Washington State Inspectors - Your Deadline Is Near

[Mike O'Handley]

Home Inspectors - Don't let time get away from you.

July 1, 2010 is the deadline to meet all licensing requirements to get your home inspector license!

Do you have questions about home inspector licensing?

The Department of Licensing is hosting four outreach events to answer your questions about:

· Licensing requirements
· License verification
· License renewals
· Home inspector website
· Real estate referrals
· Standards of practice
· Home inspector licensing law
· Advertising

Home inspectors of all experience levels are encouraged to attend including anyone thinking about home inspection as a career!

Date: April 19, 2010
Location: Washington State DOT /South Central Region Office, 2809 Rudkin Rd, Yakima WA 98909
Time: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Date: April 20, 2010
Location: Best Western Kennewick Inn, 4001 W 27th, Kennewick WA 99337
Time: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Date: April 21, 2010
Location: Washington State DOT/Eastern Region Office, 2714 North Mayfair St., Spokane WA 99207
Time: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Date: April 22, 2010
Location: Washington State DOT/North Central Region, 1551 North Wenatchee, Wenatchee WA 98807
Time: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

For more information, email DOLINTHomeInspectors@dol.wa.gov or call 360-664-6487.

For regular updates regarding home inspector licensing, subscribe to our Home Inspectors Board LISTSERV.

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OTHER LINKS...

DOL Home Inspector Home page: www.dol.wa.gov/business/homeinspectors/

This is written and produced by the Department of Licensing. Please send comments to Rhonda Myers at rmyers@dol.wa.gov.

[kpierce]

No thanks.

[Nick Gromicko]

Does Washington State accept superior online and online video training for pre-licensing yet or is Washington State still harming consumers by making applicants drive to listen to some jerk in front of a chalkboard? It is 2010 ya know. And our online courses have already been accepted by Washington State for CE purposes: http://www.nachi.org/washington-appr...-education.htm

[Rob Jones]

Nick you do realize that the reaction most give when told that your "certification" consists of an online exam, is a snicker right? If I am ever asked, I simply have them Google your name and let them decide what kind of club you run. Your a class act all the way(NOT).

Now come on moderator, let it through.

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by Rob Jones

Now come on moderator, let it through.

just keep it clean Rob, we are not above criticism here, OK?

Regards

Gerry

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by Rob Jones

Nick you do realize that the reaction most give when told that your "certification" consists of an online exam, is a snicker right? If I am ever asked, I simply have them Google your name and let them decide what kind of club you run. Your a class act all the way(NOT).

Now come on moderator, let it through.

Oh BTW Rob, we are also the biggest provider of FREE online CE for home inspectors in the Country. Maybe you wanna join???

Last time I checked, classes I had written were acceptable for free CE in 19 states, what is your Association doing for you, for free??

Bring it on

Next?

Gerry

[gbeaumont]

BTW Rob,

What really cracks me up is that while you came here with impure intentions you also availed yourself to our "ghosting" content.

and yes I really can see where you've been

Buying in yet?

Gerry

[Nick Gromicko]

Ignore him Gerry.

Rob Jones of South Sound Inspections in Seattle, Washington is a member of a known diploma mill (ASHI) that permits anyone to join online in less than 30 seconds with nothing but a credit card. Would you permit Rob Jones of South Sound Inspections to do your inspection now that you know his only credential is membership in a no-entrance-requirement diploma mill? Buyers and agents beware!

ASHI's highest "certified" membership status is not much better and relies on the very same beginner's exam (NHIE) that the State of Washington uses to license newbies fresh out of school. I recommend everyone avoid using Rob Jones of South Sound Inspections.

Is your inspector blind?

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Ignore him Gerry.

Nick, I"m a big boy also founder of our education system, Rob picked at a sore spot, he's all mine.

Gerry

[Nick Gromicko]

Enjoy Gerry.

I'm busy search engine optimizing post #8 .

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by gromicko

Enjoy Gerry..

Oh I will, believe me, I will

Gerry

[Rob Jones]

Now Gerry,
If you are the creator of that joke of an online exam, then let's get at it. Your defending a person that does nothing but continually demean people and call names. I have not. I did not mention anything about your CE program, which I think is great that you offer your members, and I have taken to task the association that I belong to for their lack of it. I did look at your "ghosting" article, but just to see what was in it. I took nothing from it. After being in this business for 8 yrs, it offered nothing new.

Internachi offers a certification with nothing less than an online exam. You think this is fair to your unsuspecting clients? Nick Gromicko has a tainted past in the State of Pennsylvania and does nothing but bash and continue to call people names. You must be a proud member.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/...44/detail.html

[Rob Jones]

Gerry,
Try and stay on the subject at hand. How about that Internachi online certification. Think it's fair to the unsuspecting public?

Rob

[Mike O'Handley]

Hi,

Well, speaking of staying on the subject; I don't know how spinning off on a tangent about online training versus classroom training is going to make one iota of difference as far as Washington State inspectors are concerned; because nothing that Nick or anyone else says that's critical of the way things are here is going to help anyone that fails to meet all requirements.

I can just imagine the response down at DOL as the inspector is standing in front of the counter at DOL on July 1st saying, "Well, Nick Gromicko said that there is a study that says online training is superior to classroom training, so I felt it wasn't necessary for me to get any classroom training. Instead, I enrolled in a bunch of interNACHI courses in order to meet the requirements and I want you to accept them."

The lady behind the counter will probably say something like, "Nick who?"

