no monetary reward for either giving or receiving a referral. The only reward is that you may get more business for your own company.

INTERPRETATION BY THE ASHI CODE OF ETHICS COMMITTEE: If a home inspector is paying a marketing company for setting up and fea- You are not considered a preferred vendor. turing home inspection services on a website and is not paying a real estate licensee, it is no different from advertising in a newspaper or magazine that focuses on real estate. If the real estate licensees involved with the transaction do not receive any form of compensation, directly or indirectly, by the home inspector, there is no conflict. If an advertising fee is paid, regardless of whether or not the inspector gets the inspection job, and regardless of the outcome of the inspection, there is no conflict.

QUESTION: Can a home inspector de-winterize a foreclosed home so they can inspect it or is that considered “helping” the house pass inspection? At the end of the inspection, no one is going to re-winterize the home, so it will be subject to freezing.

INTERPRETATION BY THE ASHI CODE OF ETHICS COMMITTEE: The question posed has nothing to do with the ASHI Code of Ethics. If an inspector chooses to de-winterize a house, that is their business. Whether or not the house is re-winterized is between the inspector, his or her client, and the person responsible for the property. In summary, the question posed is not an ethics issue.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

INTERPRETATION BY THE ASHI CODE OF ETHICS COMMITTEE: Participation by an ASHI Inspector in a networking organization does not violate the ASHI Code of Ethics as long as the inspector adheres to the ASHI Code of Ethics in the relationships developed as a result of being a member of the networking organization. The purpose of networking organizations is to allow professionals from varying fields an opportunity to meet and become familiar with the services of others in the group, and to see ways in which the members may cooperate to increase business for the members.

As long as an ASHI Inspector does not provide compensation for referrals to another member of the group, he or she would not be in violation of the ASHI Code of Ethics. Likewise, the inspector shall not accept compensation for any referrals provided and should recommend contractors, services or products that the inspector believes will meet the needs of the client.

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IN GIFT CARDS WITH EACH NEW MEMBER TO REFER A MEMBER: 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:

MEMBERSHIP@ASHI.ORG OR FAX TO 847-759-1620.

Questions?

Contact Jen Gallegos, jeng@ashi.org.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

29

ASHI Chapters and Council News

CHAPTER EVENTS ASHI NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER WINTER EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR

ASHI CENTRAL PA SPRING CONFERENCE When: March 2, 2019 Where: Park Inn by Radisson Harrisburg West, Mechanicsburg, PA Topics: Report Writing, Water Intrusion, Mold and Home Scene Investigations CEUs: 8 ASHI CEs contact: pwreilly@comcast.net

When: January 16, 2019 Where: Puritan Backroom Restaurant, Manchester, NH Topic: Radon: What You Need to Know CEUs: 7 ASHI CEs Contact: nnec.ashi.2016@gmail.com

IMPORTANT REPORTER DEADLINES: • FEB 2019 ISSUE - 12/7/18 • MAR 2019 ISSUE - 1/7/19 • APRIL 2019 ISSUE - 2/7/19 • MAY 2019 ISSUE - 3/7/19 The Reporter is produced 6-8 weeks ahead of the week it arrives in your mailbox.

TO HAVE YOUR CHAPTER SEMINAR LISTED HERE, EMAIL ALL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHAPTER SEMINAR TO: micheleg@ashi.org.

JOIN THE TEAM OF PRESENTERS AT IW NEW ORLEANS 2020 CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS IS NOW OPEN INSPECTIONWORLD® NEW ORLEANS, JANUARY 19-22, 2020

will provide a forum for attendees to learn the profession’s best practices and to expand their knowledge, improve their professional skills and explore emerging issues relevant to the profession.

ASHI invites those interested in presenting at InspectionWorld New Orleans to submit a proposal for review by the IW Education Committee.

Locate a Call for Presentations form at www.homeinspector.org under Education. Complete the form electronically and submit it with materials.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY, MARCH 15.

Contact Michele George at micheleg@ashi.org with questions.

30

ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

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JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

31

Technical Focus

ACCURATE AND COMPLETE: CAN A HOME INSPECTION MEET THAT STANDARD? HOW TO PROCESS DATA INTO INFORMATION AND WORK WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE ASHI STANDARD OF PRACTICE

By Gil Hendrickson, ACI Gil Hendrickson is a 30-year veteran home inspector, a 24-year member of ASHI and a charter member of the Indiana Chapter of ASHI. After working as an independent inspector for 27 years, Gil joined BPG Inspection LLC (https://www.bpginspections.com/inspector/gkB7YAdn/) in 2015. He works in Indiana, primarily in the counties just north of Indianapolis. He can be reached at GHendrickson@bpgwi.com or gilinspex@msn.com.

