For Canadian and other French-speaking members, post this InterNACHI article on your website, which has been newly translated into French and covers the hazards and solutions for keeping elderly occupants safe in their homes:  La Sécurité du Domicile des Personnes Âgées.

InterNACHI’s message board has seen several threads about the hidden hazards of inspecting crawlspaces, especially those that are particularly damp or have standing water.  Not only can you not inspect what you can’t see, but you also may be in for a nasty surprise by forging ahead based on the pressure of a home sale.  We advise erring on the side of caution at all times and have put the real estate profession on notice in our Memo to Real Estate Professionals RE:  Inspecting Crawlspaces with Water.  Print it and hand it out the next time you find yourself put on the spot.

For Canadian and other French-speaking members, post this InterNACHI article on your website, which has been newly translated into French and explains the causes and prevention of efflorescence that forms on masonry:  L’Efflorescence pour les Inspecteurs.

For Canadian and other French-speaking members, post this InterNACHI article on your website, which has been newly translated into French and explains the importance of preparing a home in the event of an earthquake:  Inspection Relative à la Prévention des Risques Sismiques.

One of the most dangerous parts of a home inspection is the electrical portion.  Electricity can behave in unexpected ways if there is any damage to a component or if other conditions exist that permit a current to jump from its intended path.  An arc flash is one of the greatest and most lethal hazards involved in electrical system maintenance and inspection.  Home inspectors should know the risks and precautions they should take to avoid this potentially deadly threat by reading our latest article:  Home Inspector Safety & the Dangers of Arc Flashes.

Failing to perform simple home maintenance tasks can lead to some serious consequences.  One of the easier tasks is changing the furnace or HVAC filter.  Homeowners may need to do it every three months, but there are conditions that require it to be done more frequently.  Find out what those conditions are and why it’s so important to stay on top of this task in the first place in our latest article:  Homeowner Maintenance: Changing the HVAC Filter.

Ever wonder how InterNACHI determines how many credit hours to assign to its various online and video training courses?   Contrary to what some people think, it’s a matter just a little more complicated than figuring out how long it takes a member to complete the course.  It’s actually based on a formula devised, in part, by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, and the IRS.  Read about it in our new article:  How InterNACHI Calculates its Continuing Education Credit Hours.

Inspectors are somewhat divided on the question of when to breach their client’s confidentiality for when (or whether) to warn a non-client about an imminent danger on an inspected property.  Depending on the hazard, some inspectors wouldn’t think twice, while others are concerned about ensuring everyone’s safety versus minimizing their own liability.  This article discusses the pros and cons for both homeowners and home inspectors:  The Duty to Warn:  A Home Inspector’s and Home Seller’s Guide to Immediate Hazards.

For Canadian and other French-speaking members, post this InterNACHI article on your website, which has been newly translated into French and explains the problems caused for sensitive people by the ubiquitous household dust mite:  Inspection des Acariens  (Dust Mite Inspection).

For Canadian and other French-speaking members, post this InterNACHI article on your website, which has been newly translated into French and explains the importance of properly locating the clothes dryer vent and regularly cleaning its lint trap to prevent a potential house fire:   Sécurité et Conduits d’Évacuation des Sécheuses (Dryer Vent Safety).

At some point, every inspector is going to damage something at a home in the course of his or her inspection.  If you think such a situation is an unfortunate mishap that paints you in a negative light and will cost you both in terms of your fee and future referrals, guess what?  You’re wrong.  Read why the very opposite is true in our new inspection article:  Doing Damage During an Inspection:  It’s Your Job.

For Canadian and other French-speaking members, post this InterNACHI article on your website, which has been newly translated into French and explains the importance of having special electrical receptacles for exterior use, especially on a home’s deck:  Les Prises Électriques de Terrasses (Deck Receptacles).

Do clients like receiving a memorable freebie after their inspection?  Yes!  Would you like to add value to your inspection service and earn your clients’ gratitude by handing them something useful?  Yes and yes!  Would you like your parting gift to confuse, insult and alienate your clients?  No, no and NO!  Read about some common inspector give-aways that have the opposite effect than intended (and one great alternative that’s a sure hit) in Freebies That Inspectors Should Never Give Out.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get other people to do your marketing for you?  Home inspectors have far more opportunities to make this happen than they may realize, and one tried-and-true strategy is a winner that you can learn about now.  Read How to Get Real Estate Pros to Hand Out Your Card to discover a simple yet effective way to get front-line assistance with your marketing, and make professional connections that will last throughout your career.

Inspectors who are serious about marketing needn’t use a scattershot approach to try to cultivate new and repeat business.  As consumer information becomes more readily available online, inspectors should take advantage of it and combine it with the information that they gather in the course of their own inspections to develop a “hyper-targeted” marketing strategy that a prospect is more likely to respond to.  Read more about it in Creating Customer Profiles for Your Marketing.