Licensing Helps HIs/Yes or No?

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Licensing is bad for inspectors (mostly because it causes fee structures to drop)...

I'm already seeing this here but its too early to tell if it will have a major impact like it did in places like Texas. It appears (at least initially) that educated consumers are afraid of the lowest price.

I've felt no effect thus far but I've seen the e-mail blasts from inspectors offering ridiculously low prices, possibly in an effort to get the prerequisite number of inspections for grandfathering.

If they only knew that their low price scheme accomplishes nothing more than anouncing to the world..."I'm a rookie" or "I'm desperate", niether of which any consumer would want to inspect their investment. Well...I'm sure they lure in a few.

[John M. Acaron]

Licensing only add more fees to the inspector to conduct the same service that was provided without the license. It helps the government to make more money and the insurance companies to suck more of our income. Does not help the consumer at all on the contrary it puts everybody in the same playing field without distinguishing who is the most qualify Home Inspector. It is quite deceiving.

The same goes for the Mold Assessors licensing. What a waste of money and time... The consumer gets screwed and the good inspectors are thrown in with the mediocre and inept newly licensed Home & Mold inspectors with no experiance whatsoever. The consumer looses again!

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

There is no evidence whatsoever that supports your claim.

Internet Certified Inspectors probably do more to drive down prices than anything else.

Technically there is...states that adopt a standard reporting form are reduced to a comodity available to the lowest bidder. This is a direct result of licensing.

I would agree with the internet certified inspector comment (to a degree), at least in my market. I constantly get forwarded e-mails from my spies concering inspectors offering crazy low discounts.

The overwhelming majority are touting NACHI certification. Upon checking their certification dates they are also rookies so its hard to solely blame the cert process.

I think in the end, some inspectors will always compete on price largely because they have nothing else to offer. Until they realize that they can't pay their bills or themselves.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by dsorge

Technically there is...states that adopt a standard reporting form are reduced to a comodity available to the lowest bidder. This is a direct result of licensing.

I would agree with the internet certified inspector comment (to a degree), at least in my market. I constantly get forwarded e-mails from my spies concering inspectors offering crazy low discounts.

The overwhelming majority are touting NACHI certification. Upon checking their certification dates they are also rookies so its hard to solely blame the cert process.

I think in the end, some inspectors will always compete on price largely because they have nothing else to offer. Until they realize that they can't pay their bills or themselves.

Mere Conjecture.

States without Licensing have no reliable data at all about how many people were performing Home Inspections, nor do they have reliable historical data on how much a Home Inspection Costs.

As for Lowballers, Licensed, Unlicensed, it does not matter.

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

Mere Conjecture.

Maybe. Ask a Texas inspector.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by dsorge

Maybe. Ask a Texas inspector.

No reliable data to tell us how many HI's there were before Licensing, nor what the prices were.

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

No reliable data to tell us how many HI's there were before Licensing, nor what the prices were.

There are reports from the field though from inspectors that were in business pre and post licensing. Sure its not scientific data but these reports shouldn't be dismissed. In the case of Florida, everything is speculation at this point. I hope you're right but I'm very skeptical.

[Nick Gromicko]

If states simply required what InterNACHI requires with all it's accredited, approved, advanced, robust online courses (courses that would be impossible to ask an entire industry to take and pay for in classroom settings)... we'd all be getting $900/inspection.

Instead, most state licensing requirements are very minimal, and require very very basic education, if any. Worse, some states (like Washington State) even demand poorer, weaker classroom courses for pre-licensing, which ultimately harms consumers.

Remember, unlike diploma mill ASHI (which has NO ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS and uses the very same beginner's exam that many states use to license newbies fresh out of school... to award their highest membership status).... InterNACHI's requirements are ABOVE AND BEYOND and ON TOP OF whatever the state requires for licensing.

Being licensed is like being up to code, it is so bad that if you did anything less it would be outright illegal. It also gives inspectors a false sense of being "qualified" because they are licensed. Many merely government licensed inspectors are incompetent and need much more education.