I read a lot of home inspection reports, of which more than 300 a year are mine. I’ve found that it is important to carefully proofread and edit the reports. To assist with this, I have good software with spell check, grammar check and lots of predefined comments.

Once a report has been edited for grammar, I make sure it includes information for my client. A little editing helps to create weight and emphasis, to fine–tune the information and to develop the work that has been done into a meaningful report.

I also read quite a few home inspection reports by other inspectors— usually these are sent to me by real estate agents who can’t figure out what the reports mean. Although many are well-written and organized, I am amazed at how poorly organized others are. Many reports I read are totally lacking in advice; they never take the data they collect and analyze the findings, interpreting that into information their client can readily understand and use.

THE VALUE OF GOOD INFORMATION It is possible to fulfill the industry standard for writing a home inspection report by packing the report with data, but not much information.

Data are the facts or details from which information is derived; however, individual pieces of data are rarely useful alone. For example, what you learn from an appliance ID plate is data.

Working to benefit the clients by reporting usable information is far better. Information comes from data, after the data are processed, interpreted, organized, structured and presented in a way that is useful.

When a home inspector interprets from a water heater ID plate that it was manufactured in 1996, so it is about 22 years old, and reports that “the water heater appears to be about 22 years old, which is at or near the end of its expected dependable life and replacement should be anticipated soon,” the data point “22 years,” which may be a vague number to the client, becomes information that is predictive and useful.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

Taken as individual points, data can be raw and unorganized. Data can seem random and useless until the data points are converted into information. This requires processing. In the world of computer databases, this processing is accomplished by software, which is often complex and full of “either/or” equations that weigh data against known limits or values (for example, the age of and the expected life of a water heater).

In the home inspection business, this processing is done by the human mind and is based on experience, education and third-party resources.

To help me convert data into information, I keep the following two references handy while I am working: • Life Expectancy of Components of Buildings (available from the National Association of Home Builders) • HUD Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide (available at www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/rehabinspect.pdf) By referring to these guides, I can see that tank water heaters are listed with an average life of 15+ years and tankless water heaters have an average life of 20+ years. In this process, we use the data (a manufacturing date of 1996) to express what the homeowner or client wants to know: When will the installed appliance cause significant inconvenience, cost significant money or both?

This is a good time for a reminder that the ASHI Standard of Practice (available at https://www.homeinspector.org/Standards-of-Practice) lists as a “shall” (a duty required as listed within the standard) to report in writing “those systems and components inspected that…are near the end of their service lives” (ASHI SoP, 2014, 2.2, B.1).

I think we could make a pretty sound argument that we meet the requirement by providing data (a date of manufacture) along with information (guidance about product failure and expense). How an individual home inspector crafts his or her information is a professional decision that directly affects how valuable his or her service is to the client and others using the report.

Technical Focus

GET THE BASICS AND BUILD FROM THERE. USE WHAT ASHI HAS PROVIDED US. DATA VERSUS INFORMATION It is simple to report data because it leaves all the interpretation to others. It is a more rigorous process to report information. To report information beyond the data, we must have good data (the raw product of the inspection). For information to be high–quality, it must be accurate, complete, consistent and timely. This is only possible if the inspection yields data that are accurate and complete, and if the report is well–written and focused on the needs of the client.

It is not difficult to understand that less experienced, less competent inspectors tend to rely on “data-packed” software and report formats.

Not all home inspections have the same value, and many experienced and highly competent inspectors go well beyond the data to publish a report that is informative, predictive and useful. The more highly prized reports contain informative narrative (not boilerplate) data for reference, as well as information presented in a meaningful summary that prioritizes not the data, but the information. That information is specific and predictive, useful and uniquely relevant to the individual client. The report is written to help the client evaluate the condition issues of the property they are buying.

To quote Bruce Barker, in an article titled “The Word: Deficient Reporting,” published in the July 2012 issue of the ASHI Reporter (http:// www.ashireporter.org/HomeInspection/Articles/The-Word-Deficient-Reporting/2357): “A professional report won’t save an unprofessional inspection, but an unprofessional report will diminish and potentially kill an otherwise professional inspection.”

