Another association leader says Mallory's association/ASTM meeting unfair.

[Nick Gromicko]

Dear Pat Picariello:

This process regarding the decision to go forth on the home inspection ASTM standards saddens me. The rules should be altered for those that attended the first gathering in Las Vegas to allow us to cast a proxy vote for the upcoming September 24th meeting. Your request to have us alter our businesses one more time at a great expense is unreasonable. I am a one man shop operating in Utah. It was at great personal expense for me to stop my business in an unexpected fashion to drive to Las Vegas for the original meeting that did not accomplish anything other than exhaust time away from my business and family. It is unreasonable for you to think that I can just pick up and travel all the way to your offices for a repeat performance of the same meeting.

We live in an electronic age where you, the ASTM International, could easily have an online webinar that would allow all interested parties to call in and view the meeting online and cast our votes accordingly. You would have several thousand, if not tens of thousands of inspectors casting their votes and you would then have a true reflection of what the industry wants. I must question whether or not you really want to poll our industry. Instead, this turns out to be a regional popularity contest garnering votes from those who live in close proximity to the West Conshohocken, PA meeting place. As the National Chairman for the American Institute of Inspectors I am feeling pressure to be there, but I have very little confidence that it will result in anything different than the last meetin g. This is due to the stacking of the deck by regional bias. 95% of our membership lives west of the Mississippi River and getting them to travel to your offices is an unreasonable request. This puts your meeting in jeopardy of attaining industry acceptance because you truly are not attempting to poll our industry.

Home inspectors are mainly one man shops and your method of getting their vote is simply unacceptable. Please consider the online and phone webinar approach. We have been successfully holding open board meetings this way and it allows every interested member the ability to listen in. Those that want to speak are given special status and they call in via a line that allows them speaking privileges. Voting is also quite easy and each person gets one vote. So why not consider this process and eliminate the regional bias and allow every home inspector with an internet connection and phone line the ability to participate in the process. Another approach would be for you to have each inspector association poll their members and then add up the votes. It just seems ridiculous to think that the 50 -300 people that you are going to have in your office are going to be anything other than a s kewed bias or our industry as a whole.

Please consider my recommendation and understand that I cannot leave my business again to participate in the process at your locale. It is just too expensive, too time consuming, and I faithfully expended the time and money the first time around. Surely there must be some value in my initial efforts. Please consider allowing me to either vote by proxy, or better yet, allow myself and all of the other inspectors an online ability to participate.

Sincerely,
Michael Leavitt
Chairman - American Institute of Inspectors - www.Inspection.org
Orem, Utah
801-225-8020
Mobile - 801-636-6816
Peaceofmind@TheHomeInspector.com
www.TheHomeInspector.com

[Nick Gromicko]

Posted with permission from Michael.

[David Nice]

Do you think there will be enough ASHI and NACHI members at the September meeting to shut down the effort by the leaders of that small inspectors group work with ASTM at rewriting our industries SOP at the expense of the vast majority of the inspection community?

[Nick Gromicko]

No. I'm going to have to get a court injunction.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Originally Posted by gromicko

No. I'm going to have to get a court injunction.

Nick,

When You and I show up, NAHI Members will be outnumbered....

[David Nice]

Originally Posted by gromicko

No. I'm going to have to get a court injunction.

Is that in the works? That would be a smooth move if you can swing it. Any other orgs wanting to join in? Since our chapter is an independent org perhaps we should file a "friend of the court" brief.

[John McKenna]

NAHI has been signing up dogs in order to boost it's membership
in order to get ready for the big vote.

I know it's true. How you say? Well... uhhh.... someone told me...

3 guesses to win a prize.
Who do I sound like?

[David Nice]

Originally Posted by jmckenna1

NAHI has been signing up dogs in order to boost it's membership
in order to get ready for the big vote.

I know it's true. How you say? Well... uhhh.... someone told me...

3 guesses to win a prize.
Who do I sound like?

An Alaskan Mall-o-mutt!

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Guys -

Please lets try to not punish those dog lovers in our groups that want their trusted friend to have certification and prestige also. As most of you know, out here in the midwest we had a self-proclaimed leader in ASHI; a President of the Kansas Association of Real Estate Inspectors sign his dog up in NACHI.

I think most of us didn't take it seriously even though he tried using it with the Kansas legislators to try and discredit NACHI. I heard 2-3 NAHI Inspectors at both the state legislative hearings and the state inspectors annual meeting dress him down for that. I don't remember hearing any of the ASHI crew stand up for youse.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Originally Posted by dbowers

Guys -

Please lets try to not punish those dog lovers in our groups that want their trusted friend to have certification and prestige also. As most of you know, out here in the midwest we had a self-proclaimed leader in ASHI; a President of the Kansas Association of Real Estate Inspectors sign his dog up in NACHI.

I think most of us didn't take it seriously even though he tried using it with the Kansas legislators to try and discredit NACHI. I heard 2-3 NAHI Inspectors at both the state legislative hearings and the state inspectors annual meeting dress him down for that. I don't remember hearing any of the ASHI crew stand up for youse.

Dan,

Are you suggesting that an ASHI Chapter President FALSIFIED an AFFIDAVIT and signed up a DOG as a MEMBER of a Professional Home Inspection Organization?

To what depths will ASHI Members / Alleged Leaders go?

[Nick Gromicko]

Actually, the ASHI member joined NACHI legitimately. Then changed his his first name in his profile to that of his dog.

The funny thing is that it is impossible for a dog to join NACHI legitimately. One would need a real human willing to falsify documents and commit crimes (theft of services, fraud, etc).

However, anyone and any thing can legitimately join ASHI, just send money and shazam!: http://www.ashi.org/inspectors/join/...pplication.pdf You need not commit a crime to join with no exam, no education, no testing, no quizzes, no courses, no hands-on training, no inspections... nothing... just send $.

Wait, it gets worse. ASHI then encourages these totally unqualified members (yes Scott Patterson of ASHI confessed that they count these associates and candidates as members when they state the number of members they have) to go out and perform a certain number of totally unqualified fee-paid inspections for poor, unsuspecting consumers as the only way to achieve full membership... unconsionable!

The more I look at other associations, the more I realize that NACHI does things right.

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Wait, it gets worse. ASHI then encourages these totally unqualified members (yes Scott Patterson of ASHI confessed that they count these associates and candidates as members when they state the number of members they have) to go out and perform a certain number of totally unqualified fee-paid inspections for poor, unsuspecting consumers as the only way to achieve full membership... unconsionable!

And people wonder why fees are so low and why there are $115.00 inspectors out there.

[Blaine Wiley]

Sure, do 250 $100 inspections to get your time in and you can then take a test and become a full member. Why should any inspector have to prove themselves before joining?

Nick said it earlier. The more I look around, the more NACHI does it right!

[Joseph Burkeson, CMI]

Originally Posted by bwiley

Sure, do 250 $100 inspections to get your time in and you can then take a test and become a full member.

The Jerry Peck Candidate to Full-Member formula in a nutshell. He was kind enough to personally lay it out for me back in 03'.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

I've heard many inspectors over the years brag their 7 year old child joined the other group, or their schnauser joined the other inspection group (whichever the other group is).

Bottom line - somebody had to fill out the application, write the check or give a credit card info, take the online test, etc, etc. Done that way anybody can cheat on the rules of all 3 organizations.