Keep the E-Mails coming!!

[PAUL J. MAGRONE]

Dear Mr. Crist,
I appreciate the response your office sent in response to my e-mail. I feel like you never read it and that I received a canned response as did many other home inspectors that I have spoken with.
I am looking for a conversation with you. E-mail, phone call, or other. I would welcome you to meet some of my past clients. I would welcome you to ride along on an inspection with me. My point is that I am an honest, hard working, Florida business man that depends on my business for my family.The legislation being proposed is unfair. I have read at least two versions. Both want to take affect by July of this year. Both would jeopardize my business by placing an unreasonable request and financial burden on my business.
I am under the impression that special interest groups want to purposefully put many inspectors out of business. This would cause price increases because inspectors would be in more demand and there would be less of them because of the proposed legislation, if passed.
The bill as it is now clearly violates the Florida law that prohibits passing legislation that places an unfair burden on existing businesses in an unregulated industry.
I worked too hard to have politicians that do not know the industry create unfair laws to cater to special interests. I am prepared to contact my attorney to help me fight this if it does pass. I will not lose my business because of this proposed bill.
I do not believe that you are one of these politicians that would sign a bill like this. That is why I will only attempt to persuade you to see my side. I am not alone. There are many like me. Qualified, honest, and determined to keep our business. You can help by trying to talk to as many of us as possible. Learn the business and how hard NACHI members and other organization members work to stay educated.
I do not want to wait to see what the special interest groups have come up with to put me out of business. Just because I only make about 40,000 a year and cannot contribute to politicians does not mean I am less important to the Florida economy. My business is everything to me. Help me please.

Sincerely,
Paul J. Magrone
Home Inspections By Paul J. Magrone Inc.
http://pjm-inc.com/

charlie.crist@myflorida.com <charlie.crist@myflorida.com>
Thomas.Hobbs@LASPBS.STATE.FL.US

[Greg Bell]

Paul.

What unfair burden does this bill place on you?

How is this bill going to put you out of business?

[Mathew Hawley]

Greg,

The bill places an unfair burden on any inspector who has been in business for less than 3 years. What about those who have recently spent a ton of money on a franchise, or those that are so busy and now they have to take a 120 hour class, or what about a multi inspector firm who recently hired a inspector?

There should be no grandfathering at all and we should all have to take the 120 hour class and the test OR all in business when the bill becomes law should be grandfathered. one or the other.

[Greg Bell]

That is what I thought. It just seems silly to me to say that you are going to fight this with an attorney. The attorney is going to cost a lot more than a 120 hour course.

[Mathew Hawley]

Greg,

An attorney would be a last resort. If many helped fund the fight it would not be so bad.

Also the bill is suppose to protect the consumer, how does it? It does not. As far as the 120 hour class every inspector should take it. If the bill is to protect the consumer then lets all take a 120 hour class, one can never stop learning, correct? Maybe we will learn something we did not already know.

Lets all take a national exam. Then at least the consumers would know we have a basic level of knowledge.

And what about insurance that will protect the consumer E&O maybe, I liked your plan you talked about at your class better. However where is the consumer protection?

Im not so opposed to licensing, however this bill needs a lot of work to both be fair to all inspectors and to better protect the consumers.

[James H. Bushart]

Licensing is not designed to protect the consumer. That is only the hyperbole used by those who are selling it.

No consumer in Florida has asked his rep to license a single home inspector.

You are dealing with home inspectors who want to burden the "other guy" in order to reduce the number he must compete against for business. That is the HI side of it.

Your RE salespeople that push it are doing so to lessen their burden of responsibility and to exert control over the profession. That is where your mandatory E&O comes from.

The consumer is only a factor when the special interests try to disguise their motives.

[Mathew Hawley]

James I agree with you, and thank you for your support.

[dharris]

I'm confused... Are there "CERTIFIED" HIs { Marketed to the public by a national HI org as such] out there that claim to be more superior/ qualified than other inspectors that cannot meet a states minimum licensing, requirements.
The solution to stay in business, instead of getting the minimum state required training it's easier to hire an attorney.???