ACCURATE AND COMPLETE Is it reasonable to use the terms accurate and complete when discussing a home inspection? The knee–jerk answer is no, because we rely on “representative sampling” and limit our scope to “readily accessible” systems and components, and because we apply a long list of “exceptions” from the ASHI Standard of Practice (SoP) to the “required elements” of inspecting and reporting. But the correct answer is yes, precisely because we have a well-designed, carefully crafted, constantly updated and thoroughly tested SoP. The better answer is that we can achieve accuracy and completeness in our profession for fundamental reasons. We are not referring to “accurate and complete” as a global perimeter, but instead we are limiting “accurate and complete” to the perspective of a home inspection by a well-defined and accepted SoP.

ACHIEVING ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS: THE PATH THROUGH THE ASHI STANDARD OF PRACTICE We have truly kicked the ball all over the court here, starting with the idea that good information comes from good data, which come from an accurate and complete inspection. Now, we arrive all the way back to Home Inspection 101, and we reaffirm that the way to be accurate and complete is to know the SoP, perform our inspections to the Standard, write our report to the Standard, and conform all of our communication with the stakeholders (our clients, their real estate agents and anyone else who needs to respond to the report) to the ASHI SoP and the ASHI Code of Ethics.

Consistent with our requirements of ongoing continuing education, all of us should periodically review the basics of the SoP and Code of Ethics. Here is a list of things I think home inspectors should know without hesitation or further review: 1.The SoP is a minimum standard for home inspections.

2. Home inspections performed using the SoP are intended to provide information.

3. T here are nine divisions or categories of work identified in the SoP and most have the following: A. a specific list of “SHALL” items—duties the inspector must perform within the SoP; B. w ithin the “SHALL” items, specific requirements to inspect as opposed to describe; C. a specific list of “NOT INTENDED TO LIMIT” items —not required but not prohibited; and D. a specific list of “NOT REQUIRED” items.

4. T he General Limitations and Exclusions (Section 13) globally alters many of the other requirements throughout the SoP. 5. T he Glossary of Italicized Terms (Section 14) should be used consistently and exactly as defined in all communication.

6. The Code of Ethics should be followed.

THE REPORT IS WRITTEN TO HELP THE CLIENT EVALUATE THE CONDITION ISSUES OF THE PROPERTY THEY ARE BUYING.

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

33

Technical Focus

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF AN EXCELLENT HOME INSPECTION For ASHI, the SoP is about eight densely packed pages of rules that constitutes the minimum standard for conducting home inspections.

There are also other associations’ standards and various state laws. No practicing home inspector should lack knowledge of all the applicable standards, or lack confidence in their ability to discuss and comply with them.

Another essential, but often neglected, element of a report that is required for achieving accuracy and completeness is what we leave out. ASHI SoP 2.2.B.4 requires written explanation as to systems or components designated for inspection in the SoP that were present but not inspected, and why they were not inspected. I try to go a step further and mention some reasons that omission might be important to the client’s understanding of the property if I don’t think that logic would be self-evident to an average buyer.

PERSONAL VERSUS PROFESSIONAL What we have been discussing is a professional process to make our inspections, communication and report (the finished product) as valuable as possible. It also wraps all our professional activity into a SoP that will help us defend our reports, enhance our reputations and limit our liability. This is distinctly different from our personal behavior, beliefs and opinions. Although many of the most successful professionals are driven by personal commitment and motivation, they achieve success by a rigorous pursuit of their profession’s SoP, Code of Ethics and vigilant honing of their craft.

OUR WORK VERSUS OUR SELVES If you think about the best home inspectors you know and differentiate them from the average or poor inspectors you may also know, it is amazing how much of the difference is in the work they do and not about the person they are.

The following is a quote I can’t accurately source, but I think it is worth including: Try to take your work more seriously, and yourself less seriously. The more seriously you take your work, the easier it will become to take yourself less seriously; the constant reminders of your ignorance should never cease to amaze you.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

We start exactly where most of us would expect—with an accurate and complete inspection. We then take the data from the inspection and transform, process and structure the data into valuable information.

We package that into a user-friendly home inspection report that uses the information to prioritize and summarize the condition of items of the home as they relate to our client—typically, the homebuyer.

We inspect, perform and communicate totally and without exception within the SoP and Code of Ethics.