Then she’ll say something like, “I'm sorry, Sir, but your application is rejected. When you can come back here with proof that you've completed a state-approved 120-hour Fundamentals of Home Inspection Course, and proof that you spent 40 hours doing supervised inspections with a licensed inspector and completed the 5 written reports - in addition to passing the state test and the NHIE - we'll reconsider your application. Until then, since you missed the deadline I have to warn you that, the law says that, from this point on, you are not permitted to operate a home inspection business in this state until you have submitted proof of legally acceptable education requirements and been issued a license. A violation of that law could subject you to a permanent cease and desist order and a fine of up to $1000 per day for every day you operate an illegal company. You can look it up, Sir, it’s in 18.235 RCW.”

Nick, the Senator who sponsored the bill that became the law was a long time educator. WHILAG tried to get some kind of online/distance education into the law for those poor souls out there in Brewster and other places in the sticks where there are ten houses and a gas station, so that they wouldn't have to sit in classrooms. She didn't agree and the version that she finally submitted to the legislature under the compromise with the coalition only allowed distance education for CEU's.

At the September 10, 2008 board meeting the board voted to request the Director seek a finding from the AG as to whether "classroom" as defined in the law could be online training or correspondence. It was one of the first things the board voted on because we hoped to be able to plan for some online education when we began putting together the training requirements.

Unfortunately, it was not to be; the AG came back with a finding that "classroom training" is a butt in a chair in a classroom with a teacher and that online training was unacceptable.

So, there's nothing more to be said about it until/unless the law is changed; and that isn't going to be before the deadline, which is less than 90-days away. Since the legislature is already in emergency session and isn't accepting any more bills this year, it won't get done this year, that's for sure. If anyone wants to change that law, they'll have to find a sponsor and work to get it modified next year.

In the meantime; tick,......tick,......tick......

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike O'Handley, LHI
Your Inspector LLC.
Kenmore, Washington
Wa. Lic. Home Inspector #202

[Mike O'Handley]

Nick, earlier in this thread you stated:

"Would you permit Rob Jones of South Sound Inspections to do your inspection now that you know his only credential is membership in a no-entrance-requirement diploma mill? Buyers and agents beware!"

Well, it's not his only credential. He carries the only credential recognized by the State of Washington. The state law set out the minimum qualification requirements for inspectors here and the state doesn’t recognize membership in ASHI, NAHI, AII, NARIES, ISHI, NABIE, interNACHI or any other inspection organization as a valid credential here and doesn't even require it - probably because independents are supposed to outnumber association members here by 2 to 1 or something like that.

We do have reciprocity rules here but they require that the rules under which the inspector got his license in another state be at least equivalent to Washington’s rules. So, if a fellow from another state, that only requires one to prove membership in a national association but doesn’t require one to pass the NHIE, were to come here and practice, he’d be breaking the law.

Besides, since you brought it up, in order for Jones to be able to call himself a “member” of that other organization – ASHI - he had to complete at least 250 inspections, plus take that beginner’s test, before he could even apply for full membership. No?

How many inspections does one have to complete to be able to call themselves “members” of interNACHI? Isn’t it something less than 20 – which is less than 10% of the minimum number ASHI required before they allowed Jones to call himself a member? Since it can take a few years to reach that number in some places, it would seen that anyone who achieves that "member" status is probably pretty experienced. No?

Yeah, yeah, I know, ASHI members can still go out and practice right away, as soon as they’ve completed their initial application, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, so can’t the guys and gals that join interNACHI.

What makes an interNACHI inspector with no inspections under his or her belt more qualified to practice home inspections than an ASHI inspector with no inspections under his or her belt? The online test and other requirements you’ve set down to join interNACHI? Oh please! Don’t embarrass yourself

All that aside, Jones carries the only credential that is valid here - his state license. One of your interNACHI member could have 20,000 inspections under his belt and have been in business for 20 years, but if he or she hasn’t met the state standard of competency, than, as far as this state will be concerned after July 1st, that inspector is not competent to practice here and may not perform inspections here after July 1st. In that sense, I guess, in Washington State, Jones is already considered to be a more competent inspector than about 99.9% of your membership, that's outside of Washington State and/or is here in state and doesn't carry a license.

You went on to say:

"ASHI's highest "certified" membership status is not much better and relies on the very same beginner's exam (NHIE) that the State of Washington uses to license newbies fresh out of school."

An exam by-the-way that a number of inspectors who were trying to become licensed in the experienced category - meaning they'd been in business for more than two years and had done over 100 inspections by the time they'd taken the test - weren't able to pass.

I do believe that some of those folks were interNACHI, weren't they, Nick? In fact, I seem to recall one fellow on here several months ago expressing frustration that he'd been unable to pass it in 4 tries. No?

So Nick, please enlighten us. Why didn't passage of the interNACHI exam and all of the other entry requirements that you are always posting links to here, prepare these individuals to pass a test that is a beginner's exam?

Lastly you said:

"I recommend everyone avoid using Rob Jones of South Sound Inspections."

Did it occur to you that you might have just made this statement actionable? You prefaced it with incorrect information about his qualifications and then followed up by saying you were search engine optimizing the previous post. In other words, you sought immediately to diminish his qualifications in the eyes of the public with false information - you were defaming his company.

I know, it must sting to have someone remind you of all of the families you put in danger in Pennsylvania by installing those radon systems wrong, but that's no reason to defame the man. Not being a member of interNACHI and being a member of ASHI, is a far cry from doing something that might have, or might already have, caused someone's death. What he said about your past was true, what you said about him was not - there's a world of difference.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike O'Handley, LHI
Your Inspector LLC.
Kenmore, Washington
Wa. Lic. Home Inspector #202