Good News For Missouri Inspectors

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Another inspector sent me a copy of the MAR's recent newsletter. It shows their legislative priorities for 2011. The GOOD news is we're not their #1 Prioity next year / ONLY #2

They don't want licensure - Just REGISTRATION.

Maybe Missouri can get a GOOD registration Bill like Kansas has that will REALLY take care of Home Inspectors.

[Gary Farnsworth]

Registration is better than licensing. With registration, send in your name, address, fees, proof of insurance, proof of education, done. No SOP's codes of ethics, rules, regulations, all which are not needed. Since Missouri is not a right to work state, membership in any association should be enough. Too bad Kansas did not see it that way.

[James E. Braun, CMI]

Didn't Kansas licensing start out as just a registration bill?

[Gary Farnsworth]

Yes, but since Kansas is a right to work state, being forced to be a member of an "association", or in most cases in Kansas, a union, was against current laws on the books when home inspection laws were in committee. They skirted the law by having ASHI members on the board, and in control. The KAR and Mr. Bell licked their chops on that one. IMHO, just having a registration program would be OK, and a good compromise. I also think all contractors and repair persons, agents, and home builders would be required to register, as they are all involved in the real estate transaction process.

I even presented this idea to Kansas Senator Brownlee at a hearing in 2008, but that is where it ended.

[James E. Braun, CMI]

Only the Realtors seem to win when inspectors compromise on legislation.
Sad but true.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

GARY & Others -

Take a GOOD look at the Kansas Bill. It is a REGISTRATION Bill. BUT they give you a LICENSE. OR if we want to be MORE accurate - ITS an ACT!

The lead-in off the KS Bill.

AN ACT concerning the Kansas home inspectors professional competence and financial responsibility act;

When the WICHITA group cuddled up to the realestators, they kept naively believing the SIMPLE registration act they wrote would FLY (I believe they were led to that assumption by certain SPECIAL interests). NONE of the WICHITA group had home inspection leadership experience; NOR had they served on any National Committees AND kept the other inspection groups with the experienced players out of the planning. OTHER groups told them the special interests would TAKE it over at the last minutes - BUT they thought their BUDDIES would help them.

Look at it now....................

[Gary Farnsworth]

That explains why the Kansas SOP's are so weak. The RE's wanted HI soft reporting, and got it. Now, HI's are going out of business, as RE's are using contractors, even other agents to do home checks; and for free, and not under any rule or regulation.

Sad for the consumers. They lost big time. Now $199, one hour limited inspections are the norm, or RE's are getting free reports from roofers, foundation repair persons, electricians, etc. And, they are free for a reason.

In 2013, I hope the new lawmakers who get elected will see what the current and former lawmakers did, and vote these laws out.

[David Moriconi]

Originally Posted by gfarnsworth

Registration is better than licensing. With registration, send in your name, address, fees, proof of insurance, proof of education, done. No SOP's codes of ethics, rules, regulations, all which are not needed. Since Missouri is not a right to work state, membership in any association should be enough. Too bad Kansas did not see it that way.

Unfortunately we ( the Missouri inspectors)will have to belong to at least one national associations, if MO was like Kansas we could drop all the association and their fees.
I wonder when the inspectors in Kansas will wake up and stop sending in dues to the Big #1 Association! Inspectors only need to follow the Kansas SOP's and rules.

[Gary Farnsworth]

David, correct. I wonder just how many inspectors there are in Kansas who are not a member of any association. I may consider your point. With our business here in KC right now, it is either pay fees or pay for food.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Don't know if its true or NOT, but someone told me the Radon Bill in Kansas next year requires you to belong to either NRSB or NEHA.

If it is true, I'd wonder how they pulled that off - Since for home inspectors they told us we could NOT use a state Bill to make people join a private association, etc.

[Gary Farnsworth]

IMO, this is just another wave of attacks on honest, third party home inspectors. Now it is radon checks. This is a way to shove and push us out of their industry, or, so to speak, "brotherhood". They want the testing, so as to do the mitigation, needed or not. Requirement of being a member of an association to participate in any state entity is a violation of Kansas right to work laws, an can cause lawsuits. The testing of a home by a mitigation company is a huge conflict of interest, such as are contractors, agents, engineers, insurance agents, appraisers are doing home inspections. Apparently all Kansas lawmakers think conflicts of interests are a way of life.

It is amazing to me that you can only learn so much about radon, and the typical home buyer and agent will not care about any jargon, except the results. Electronic testers are programable, and can fail. EPA regulations say any home that has radon test over 4.0 should be mitigated. Simple. Whoever pushed for these radon laws just wants the money from the testers who are willing to pay for it, and this money goes to pushing us little guys out of the way, further hurting small businesses.

This is just another example of a large member society pushing their weight around for the benefit of their industry. The consumers again will lose.