I’ll borrow once again from Bruce Barker, this time from an article titled “The Word: Time”, published in the January 2018 issue of the ASHI Reporter (http://www.ashireporter.org/HomeInspection/Articles/TheWord-Time/15176), in which he paraphrased this concept succinctly: 1. Describe what you saw,

2. Explain the implication if the defect is not addressed, 3. R ecommend what action the client should take to address the defect (correct, further evaluation, monitor).

Having been a professional home inspector for 30 years and an active ASHI member for 24 years, I am not surprised that the complications, challenges and competing pressures we encounter every day really all boil down to the basics.

Get the basics and build from there. Use what ASHI has provided us.

We owe a great debt to the pioneers of the home inspection profession who forged ASHI from an idea back in 1976. We continue to owe great respect and appreciation for those members who serve in volunteer roles across the nation and beyond, including our state chapters, to make our association and our careers relevant and vital.

THE FORMULA IN REVIEW Perform a fundamentally sound inspection to gather the data, transform that data into useful information that is focused on your client’s needs and stay within the parameters of our professional guidelines. With those things accomplished, each of us can produce an informative, predictive and useful product: a report that is “accurate and complete.”

In this way, we communicate at a high level and create value.

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JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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Two Inspectors, Two Mentors

TWO INSPECTO STORIES FROM

TWO INSPECTORS, TWO MENTORS… STORIES FROM THE WOMEN OF ASHI

I’ve presented educational sessions at the Duluth Energy Design Conference and will also start teaching continuing education classes to local real estate agents. I’ve also taught weatherization to students in the University of Minnesota’s Building Science program.

Tessa Murry, ACI I never thought in a million years that I’d be a home inspector, but looking back, several things led me to it. When I graduated from high school in 2006, I was trying to figure out my life. I opted not to go to college, and instead, I signed up for a yearlong AmeriCorps opportunity. My assignment was to organize Habitat for Humanity groups in Louisiana, the year after Hurricane Katrina had hit that area.

I was a construction crew leader and our assignment was being ramped up from building one home in a year to building 100 homes in a year. Part of my job involved supervising the volunteer teams who did the construction work. Some volunteers were retirees who had construction experience and these people taught me the basis of everything I now know.

I always liked houses. I learned about how they worked and I eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in residential building science technology from the University of Minnesota. The program blended aspects of engineering, architecture and physics. I learned to look at a house as a system, to provide an efficient, durable and overall quality living situation for the occupants. I also interned with a nonprofit weatherization program and learned about energy efficiency in homes.

All of this education led me to a niche career—working for a home performance company that specialized in solving complex problems.

In Minnesota, many homes are damaged by ice or frost, so while doing weatherization project work, I met ASHI member Reuben Saltzman.

At first, Reuben referred several people to me to discuss weatherization issues related to their homes and when he offered me a job with StructureTech, I took it! I’ve learned a lot from him. When we started working together, I knew some things that applied to home inspections, but I had to learn everything else, like plumbing and electrical. I’ve been on the StructureTech team for three years and in January 2018, the team attended InspectionWorld®. It was a great opportunity for me to meet people.

I belong to the ASHI Heartland Chapter and I really like the educational sessions with speakers who lead discussions about relevant topics. Every four months, our chapter holds a full-day seminar, which I have helped teach and facilitate a few times. I was involved in seminars that featured peer review of local houses that were open for inspection, and facilitated discussion regarding the building envelope, insulation and HVAC systems.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

My family is very supportive of my career path. They knew I was “into homes” from a young age; however, my mom was surprised when I went to school to earn a more scientific degree rather than to pursue a more artistic path. In my spare time, I still enjoy art and painting.

I work with oil pastels and acrylics, and like to paint most anything.

There are not many women home inspectors in Minnesota and I am the only female ASHI Certified Inspector in the state. I’m probably half the age of most home inspectors I’ve met, but it doesn’t seem to matter—the interactions I’ve had with others have been positive and my fellow inspectors are very kind. I get my fair share of skeptical looks when I arrive on site for an inspection, sporting a tool belt and carrying my ladder. But my experience in the field, my education and my affiliation with StructureTech usually put any doubts to rest.

Many people have helped me build my career. Back in Louisiana, my first mentors were Bob and Doris Meyer, a retired couple who taught me everything about construction. I had a professor at the University of Minnesota who was very encouraging. And Reuben continues to be an excellent mentor and champion of my work and abilities.

My advice to others is to find some good home inspectors and see what they do. I’ve had a very unconventional career path and the year I spent in Louisiana was irreplaceable. I learned real-life skills and gained practical knowledge that launched me toward a career that I love.