Gosh this is a good post to send to all the 60 MO paper editors and all MO realtors and let them decide what is best for the MO residents
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[Mathew Hawley]

Time in business is the only requirement that some inspectors may not be able to meet. The bill has know requirements.

Just because one has had an occ license for 3 years does not make them qualified and does not protect the consumer.

As far as Org politics, grow up. Every inspector involved with any Org is doing so to better themselves. 99% of the general public has not heard of any of the Orgs anyways. All HI Orgs have something to offer to help better inform and educate inspectors. They are all good.

[James H. Bushart]

The only way ASHI can affect legislation anymore these days is to form a separate org and pretend to be a "coalition", anyway. ASHI has no clout in the legislature.

[Greg Bell]

Matt,

My position on licensing has not changed. I just felt that you were weakening your position by stating that a 120 hour course is an undue burden that you would be willing to fight through the legal system if it were passed.

This bill has nothing to do with consumer protection.

[lcapaul]

Originally Posted by pmagrone

Dear Mr. Crist,
I appreciate the response your office sent in response to my e-mail. I feel like you never read it and that I received a canned response as did many other home inspectors that I have spoken with.
I am looking for a conversation with you. E-mail, phone call, or other. I would welcome you to meet some of my past clients. I would welcome you to ride along on an inspection with me. My point is that I am an honest, hard working, Florida business man that depends on my business for my family.The legislation being proposed is unfair. I have read at least two versions. Both want to take affect by July of this year. Both would jeopardize my business by placing an unreasonable request and financial burden on my business.
I am under the impression that special interest groups want to purposefully put many inspectors out of business. This would cause price increases because inspectors would be in more demand and there would be less of them because of the proposed legislation, if passed.
The bill as it is now clearly violates the Florida law that prohibits passing legislation that places an unfair burden on existing businesses in an unregulated industry.
I worked too hard to have politicians that do not know the industry create unfair laws to cater to special interests. I am prepared to contact my attorney to help me fight this if it does pass. I will not lose my business because of this proposed bill.
I do not believe that you are one of these politicians that would sign a bill like this. That is why I will only attempt to persuade you to see my side. I am not alone. There are many like me. Qualified, honest, and determined to keep our business. You can help by trying to talk to as many of us as possible. Learn the business and how hard NACHI members and other organization members work to stay educated.
I do not want to wait to see what the special interest groups have come up with to put me out of business. Just because I only make about 40,000 a year and cannot contribute to politicians does not mean I am less important to the Florida economy. My business is everything to me. Help me please.

Sincerely,
Paul J. Magrone
Home Inspections By Paul J. Magrone Inc.
http://pjm-inc.com/

charlie.crist@myflorida.com <charlie.crist@myflorida.com>
Thomas.Hobbs@LASPBS.STATE.FL.US

You guys should get your stories straight, Nick and Bushart say that sfter licensing the number of Inspectors will TRIPLE and that prices for inspections will fall, you're saying just the opposite, and your "unfair burden" of 120 classroom hours would also fall on those who are just entering the profession, those who will cause the numbers of inspectors to triple, how can that be an unfair burden?

[Greg Bell]

This bill offers no help to a home owner like the Clemons. They would be in the same position with licensing or without. If they wanted to protect the consumer then they would be setting up a recovery fund for any consumers that hired a negligent inspector. The contractors have such a fund for their clients.

[Mathew Hawley]

Greg,

I think we should do the same and thats it. The consumers would be protected and businesses would not be interupted. This bill offers no consumer protection and only interupts inspectors who have been in business for less than 3 Years.

The bill is pure garbage, why anyone would want the Gov invoved in their business I just cant understand. What a waste of time and money.

As far as competition let the market weed itself of bad inspectors.

[Mathew Hawley]

Greg,

I just dont understand peoples thought process with licensing. The same with wind mitigation inspections, why would anyone want to do them for $85, when they can take the ICC Boot Camp course, study the ACE Program and get their B1 and charge $150 for them.

What are people thinking?

I just dont get how this bill will help anything