WA. Home Inspection Advisory Board Appointed.

[Joe Farsetta]

I think that InterNACHI needs to look closely at the behavior of one board member in particular. While I do not know of the others, there is but one that concerns me due to his personal disdain for this organization and its membership.

Should he show bias against our members, I think that an effort should be made to expose him for the anti-NACHI bigot that he has been and continues to be. While he may make suggestions under the moniker of being fair and balanced, or proposing things that in his opinion are for the benefit of the public, one needs to be prepared to peel the onion skin back and scrutinize the verbiage, suggestions, intentions, and actions of anything that comes from his direction.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by jfarsetta

I think that InterNACHI needs to look closely at the behavior of one board member in particular. While I do not know of the others, there is but one that concerns me due to his personal disdain for this organization and its membership.

Should he show bias against our members, I think that an effort should be made to expose him for the anti-NACHI bigot that he has been and continues to be. While he may make suggestions under the moniker of being fair and balanced, or proposing things that in his opinion are for the benefit of the public, one needs to be prepared to peel the onion skin back and scrutinize the verbiage, suggestions, intentions, and actions of anything that comes from his direction.

There are factions that are already counting upon the new licensing board to do for them what they could not do with actual law.

It is disgusting and sad.

For those who were counting upon the requirement for an SPI License to be replaced by your law, this is a part of a conversation between me and Dr. Soumi that took place, today:

"BUSHART: Recent reviews of the new home inspection law, which does not include the need for SPI licensing or compliance, is a vindication for those who ignored that requirement for the years preceding the new law. Do you have any thoughts on that?"


"SOUMI: We won't know for certain what the new rules will look like until the newly appointed Board meets to discuss licensing, education, and what comprises a home inspection. I suspect that many who become licensed as home inspectors will choose to retain their SPI license."

All of these things will be determined, autonomously, by your state board of ASHI members.

Licensing solves nothing.

[Nick Gromicko]

It's better to have a slightly ASHI biased board that can't do anything that smacks of anti-InterNACHI, than the other way around.

Anyway, the Board can't do much other than make diploma mill associations who offer bogus credentials obsolete. Just like ASHI dies a quick death in every other state that adopts licensing, ASHI will die quickly in Washington too.

The real problem is that schools pumping out newly licensed inspectors (competitors) will be popping up everywhere in Washington this year. Great for InterNACHI, horrible for existing Washington inspectors.

Bye bye ASHI, hello 3,000 newly licensed competitors.

[James H. Bushart]

It is even better to have a state board that has limited rights and jurisdiction, as prescribed by the law itself - to simply enforce what elected officials have put into law....than to have a state board that can make up its own rules as it goes along, like Dr. Soumi says this one can.

According to Dr. Soumi, the State of Washington has a law governing home inspectors .... but has yet to actually define what a "home inspection" is.

This is insane.

[Nick Gromicko]

Insane? How about the fact that you can't inspect a home without a license, but you can inspect a 300 unit apartment building, a factory, 3 pizza shops, a bus station, an airplane hanger, and shopping center without one. www.nachi.org/commercialcourse.htm

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Schools pumping out newly licensed inspectors (competitors) will be popping up everywhere in Washington this year.

Sounds familiar...........competition for your school, Nick????

Competitors......you think that the high #'s of newbie NACHI HI's aren't going to end up competing against each other. Get on this planet!!

[Stephen W. Stanczyk]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Schools pumping out newly licensed inspectors (competitors) will be popping up everywhere in Washington this year.

We have only a few schools now. Bellingham Tech where Steve Smith teaches, Tacoma Community College has limited courses and ITA opened a new school about 1.5 years ago. The hard part that these schools will have to explain is the initial $680.00 license fee and the fact that in Western Washington, the market has tanked in the last 6 months. Well known established inspectors are putting out discounts during the supposed busy months. Washington Realtor membership has dropped 2500 agents between the end of 2007 and the end of June 2008. 1700 of those have been in the last quarter alone.

It will be interesting to see who survives through the end of this year, let alone whether the newbies can even get a decent start.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by sstanczyk

We have only a few schools now. Bellingham Tech where Steve Smith teaches, Tacoma Community College has limited courses and ITA opened a new school about 1.5 years ago. The hard part that these schools will have to explain is the initial $680.00 license fee and the fact that in Western Washington, the market has tanked in the last 6 months. Well known established inspectors are putting out discounts during the supposed busy months. Washington Realtor membership has dropped 2500 agents between the end of 2007 and the end of June 2008. 1700 of those have been in the last quarter alone.

It will be interesting to see who survives through the end of this year, let alone whether the newbies can even get a decent start.

They will be like the newbies in St. Louis, no doubt. One new NACHI member, in particular, is going to change the entire industry to his satisfaction before performing his first home inspection. The last time I saw his site, he was charging $250 for 3,000 + sq ft...with crawlspaces free....as soon as he returns from his overseas military assignment.

That always seems to be their answer. Lower the fees....

[Nick Gromicko]

What Brian, Stephen, and Jim's posts point out is that price is a function of supply and demand and that most try to compete on price, especially after state licensing comoditizes everyone.

I, on the other hand, love tough neighborhoods and do best in business, any business, when supply is greater than demand... oh... and I don't do it with price cuts.

[Nick Gromicko]

Take the inspection industry as an example. When times are great, it is nearly impossible to knock out the frontrunner. He's busy as can be and is hardly affected by anything you do.

Now when times are lean, he's weak. Marketing counts. He actually has to learn to market to compete. Forget it. I'll eat him for lunch. A lean market, especially one that is worsened by the state dumping thousands of new, fully-licensed (state deemed competent) inspectors into the market, separates the men from the boys. Time to gain market share.

[John McKenna]

Talking about marketing... I wanted to show the need to market your web site in my last IR class. I choose a set of IR related words for Texas and did a search on google. To the surprise of myself and everyone in the class, I had every single listing on the front page of google. My different pages and articles showed up on the entire front page.

google search - thermal imaging texas inspector

[Nick Gromicko]

Kickin' butt John!

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Insane? How about the fact that you can't inspect a home without a license, but you can inspect a 300 unit apartment building, a factory, 3 pizza shops, a bus station, an airplane hanger, and shopping center without one. www.nachi.org/commercialcourse.htm

And a 800 Room Hospital----

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by jmckenna1

Talking about marketing... I wanted to show the need to market your web site in my last IR class. I choose a set of IR related words for Texas and did a search on google. To the surprise of myself and everyone in the class, I had every single listing on the front page of google. My different pages and articles showed up on the entire front page.

google search - thermal imaging texas inspector

John,

Great job. You're lucky I'm not in Texas with you because I'd be right there with you on the front page (I'd be your competition). I'm all over Google's front page also.

Google search - "thermal imaging massachusetts inspector"
Google search - "infrared imaging massachusetts inspector"

[dharris]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Take the inspection industry as an example. When times are great, it is nearly impossible to knock out the frontrunner. He's busy as can be and is hardly affected by anything you do.

Now when times are lean, he's weak. Marketing counts. He actually has to learn to market to compete. Forget it. I'll eat him for lunch. A lean market, especially one that is worsened by the state dumping thousands of new, fully-licensed (state deemed competent) inspectors into the market, separates the men from the boys. Time to gain market share.

Nick your slipping up, if your opposed to the AZ lic reduction.
Just think, if approved ,AZ inspectors will have an additional 765.00 , over a 3 year period to spend on your instant on-line certifications.