For people who don’t want a 9-to-5 desk job, home inspection is a great career. You’ll use a variety of skills and it does help to have a construction background. It’s also important to be a good communicator—for writing reports and for interacting with clients. You need to be a well-rounded person to be an excellent home inspector.

Two Inspectors, Two Mentors

ORS, TWO MENTORS… M THE WOMEN OF ASH Jessica Lawton, ACI

I earned my “handy skills” on my folks’ horse farm in Illinois. I’d open up a machine to figure out how it worked and what I needed to do to get it running again. I’ve been elbow deep in everything from washing machines, manure spreaders and air conditioners to everything in between. When I was considering becoming a home inspector, Eric Barker from the ASHI Great Lakes Chapter told me to reach out to a man in my area “with an encyclopedic knowledge of homes,” Lon Grossman. I called Lon to see if I could do a ride-along and he said, “Sure. Be here tomorrow at 8 am.” Throughout that day, I saw Lon’s passion for home inspection and at the end of the day, I asked, “Can we do this again tomorrow?” Lon agreed and I shadowed him for several months. I’d show up, carry the tools and learn everything I could, often typing up my notes at night so I could further cement the information into my brain.

Lon taught me to look at a house in the same way I looked at a machine—except with a home, the parts don’t move. This concept made a lot of sense to me and it informs the way I continue to approach home inspection. Eventually, Lon invited me to work with him, so I got my license, became an ASHI member and an ASHI Certified Inspector, passed the Michigan State Builders exam, had business cards printed and—bam—I was a home inspector.

I’d had no problem fixing and explaining tools, equipment and machinery, but to be a home inspector, I had to expand my knowledge of houses so I could explain details with confidence. In fixing equipment, I didn’t need to explain my thought process or reasoning to anyone—I could just identify the problem and fix it. Lon had to teach me how all the components of a house work and how they were designed to work together, as well as how to confidently and fully explain potential issues to clients. In the beginning, gaining the confidence to explain what I was seeing was the hardest part. I’ve had clients who, upon learning I was a woman, were skeptical or concerned about the quality of the inspection I would provide them, some outright voicing that to me.

Lon told me that there will always be people who will question my skills, but that I should remain confident that I’m good at my job, so just do my job and those people will change their tune. Early on, I scheduled a solo inspection for the daughter of a well-known local builder. When I learned that the builder would be attending the inspection with his daughter, I was nervous, but Lon told me, “Just do what you do and you’ll be fine.” At the end of the inspection, the builder said, “I don’t have much need for a home inspector, but give me some of your business cards. You’re quite good, and I’ll tell my friends to call you.” It was validating experience that boosted my confidence.

My clients put a lot of trust in me and I take that seriously. I feel lucky to have a job that allows me to look out for somebody else in what is most likely the largest purchase they have ever made. If a client asks me, “Should I buy it?” I explain exactly what they should know about the home, what they’ll have to fix and when, and what issues are normal and not normal for a house of a certain age. At a certain point, a house can just become a math problem in terms of costs of repairs, what it’s worth and so on. “Everything can be fixed, it’s just money”—to buy or not to buy is entirely up to a client.

I feel that my brain and my senses are my best tools. I listen to the house, feel the boards under my feet, smell the house for mold, see the loose tiles or roof shingles. I try to continue to observe things around me when answering clients’ questions so I don’t waste an opportunity to notice what’s going on inside or outside the house.

My “party trick” is my photographic memory of houses I’ve inspected.

If someone shows me a photo or a street view, I can rattle off details about the house, even if I did the inspection years ago. Sometimes this skill is useful when I get a call from a client with a question from an inspection I did in the past.

My advice is to never stop educating yourself, even when you’ve hit your stride. There’s always more to learn. Lon taught me that “education is expensive, but not being educated is even more expensive.” As a home inspector, you serve as an unbiased third party. Give clients your time and expertise, not your opinion. The things you see—or don’t see –can affect someone’s quality of life

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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IN MEMORIAM:

Sherman Price

Remembrance by Bob Mulloy, ASHI Member #561, Retired Chair of the ASHI New England Chapter Education Committee (rmulloy@verizon.net) Sherman Price, a past honorary ASHI New England (ASHI-NE) Chapter member and a member of the education committee, recently passed away. For many years, Sherman had been a structural engineer and a successful ASHI home inspector in New York. He will be greatly missed.

