The ASHI Fraud

[James H. Bushart]

This, from a long term member:

You recently asked how the name change inside ASHI affected the membership requirements this past year. For 30 years you could not ADVERTISE you were an ASHI member unless you had fufilled all membership requirements. When I joined 24 years ago that was up around 750 to 1,000 verified home inspections; a PEER review on-site with 3 Senior Inspectors from outside your Trade Area to insure you actually knew what you were talking about and could convey that information to your client; AND a very extensive series of tests on construction knowledge taking all day to complete if you tried to take them all in the same day.

When Realtors, lenders OR the general public used an ASHI member they were more assured of competency. The Realtors, lenders OR general public OFTEN insisted on using ONLY an ASHI member. Today we find MANY Realtors still telling their clients to ONLY use an ASHI member because they're the ONLY ones competent to .................. While that is nice for us ASHI members, its a straight out lie or deception.

Attached is ASHI's 2007 name policy change. They were losing membership to other inspector organizations and changed name classifications so ANY person that joins ASHI can call themselves an ASHI member as soon as the check OR credit card clears the bank.

You still can't use the logo until taking a test OR producing some inspections, but .......

Today NACHI (who ASHI inspectors love to kick) have to take an ONLINE construction test before they can even join NACHI; and NAHI members have to complete either 40 hours of classroom training in home inspection OR complete 20 fee paid inspections and have them reviewed by a Peer Review Panel BEFORE they can even get in the front door of NAHI. After getting in, Both of these groups then have more stringent requirements for advancing.

As the 1st ASHI inspector between St. Louis and Denver to reach FULL Membership over 20 years ago, I find this embarrassing but such is life.

[nwagner]

Yet more evidence that A$HI's true interests do not include advancing the profession ...

[lkrausz]

There are three designations of active professional home inspector membership in ASHI®. These ASHI® membership categories are as follows:
ASHI Certified Inspectors— Inspectors in this category have:

• Passed the National Home Inspector Examination and ASHI's Standards and Ethics Examination.
• Had inspection reports successfully verified for compliance with ASHI's Standards of Practice.
• Submitted valid proof of performance of at least 250 fee-paid home inspections that meet or exceed the ASHI Standards of Practice.

ASHI Associates w/ Logo— Inspectors in this category have:

• Passed the National Home Inspector Examination and ASHI's Standards and Ethics Examination.
• ASHI has verified performance of 50 fee-paid inspections in substantial compliance with the Standards of Practice.
• Had inspection reports successfully verified for compliance with ASHI's Standards of Practice.

ASHI Associates— Inspectors in this category have:

• Just joined ASHI and may be new to the inspection profession or may be a seasoned inspector who has not yet completed ASHI's requirements to move up in membership.

[John McKenna]

ASHI needs more benefits if it wants to stay alive... but I'm not sure they understand
that. ... Benefits = Value for the inspector.

[James H. Bushart]

ASHI has been, as the first post illustrates, an indicator of quality home inspectors.

Years ago, it meant something to be a member of ASHI. Today, it doesn't, but the old timers in ASHI feel the need to continue to "lead" other inspectors.

Since their association is just one more of many, they have determined among themselves to legislate their way into power. This is why so many are pushing for state licensing boards with seats they "agree" to fill for their support in pushing it.

The fleas are jumping from the dying dog, looking for a fresh host. What better place to suck blood from than a state government?

[David Sorge]

You guys are so freakin funny its almost pitiful. This is why I love this profession...my competitors are asleep at the wheel with a Twinkee stuffed in their mouths.

If what you say about ASHI is true and relevent, you're essentially going down that same road that you claim they've been on all this time...claiming that your logo is the only meaningful one...exclude all others...they're dumba##es.

People don't hire logos. They hire inspectors they trust, typically based on a referral from someone that trusts you implicitly.

Are you that deaf, dumb, and blind, that you can't see that one undeniable truth about being a home inspector? (need I ask?)

I could create a logo tomorrow, all pretty and official looking. I could fly it from the tailgate of my big Dodge diesel dually. Stamp it on my forehead, tattoo it on my tongue, and pretend to be the best because of it.

Do you know what the end result would be? (besides a really ugly tattoo)

Pretty much the same results I get now...my clients and referral sources trust me implicitly and refer me to others, and my business flourishes in a bad market.

If the only thing you have to separate yourself from your competitors is a logo, you're merely a bottom feeder, reduced to throwing stones to convince people of your importance.

What's really funny (and quite pathetic) is that you do it in public.

[Bob Elliott]

[

Interesting that you have those Logos all over your signature.
WHY?

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by dsorge

If the only thing you have to separate yourself from your competitors is a logo, you're merely a bottom feeder, reduced to throwing stones to convince people of your importance.

