What certification organization is best?

[Justin S. Ragan]

I have just begun researching the possibility of home inspecting as a career. I have a bachelors degree in construction management and over five years experience in the construction industry. There seem to be so many organizations that offer certification- which is the best and how is each organization different? Thanks for your help!

[gporter]

NACHI. Just read this board. We have they most experience guys in the industry.

[Nick Gromicko]

I wouldn't join any association for the "certificate." Not a reason to join an association. www.nachi.org/benefits.htm

[W. Michael Chris]

Take a look around this site . . . nothing compares to it! This board is great . . . everyone is willing to help . . . be sure to follow Nicks link . . . NACHI will blow you away!

[Justin S. Ragan]

Originally Posted by gromicko

I wouldn't join any association for the "certificate." Not a reason to join an association. www.nachi.org/benefits.htm

Nick,
I think you are probably trying to help, but as someone who has just started researching the home inspection industry, you have simply confused me. Could you expand on your statement? I understand the whole point is to not just have a "certificate", but to be certified by a reputable association. The responses I was hoping for would detail why one association may be better than the other. If you can shed some light along those lines, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Kevin Luce]

I am not a member here as you can see but if you are starting out, there is nobody out there that can say that NACHI and this board isn't there for new home inspectors.

When looking into NAHI, I felt there was nothing they can offer for me since there are no classes they offer in this state or anyone representing NAHI's opinions when licensing was being created.

ASHI, you feel like a new kid in class no matter how long you have been in the home inspection business (different experience when I joined NACHI and was at a NACHI meeting). Their cost are high and the benefits (I was only with them for a year) were not visible. When I was with ASHI, their board to read about what others have to say was almost non existent and they deleted the question after a short time so there was no way to do a search for an answer given in the past.

My response to your question is like being a home inspector, a third party non bias opinion.

Good luck on your decision making.

[rmaday]

I have also looked at the various orgs and recently joined InterNACHI mainly for the benefits. www.nachi.org/benefits.htm

Another reason is being able to get insight from many people on topics from marketing and business development to technical questions on the public as well as members only board.

The on-line "courses" which I have taken so far have been much more than I expected in content and detail.

In doing your due diligence in deciding which org to join, don't be surprised if you end up right back here!

[Nick Gromicko]

The best little known secret in the industry is www.InspectorMALL.com So much there it is simply amazing.

[tchristopher]

Justin, just hang out here on the BB for awhile & explore all the links, & then decide for yourself, there's no substitute for quality, it speaks for itself.

[dshock]

Justin,
I too, just like you, looked for an association to join when I first started inspecting. I looked at InterNACHI, ASHI, NAHI. ASHI and NAHI just don't have many benefits to offer. I joined InterNACHI because of the benefits, with this message board being one of them. My business would not be where it is right now without all of InterNACHI's benefits. But what ever you do research all 3 associations, that way when you do join InterNACHI you will know you joined the best!

[nwagner]

Originally Posted by Justin S. Ragan

I have just begun researching the possibility of home inspecting as a career. I have a bachelors degree in construction management and over five years experience in the construction industry. There seem to be so many organizations that offer certification- which is the best and how is each organization different? Thanks for your help!

I would steer clear of ASHI and NAHI- they have no problem taking your money and use it to brand you as inferior to their "veteran" inspectors, most of them being the 2-Hour-Or-Less specials that are enslaved to the real estate agents. The "benefits" consists of nothing more than "discounts" on overpriced products from vendors in bed with the association, publicity campaigns that propagandize the public with slander that only their "Full Members" are qualified to inspect and lobbying efforts that suit the associations at the expense of everyone else. They are a total waste of money.

If you feel the need to be certified, this place is your best bet. The education is superior in both quality and price, the resources aren't held hostage for cash and there are several free useful programs and services. Most will tell you that the dues here are well worth it- especially if you are starting out.