For more than 10 years of his retirement, Sherman was one of four national report verifiers for ASHI applicants. In this role, he spent countless hours reviewing and critiquing numerous home inspection reports for ASHI, helping applicants for ASHI membership to grow and write reports that conform successfully with the ASHI Standard of Practice, thus achieving ASHI membership.

Remembrance by Norman Becker, ASHI Member #7 (nbeckerpe@gmail.com) Sherman Price, a professional engineer, home inspector, a good friend and a dedicated ASHI member, passed away recently. He joined ASHI in the very early days before it became a full-blown society. At the first ASHI Conference in December 1977, Sherman gave a presentation titled “Inspection of Foundations and Structures.” Always willing to share his technical knowledge, Sherman gave similar presentations at seminars sponsored by other ASHI chapters.

Sherman’s input in developing the ASHI Standard of Practice had a direct impact on the Standard we use today. After he retired from doing inspections, he maintained a relationship with ASHI for more than 10 years as a volunteer verifier of inspection reports for new ASHI applicants. Sherman’s passing is a loss to ASHI. We will miss him. I will miss him. Our condolences to his family and friends.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

After being a member of an ASHI chapter in New York, Sherman came to the ASHI-NE Chapter when he and his wife moved to Taunton, MA, to enjoy their retirement. He found my business name and contacted me, saying that he greatly missed the camaraderie of other home inspectors. He asked if he could attend one of our monthly meetings, but he also said that he did not know the roads and had failing eyesight.

I volunteered to drive him to our meetings and I am very glad that I welcomed him. I gained a valuable resource on structural knowledge.

He was the gentlest man I had ever met and he became a good friend.

Years ago, Sherman started the Trainee class that I now teach here in Massachusetts and will continue to teach in his honor. Ultimately, Sherman had to fully retire because of his failing health, and he and his wife moved to Rhode Island to live with their daughter to receive extended care. About 1.5 years ago, Sherman suffered a stroke that badly damaged his memory.

I believe that Sherman is up above us now, inspecting the pearly gates for structural integrity and looking down on us for compliance with the SOP. Rest in peace, my old friend.

If you wish, please send your condolences to Mrs. Salome Price, 75 Pleasant Street, East Providence, RI 02916.

JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES Thirty–five Years William Horelick Scott Surette John (Jake) J. Zagata

Thirty Years Craig F. Carson Erick J. Chapman Mark Conway John L. Cooper Dwayne DeVries Richard Giltz Douglas Hansen David Horning Patrick Michael Lyons Ezra A. Malernee Guy Manwaring Frank McCann Mark Melzer Kenneth Osborne William C. Richardson Randy Surette John Wenger K. Peter Wilden Kent Wood

Twenty–five Years John Byron James Camp Larry P. Crouch William C. Delamar Kyle Ellefsen Robert MacDonald Robert Newkirk Patrick Norton Joe Brown Roles Jim Salmon Duane Serrano Brent Voran

Twenty Years Richard D. Aiello Jeffrey Brown Toby Deming Aaron Flook Rene Guerra Chris D. Hilton Michael Israel Todd Kerkhoff William Alex Lee Thomas Patten Bruce Thomas Michael Triumph Clinton Tucker Daniel York

CURRENT ASHI MEMBERSHIP

Fifteen Years

Ten Years

Fernando J. Barrientos Darrell Blackwell Jim Boston Daniel R. Curl Jiri G. Danihel Michael R. Donitzen James Ellacott Scott Emerson Gary Flanagan Phillip A. Gaines Stephen Kocian Michael LeBlanc Martin J. Lenich, PE Steven E. Mirowski Richard D Pen Gary Roholt Kelly V. Shipley Mike Thibault Andrew P. Utnik Raymond E. Wand

Marlon Page Craig Slabach Charles R. Smith Alvin L. Smith Lawrence Smyj

Five Years Scott Dana Laurie Delmolino Doug Ford Colin M. Lennon Michael Moriarty James F. Newton Richard Powell Craig Smith Levi Scott Stoner Dave Taurinskas Mark Vadala Guy White Anthony Wilson David A. Wilson Barry Yam

ASHI Certified Inspectors: 3,585 Inspectors: 240 Associates: 4,620 Retired Members: 140 Affiliates: 74 Total: 8,659 Members as of 12/5/2018

FREE ASHI Member access to past IW sessions.