I agree and I hope you found your post to be a good first step toward unburdening yourself with your many "logos".

[Nick Gromicko]

lkrausz said it all when he admitted:

ASHI Certified Inspectors— Inspectors in this category have:

• Passed the National Home Inspector Examination and ASHI's Standards and Ethics Examination.
• Had inspection reports successfully verified for compliance with ASHI's Standards of Practice.

ASHI's highest level of membership only has 3 bogus requirements.

1. Show that your reporting forms or reporting software meets or exceeds SOP. How silly. Today, all reporting forms and reporting software meets or exceeds SOP. Try finding one that doesn't.

2. Pass an ethics quiz. Even sillier! Unethical inspectors would surely have no problem in lying and giving the correct ethical answers.

3. Pass the beginners NHIE. The NHIE is the very same entrance exam used by many states to license newbies fresh out of school. ASHI is so silly. What a joke of an association.

Because we control some 4,500 inspection related sites and of course www.nachi.org, the 50,000 watt microphone of the inspection industry, we get about 200 consumer requests a week asking the same question. "How do I find a good home inspector?" I answer every one of them the same way. "First, look for the ASHI logo on the inspector's brochure and website. If you find it, avoid that diploma mill inspector."

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by belliott

Interesting that you have those Logos all over your signature.WHY?

Fair observation and I assume there's a question buried in there...

Because I pay those organizations to represent my business.

The problem is that MY customers, YOUR customers, and EVERYONE elses customers can visit this site and this site has web presence. Think about this in a business sense for a moment...

NACHI spends our money to drive customers to our doors. Where does that lead them? To a web site where the inspectors they're seeking to hire, act like a bunch of pre-teen school girls with a hormonal imablance.

People aren't as dumb as you think. They not only use inspectorseek.whatever, they visit the forums and they see this garbage. Surely the result of that forum visit is...

"yea, I'm going to hire one of those idiots"

Get a clue or a job at McDonalds, and leave the inspecting to those of us that know how to run a business.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by dsorge

Fair observation and I assume there's a question buried in there...

Because I pay those organizations to represent my business.

The problem is that MY customers, YOUR customers, and EVERYONE elses customers can visit this site and this site has web presence. Think about this in a business sense for a moment...

NACHI spends our money to drive customers to our doors. Where does that lead them? To a web site where the inspectors they're seeking to hire, act like a bunch of pre-teen school girls with a hormonal imablance.

People aren't as dumb as you think. They not only use inspectorseek.whatever, they visit the forums and they see this garbage. Surely the result of that forum visit is...

"yea, I'm going to hire one of those idiots"

Get a clue or a job at McDonalds, and leave the inspecting to those of us that know how to run a business.

Are you really that disingenuous or are you a drooling idiot?

You are an ASHI member, as I am. We both know the game that ASHI plays in all media....promoting itself as some kind of an elite society when, in reality, it is nothing more than just another association for home inspectors. Nothing special. Nothing "elite". Just guys like you and me who inspect houses....with a few who want to rule the industry.

Go run your business.

[Nick Gromicko]

ASHI has become an association of newbies. When they lowered their requirements down to nearly nothing, that's what they became.

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by jbushart

Are you really that disingenuous or are you a drooling idiot?

You are an ASHI member, as I am. We both know the game that ASHI plays in all media....promoting itself as some kind of an elite society when, in reality, it is nothing more than just another association for home inspectors. Nothing special. Nothing "elite". Just guys like you and me who inspect houses....with a few who want to rule the industry.

Go run your business.

Anyone that really knows me, knows with absolute certainty that I'm just as critical of ASHI when it comes to representing my business. I have defended NACHI more times than I can count for these very same reasons.

This is about defending my profession and livelyhood from a bunch of freakin drama queens.

Read into it what you like.

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by dsorge

Fair observation and I assume there's a question buried in there...

Because I pay those organizations to represent my business.

The problem is that MY customers, YOUR customers, and EVERYONE elses customers can visit this site and this site has web presence. Think about this in a business sense for a moment...

NACHI spends our money to drive customers to our doors. Where does that lead them? To a web site where the inspectors they're seeking to hire, act like a bunch of pre-teen school girls with a hormonal imablance.

People aren't as dumb as you think. They not only use inspectorseek.whatever, they visit the forums and they see this garbage. Surely the result of that forum visit is...

"yea, I'm going to hire one of those idiots"

Get a clue or a job at McDonalds, and leave the inspecting to those of us that know how to run a business.

So I have not checked your site yet but assume you do not have a NACHI Logo yet do have a ASHI Logo .
Would this be correct?

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by belliott

So I have not checked your site yet but assume you do not have a NACHI Logo yet do have a ASHI Logo .
Would this be correct?

Hopefully not. He can lose his NACHI membership for that.