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Remember, unlike diploma mill ASHI (which has NO ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS and uses the very same beginner's exam that many states use to license newbies fresh out of school... to award their highest membership status).... InterNACHI's requirements are ABOVE AND BEYOND and ON TOP OF whatever the state requires for licensing.

Surely no one could ever accuse you of inconsistency.

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by gromicko

If states simply required what InterNACHI requires with all it's accredited, approved, advanced, robust online courses (courses that would be impossible to ask an entire industry to take and pay for in classroom settings)... we'd all be getting $900/inspection.

I agree.

If a state is going to require something, then they need to set
high standards, like InterNACHI does, or they just create inferior,
state approved, results.

This is what I have been saying for years.

Most states provide license requirements that solve nothing.

I am a state approved mentor for training inspectors and my son
is going through the process right now in Texas. It requires
hundreds of hours of education, field experience, and a very
hard state exam. It has really helped him a lot.

If all states made InterNACHI standards the norm, it would help
inspectors and consumers alike. InterNACHI cannot enforce
it's standards like a state is authorize to do, but their program
is very on target IMHO.

[Nick Gromicko]

A lot of people don't realize that InterNACHI's requirements for certification are ABOVE AND BEYOND and ON TOP of licensing requirements.

Consumers should know that InterNACHI members VOLUNTARILY fulfill these ADDITIONAL requirements so that they can be the best.

[Kenneth Dolin]

Originally Posted by gromicko

A lot of people don't realize that InterNACHI's requirements for certification are ABOVE AND BEYOND and ON TOP of licensing requirements.

Consumers should know that InterNACHI members VOLUNTARILY fulfill these ADDITIONAL requirements so that they can be the best.

Darn Straight Nick, InterNACHI is a part of my daily life and has continually been the cause of my personal and professional growth.
You can have the argument all day long about licensing being good or bad, At the end of the day the good ones will succeed and the poor ones will fail but it wont be from a lack of opportunity.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Brian -

In actuality there have been before / after studies. OR licensed versus unlicensed studies. I suggest you get the Ohio Study & read it.

Illinois was 1 state that tracked inspectors coming in the front door / versus 3 years later. If memory seves me correctly - the numbers went up by about 200% - 300%.

Now try basic arithmatic - If we double OR triple the number of QUALIFIED and LICENSED people doing a task / Do you think it would drive fees up OR down.


David S. - I've seen 11 flyers in the past 45 days in KC touting home and termite inspections for $185-$249. Most advertise any size house.

About 1/3 are ASHI / 1/3 NACHI and 1/3 everybody else. At least 50% have over 5-6 years of experience.

AND instead of the low fees convincing buyers, realtors, lenders, etc that they ARE NOT qualified, etc - It seems to be convincing these folks that the rest of us are TOO EXPENSIVE.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by dbowers

Brian -

In actuality there have been before / after studies. OR licensed versus unlicensed studies. I suggest you get the Ohio Study & read it.

Illinois was 1 state that tracked inspectors coming in the front door / versus 3 years later. If memory seves me correctly - the numbers went up by about 200% - 300%.

Now try basic arithmatic - If we double OR triple the number of QUALIFIED and LICENSED people doing a task / Do you think it would drive fees up OR down.


David S. - I've seen 11 flyers in the past 45 days in KC touting home and termite inspections for $185-$249. Most advertise any size house.

About 1/3 are ASHI / 1/3 NACHI and 1/3 everybody else. At least 50% have over 5-6 years of experience.

AND instead of the low fees convincing buyers, realtors, lenders, etc that they ARE NOT qualified, etc - It seems to be convincing these folks that the rest of us are TOO EXPENSIVE.

The Ohio study clearly states they had real idea how many HI's there were in the State.

To blame flyers you have recently seen on HI Licensing is a bit of a stretch, makes a good story though.

I see flyers here for really cheap houses?? Was it home Inspector Licensing that caused that too????

There does seem to be a correlation though in HI Licensing and HI Org Membership numbers.

[Aubrey J. Kahn]

The only true reason that the states license a profession is so they can regulate it and add revenue to the state coffers. The reality is that the state will take your money and give you nothing (except a piece of paper with a number on it) in return. They are as concerned about unlicensed inspectors as our President is about illegal immigration.