I note that many inspectors belong to 2 or more national inspection organizations. (NACHI and ASHI) for example. My question is WHY???
Why not join one organization that meets most of your needs??
Does multiple memberships provide and advantage that I don’t see?
I see that NACHI provides everything I could need, why pay for another membership else where?
For most, it is a business decision only. There are area’s where R.E. agents will only refer ASHI inspectors or NAHI or INaCHI. Is a INACHI inspector works in an area where ASHI inspectors are referred, or vice versa, sometimes it is prudent to join the other org to get the referrals.
My thoughts anyway
Brian Jones
Some guys like to go to alot of meetings maybe because they don’t have many friends and this is there nite out. 
Mic
I agree to a point. ASHI and InterNACHI are completely different in they way they think. You would think that the people who believe in the way ASHI thinks would not want to help support InterNACHI by paying for membership and same with the people that believe in InterNACHI. It’s like being a Catholic and also a Jew.
In a simple world this would not make sense. Since we do not live in a simple world, the answer is not going to be one simple sentence.
To make the answer as simple as possible. If you don’t see an advantage to joining ASHI, then it is likely that there is no advantage. I would put my money & time toward advertising.
If your so convinced INACHI is for you then sign up, we would love to have you and you would be amazed at what $289.00 will get as far as education ETC,
Like my father-in-law and the churches he went to. I personally don’t know if he believed in what was preached but he got business from them. When one of the churches didn’t use his heating company to install the new heating system, he stopped going to that church.
Bet he didn’t stay in business to long, unless you have a ton of churches in your area.
For me, one association over the other doesn’t matter, I’m hardly asked if I belong to one.
In the end your expertise, qualifications, marketing and bedside manner mean the most.
JMHO
Though I’m not an inspector, I would assume that the same rules apply. Many people in my industries (Internet publishing & marketing) join single associations on an individual level, yet the corporations for whom they work are members of multiple associations purely for strategic purposes (e.g., networking, credibility, etc.). In such cases, if an employee of a multimedia company or advertising agency is asked if they belong to a certain professional organization, they can always say, “Our company has been an active member since 19__”, even if they they don’t personally pay dues or go to any meetings.
Having a membership to a professional association originally started as a way for people in the same industry to gain access to products and services at group-discounted rates, i.e., buying power. Eventually, the “Org” was used as a way to promote a “code of ethics” to consumers as an “up-sell” (except that following such a code has always been a personal choice an not always a matter of law).
Most consumers aren’t as aware as many large businesses about the kind of training you do or don’t receive via the org. In the business arena (especially for larger companies), they won’t hire you unless you’ve passed certain courses that are often only given by the industry’s professional association. For example, the marketing department of Coca-Cola are members of the AAA (American Association of Advertisers). The AAA may offer CE (or equivelant) courses pertaining to multimedia publishing. Coca-Cola may require that the multimedia contractor they hire have gone through the course. You simply aren’t going to fine many homeowners asking if you’ve gone through ‘CE Course 2418A for Mold Remediation’.
But, there is nothing wrong with joining multiple professional industry association (or other associations) if you are getting educational value out of it and making useful contacts. Both of those benefits alone will help you inside or out side of the inspection industry (but you need to actually participate in the meetings and training). Should the inspection industry ever experience a crash, you may have learned enough through your orgs to get a decent job somewhere else. In fact, I know people who were hired by companies simply because of all the classes they attended from the orgs they had joined.
Hope this helps.
Well, in my case, during my first year in business I joined CREIA (California), ASHI, NAHI, AAHI, SPREI, HIF, and one other one. I did not join NACHI because I didn’t know it existed. That was October 2001-September 2002. I joined all of them so that I could get access to their member benefits and message boards so that I could determine which one was best for me. None of them. I went from October 2002 to March 23, 2003 not belonging to any home inspector trade assocation. On that date, I joined NACHI, mainly because of the brouhaha over at inspectionnews.com when Nick Gromicko was banned from that site.
I’ve been a member only of NACHI/iNACHI since that date.
I do know that some people belong to two, usually iNACHI and ASHI, because iNACHI provides the benefits/active Message Board but has no active chapter or members in their service area, whereas ASHI does. In some areas, ASHI is deeply entrenched, so, as my wise old grandmother would say, “Join the competition and find out what they’re doing. Then do one better.”
After looking at all of the organizations, iNachi does offer me the biggtest bang for the buck, so to speak. Have been very impressed with all the good information one gets from this sight. And the up dates, etc. by Nick.
From what I hear, INACHI is one of the fastest growing organizations.
Was Just in a quandry as to the return on dollars in joining additional organizations. I am NOT that impressed with ASHI, they seem to be a for “profit” organization With all their "extra fees, such as a fee paid “entry” test.
So, joining them gets a little expensive, and unless there is a good return on the dollars spent, why throw good money after bad.
Look forward to becoming a full iNACHI member