[dbelmont]

Hi Justin,

Certification for the sake of certification is a waste of your time and money. The vast majority of consumers don't know, don't care and will not ask.

With that in mind I evaluated the Associations for what they really offered my business for the fee I paid. The others seemed intent on getting my money but what I got in return was unclear at best.

My choice is as you see. It wasn't a difficult choice once you look at the real things you get for your money.

[Bob Elliott]

No other org has so many people willing to help with your Questions ,as you can already see.

[David P. Valley]

Nick,

Does this look familiar?

1) iNACHI has requirements that one must complete before applying for membership. A$HI does not. You can join A$HI by doing nothing more than sending them your hard earned money.

2) iNACHI doesn't encourage or require new members to go out and perform a certain number of unqualified fee-paid inspection for poor, unsuspecting consumers as the only way to achieve full membership. A$HI unconscionably does.

3) iNACHI doesn't permit newbies to perform their first inspections on actual consumers. Newbies who wish to apply to iNACHI must do 4 mock inspections. A$HI has no such requirement and their Candidates or Associates regularly perform their very first inspection for an actual fee-paying consumer. Not a good thing….

4) iNACHI recognizes that consumers are most harmed by inspectors who don't know how bad they are. That is why iNACHI make their online exam open and free to all... to alert these consumer killers that they should go back to school or not enter the profession. iNACHI’s free, online exam has alerted tens of thousands of incompetent wannabees each year, some of which have instead joined A$HI and went out on the street to harm existing inspectors and murder consumers.

5) iNACHI recognizes that newbies need a rigorous ramp-up system. iNACHI has it: www.nachi.org/rigorous2006.htm A$HI doesn't.

6) iNACHI recognizes that fees (for exams or education) are much like a tax in that they deter inspectors from taking it. That is why all of iNACHI’s education is affordable or free and much of it is online so that there are no time and transportation costs. This has resulted in iNACHI delivering more continuing education than all other groups and schools combined... and for pennies per hour. A$HI offers no or little free education.

7) This industry is changing all the time as are iNACHI’s courses and exams. Passing an exam once, (years ago) doesn't alert today's inspector to that which he needs to know. That is why iNACHI requires members to pass the entrance exam every year. A$HI has no annual exam.

iNACHI requires advanced courses as a condition of membership. A$HI does not.

9) iNACHI’s online courses contain quizzes that alert the quiz-taker when he has answered incorrectly and tells him/her which one's he/she missed. In other words, the quizzes are educational in and of themselves. It does an inspector no good to learn that he/she answered an x number of questions wrong without telling him/her which questions. A$HI keeps its members in the dark about their weaknesses, any one of which could be deadly to the consumer.

10) iNACHI believes that the industry should be full of successful full-time inspectors and that business success and marketing is the only way good inspectors can stay in business. That is why iNACHI has developed so many success tools www.nachi.org/success.htm. What good is it for a technically proficient inspector to go out of business? How does it help the consumer to have our industry flooded with unqualified newbies cutting their prices to get their inspections in and in some cases, waving their newly printed licenses that they got due to A$HI pushed legislation which essentially triples the number of newbies overnight. I don't blame A$HI, they are tied to the NHIE which only makes money if the state uses their minimum standard exam to flood our markets.

iNACHI is the best inspection association in the world. Thousands of websites, hundreds of millions of hits, a huge message board, chapters in 43 countries and 9 languages, free online education, a commercial SOP, free websites for members, free hosting, free online inspection agreements, a sister indoor air quality association, a sister online TV show, an automated phone notification system, books dedicated to promoting InterNACHI members, promotions in 50,000 retail outlets, booths at hundreds of shows, insurance discounts, software discounts, legal forms and help, tons of free stuff, a free report uploading system, moveincertified.com, a huge mall full of deals and free stuff for inspectors and marketing tools the likes of which have never been seen!

WANT MORE?

[Nick Gromicko]

Brilliantly written David.