SB 321 is on the ground. We understand just like last year the same 2 Bills will be introduced / One in House & One in Senate
Why do they keep trying if it just fails every year. Makes no sense.
Billy back around 1999 or 2000, the NAR came up with about 15 long term goals. Getting home inspectors licensed was one of those. Their attorneys told them if we were licensed and anything went wrong in a transaction, they were less likely to get sued (Gosh your honor we had no idea that the cheap, quicky, inspector with the 7 page report was incompetent BECAUSE the state gave him a license and said he was qualified. We’re just used house commissioned sales people, how were we to know?)
PLUS in many states they’re putting in the law MANDATORY E&O. So the agents can refer cheap / quicky / soft guys and if something ever goes wrong … they feel the buyers will be more likely to sue HOMIE.
Many naive inspectors thought licensing would CREDENTIAL them and CLEAN UP the industry, so they got on the Realtors bandwagon, OR as seems to be the case in many states with ASHI / the ASHI inspectors think if they help support licensing they can get their SoP and their NHIE test in place AND the Realtors may support them and they can pack the HI Board and they can run the Home Inspection show in their state.
As many inspectors in my area have learned the hard way … licensing has NOT got rid of the sleazy / cheesy inspectors … They are now licensed cheesy / sleazy inspectors. It has not got rid of “El Cheapo” and it has allowed many Realtors to counsel clients with: “Well Jane & Tom you can spend a lot more and use that inspector your friends recommended, BUT since they’re all LICENSED and have to do the same things AND have to carry insurance, I think it would be best to save $$$ and use MY guy”.
So after NAR adapted the goal they passed it downhill to the states.
Billy - One other thing.
4 years ago … Realtors in Kansas told legislators that there were MASSIVE problems with HI’s / that consumers were getting screwed right and left / AND unless we were prohibited by law from using language that would limit our liability … the poor consumers had NO RECOURSE if a problem occurred EXCEPT to get a refund of their fee’s.
Apparently they had never heard of mediation, arbitration, small claims courts, lawsuits, etc
We collected info (by documented letters) from the State AG’s office; BBB; Consumer GRoups like HADD; public Media; etc; etc. They showed that FLORISTS had more complaints than we did BUT the state of Kansas legislators FOLLOWED the advice of the USED HOUSE COMMISSIONED SALESPEOPLE and let an unneeded licensing law get passed.
Be realistic … Follow the $$$$$ trail. Did inspectors make MASSIVE campaign contributions OR did Realtors. HUMMMMMMMMM
It has not passed for one big reason. There have been home inspectors willing to leave their business and give testimony at the state hearings against the need for licensing.
Without these active voices being heard at the committee meetings, the committee members would only hear that ALL Missouri Inspectors(ASHI) are in favor of this bill.
I am sure now knowing this we will see you at the committee hearings in Jeff City
Tell you what. I will do a free home inspection for any lawmaker that is involved with this fiasco called “Missouri Home Inspector Licensing”.
I will show them how Kansas does it; all for $199. No appliances or appliance connections (gee, that open wire at the disposal is dangerous, but I do not have to write it up), one window, one switch, one outlet per room, etc. etc. (That hole in that glass window will not have to be on the report, since the other window in that room is OK). One cabinet, one stairway, etc. etc. (That loose cabinet over the toilet is so loose, it will probably come crashing down on some unsuspecting family member, and I do not have to write it up because the cabinets in the kitchen are all OK).
Just think. That lawmaker and his children and grand children will get soft, basic, minimum inspections on houses that they purchase in the future. Do they want that?
I guess their pockets are more important than the futures and safety of their own families.