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

ASHI ONLINE LEARNING CENTER

ASHI MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT PROGRAMS ASHI-ENDORSED PROGRAMS ASHI’s E&O InsuranceProgram: InspectorPro Insurance inspectorproinsurance.com/ashi/ 866-916-9419

ASHI Customer Appreciation Program: Moverthankyou.com Brent Skidmore, 864-386-2763 www.moverthankyou.com Brent@POWRsoft.com

ASHI Personal Lines Insurance Program: Liberty Mutual www.libertymutual.com/ashi

HomeAdvisor.com Brett Symes, 913-529-2683 www.homeadvisor.com ashi@homeadvisor.com

ASHI’s Protecting Home Inspectors From Meritless Claims Program: Joe Ferry – The Home Inspector Lawyer 855-MERITLESS (637-4853) contact@joeferry.com www.joeferry.com/ashi

LegalShield Joan Buckner, 505-821-3971 buckner.legalshieldassociate. com buckner@legalshieldassociate. com

ASHI Service Program BuildFax Tricia Julian, 877-600-BFAX x161 TJulian@BuildFax.com www.buildfax.com http://go.buildfax.com/ASHI

InspectionContracts.com Dave Goldstein, 800-882-6242 www.inspectioncontracts.com david@inspectoreducation.com OneSource Solutions 877-274-8632 www.osconnects.com/ashi/

Porch.com Eliab Sisay, 206-218-3920 www.porch.com Eliab@porch.com ASHI Rebate Program Quill.com Dana Fishman, 800-634-0320 x1417 www.quill.com/ashi dana.fishman@quill.com

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ASHI-ENDORSED EXAMS ASHI Standard and Ethics Education Module Go to www.homeinspector.org, click on Education, then click on the link for the ASHI Online Learning Center.

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ASHI-ENDORSED TRAINING PROGRAMS ASHI@Home Training System 800-268-7070 education@carsondunlop.com

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

39

NEW POSTCARDS EMAIL! Please send your name, city, state, photos, headings & captions to: postcards@ashi.org

Postcards from the Field Homeowners say “its just a teeny leak

DAVID GRUDZINSKI Advantage Home Inspections Cranston, RI

Plumber or Water Park Designer

MARGARET CONABLE Elm City Home Inspections LLC New Haven, CT

We all need someone to lean on

JOHN GAMACHE Capstone Home Inspection Service Escondido, CA

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

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.

The charge is set…

SCOTT SWICKARD Inspect OCMission Viejo, CA

Mission Accomplished

JOHN GAMACHE Capstone Home Inspection Service Escondido, CA

Hot Roof

JAMES HOLLIFIELD Prairie Home Inspection Dillon, MT

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JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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NEW POSTCARDS EMAIL! Please send your name, city, state, photos, headings & captions to: postcards@ashi.org

Postcards from the Field Wood Wedgie

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.

That should hold!

JAMES BROCK Boston Home Inspectors Boston, MA

Inspector says, “Wasn’t Me!”

JAMES BROCK Boston Home Inspectors Boston, MA

JAMES BROCK Boston Home Inspectors Boston, MA

Shockingly Splash-tastic

JAMES BROCK Boston Home Inspectors Boston, MA 42

ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

One small step for solving global warming...

JACOB TROOST Buyers 1st Inspection Service Inc. Brodheadsville, PA

• Drone Roof Inspections - NEW!

• Sewer Line Inspections - NEW!

JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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ON MY MIND

THANK YOU

By ASHI President, Tim Buell

“Good leaders must first become good servants.” — Robert Greenleaf

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” — Ralph Nader

It has been an honor and pleasure to serve you as ASHI President throughout 2018. ASHI has had a very productive year and is well prepared for the years ahead. I know that Scott Patterson, ASHI’s incoming President, will continue to advance our Society when he assumes the helm during InspectionWorld® in San Diego.

ASHI must follow a continual path of improvement, which can only occur with fresh insight, new ideas and a healthy infusion of energy.

These insights, ideas and energies will come from new leaders, and most of these new leaders will come from people in younger generations.

Let’s look at past and present generations so we can understand why.

Experts say that the U.S. President elected in 2024 will be the first to be elected by a majority of people who are from either Generation X, Millennials or from Generation Z. Similarly, ASHI is facing the same shift in its membership numbers.

Note: As you read the following information about each generation, keep in mind that these are only generalizations; however, it is often true that people of similar ages and who are in similar stages of life do share a number of personality-based qualities like those outlined here.

Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964: Like many of my fellow ASHI members, I am a Baby Boomer. Some common characteristics of members of this generation include having a strong work ethic and being self-assured, independent, competitive, resourceful, mentally focused, team-oriented, complacent and disciplined.

Generation X, born between 1965 and 1981: Common characteristics of Gen Xers include being resourceful, self-sufficient and independent.

Gen Xers tend to value freedom and responsibility in the workplace and disdain hierarchal authority and structured work hours.

Millennials, born between 1982 to 1997: Currently the fastest growing segment of the workforce, Millennials’ common characteristics include being tech-savvy, family-centric and achievement-oriented.

Millennials also tend to move from job to job.

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ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019

Generation Z, born from 1998 to today: Common traits of members of Gen Z include growing up with the internet and cell phones; being racially diverse, independent and justice-minded; and being open to discussions of faith.

Just as the overall population shifts toward younger generations, ASHI also is experiencing a shift in its membership. In 2018, ASHI leaders brought on James Thomas, a Gen Xer, to be ASHI’s Executive Director. James is introducing ideas that will move our Society forward and prepare us for the future.

The “guard” is changing and we need you. I implore the members of ASHI’s younger generations to get involved at both chapter and national levels. Your participation and insight will keep ASHI strong and vibrant while the Society continues to serve all of our members.

I do not mean to say, however, that only young ASHI members should serve. Those of us who are experienced should continue to lead in diverse ways, including by mentoring and training new home inspectors who are joining the profession.

Together, as the American Society of Home Inspectors, let us all serve in appropriate ways and focus on helping ASHI reach new heights of achievement. Thank You This is my last message in the Reporter. I would like to thank ASHI’s officers, directors, staff members, committee chairs and members.

Without you, this year would not have been a success. Most importantly, I extend my sincere appreciation to my wife, Mariana, who has supported me these past seven years.

Again, I thank you for the opportunity to serve you as ASHI President.

Mariana and I wish each of you nothing but the best. May God bless you, your families and ASHI.

“Do the right thing, it will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Mark Twain “Right always prevails.” — Forrest Lines

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JANUARY 2019 • www.ASHIReporter.org

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ATTENDING IW SAN DIEGO? Here’s a checklist of must-dos at the conference. You don’t want to miss a thing!

After you stop at the registration desk to pick up your badge and tote bag…

New to ASHI Networking Event — Sunday, Noon to 2:00 pm Information for new members and first-time IW attendees on the profession, ways to “move up in ASHI” and tips to prepare for the NHIE. Sunday Opening Night Reception in Expo Hall — 4:00 – 6:00 pm Visit vendors, enjoy appetizers and redeem your drink ticket at the bar Salute to our Military Veterans — Sunday, 5:00 pm A presentation of lapel pins and a thank you to our vets!

Stop by the ASHI Booth – Meet ASHI staff and Jim Johnson, Report Verifier.

Bring your reports to discuss and prepare for verification.

ASHI Board members and officers will be on hand to greet you.

Daily Prize Drawings – Drop off a daily coupon in the ASHI Booth for a chance to win.

Monday Annual Awards and Keynote Breakfast — Golden Ballroom 8:00 – 10:00 am.

ASHI awards will be presented to deserving recipients. Kevin McCarthy will present an interesting keynote speech on avoiding the blind spots impacting your life decisions. He will be signing books at the ASHI booth afterwards and will offer a 2-hour class Monday afternoon.

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Get on the App! Download on your device.

Check out the events schedule, activities and sessions, and create your own schedule for each day.

Select from 45 classes to attend on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Choose a session and attend at the assigned session time and location. There is no pre-registration.

Check out the State-approved or other organization continuing education credits listed under “State Approvals” on the website or app.

Attend the sessions approved by your state. Be sure to scan the QR code on your badge when you arrive at each classroom to get credit.

Complete an evaluation for each class.

We want your feedback!

Grab and Go sessions are planned at lunchtime Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Very informative educational sessions are offered by vendors.

InspectPAC Reception Monday 7:30 pm Purchase $50 ticket .

Help raise donations for the Political Action Committee.

With refreshments, incredible food and a raffle — this is a “fun” fundraiser.

“Rock the Yacht” Gala Dinner and Dance Cruise aboard the USS Adventure on the San Diego Bay. Purchase $100 ticket. Departs 7:00 pm and returns at 10:00 pm.

Transportation, dinner, a bar drink ticket, and music included.

Go to www.inspectionworld.com to get the details.

See you at IW! ASHI Reporter • JANUARY 2019