Illinois State Chapter Adopts New Rules

[rmyers1]

Post removed

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by rmyers1

Our future depends on it, and our Members expect nothing less.

I disagree.

You seem to be of the opinion that a course or lesson not endorsed by your state is of no value to an inspector. This is absurd.

While, for marketing purposes, some may wish to go through the trouble to "dumb down" their presentations so they will be acceptable to your board...I would think that an inspector should be exposed to as much training from as many different sources as possible.

Simply advertise that such-and-such gets state credits or that it doesn't, but the skills are still there to learn for anyone who can benefit from them.

Maybe we should hear from some "members" of your chapter...

[William J. Decker]

Russ Myers spends a great deal of time and energy, his own, doing the important, much needed and essential job of administering NACHI's Illinois State CE license. This is a thankless job and involves a lot of paperwork, and other BS. With our recent course (Chicago Chapter, Radon) he now has to spend his valuable time filling out all the state forms, cross checking names, SSNs, license numbers and all that bureaucratic stuff that the State requires, and doing so within a short, limited time (as required by the State) and sending out the state required certificate to each and every inspector who passed the course and paying the postage and all that other stuff.

A lot of work.

All done on a volunteer basis.

No pay.

But, eveidently, a great deal of s**t to deal with.

Look. Russ and I have had our differences. I am not sure that either of us knows, entirely, what those differences are.

But.

Whatever our differences, we do have a great deal in common.

We both want quality education for all Inspectors in our state, given the legal rules that are in place (and which neither of us set up) and have to be dealt with. We both want our profession to excel and for NACHI inspectors in our state (the old Masters like Russ, and the newer guys like me) to get the best education at the lowest cost.

Used to be, in Illinois, that inspectors (from all associations and even unaffiliated) had to pay over $30.00 per state credit hour for the CE that the state provided. At 12 hours per license period, that was between $350 to $450, every license period to fulfill a state requirement. Now, through Russ's efforts, and NACHI's, NACHI members can fulfill the state CE requirements for between $50.00 to $100.00 and non-NACHI members can do so for $200.00. That is quite a savings. It is a savings for all inspectors.

Better courses, where the attendees receive better instruction, and learn more, at a lower cost. Even non-NACHI inspectors save at least $150.00 and receive a better product.

All because people like Russ spend their own time, effort and put their own sweat into the job. Pat Bolliger and Ken Seitz do as well. Members of our Chapter put in their own time, get no pay and (usually) have to take a lot of crap in the process.

Yeah, Jim B., we have a license state and have to jump through a lot of hoops just to be able to legally do business. But, that's the rules. Give thanks that you, in MO don't have to. But, you have to remember, we don't live in MO! You want to criticize us, fine. But what do you do for us? Have you, personally, put in the amount of time and effort that Russ or Ken have?

I think not.

I thank G-d, every night, that our state and its inspectors have guys like Russ and Ken and Pat and Rod R. and Dan L. and Pat K. and all the other inspectors who care and who step up and just plain serve.

If anyone wants to dispute this, name the time and place, and send me the names of your seconds.

Oh, BTW: Merry Christmas.

Celebrate the Birthday of the untimate servent.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Guys -

Last month when Stacey Van Houtan and I drove to Illinois to teach the Manufactured Home Course, we met a really great group of guys that for the most part wanted to learn something & get some CE along the way.

Ken and Russ were great to work with.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by wdecker

If anyone wants to dispute this, name the time and place, and send me the names of your seconds.

Anyone wanting to dispute your post must do...what?

[Joe Farsetta]

With all due respect to Russ and every other NACHI member in the great state of Illinois, let me set the record straight.

NACHI is a State approved CE provider. We have an excellent admin in Russ Meyers. No doubt about it. However, NACHI policy as to who may or may not teach on behalf of it, is not in the hands of the Chapters.

Therefore, this policy holds no water.

When someone submits a course for approval in Illininois, the assumption, and reality, is that the course will be taught by its instructor. The instructor is the actual owner, and NACHI has the right to use and promote the course, but with the understanding that it will be taught by the instructor. This goes with the application, and the instructor's bio (qualifications).

So, once the course is approved, the instructor is approved, and is authorized to teach. If we are NOT submitting courses for approval in this manner, then things need to drastically change.

The NACHI COE is specific that State law trumps NACHI rules. As such, we cannot put obstacles in place which prohibits, in any way, NACHI members from gettng education under our banner.

These new educational instructor rules, in my opinion, are arbitrary. If an instructor meets the States criteria, then that instructor meets NACHIs. Period, end of report.

[ldapkus]

Originally Posted by rmyers1

"Write a policy which basically says that if a member wants to pay to hear from someone, they can. In other words a policy which says there is not policy".

"Every man is my superior in that I may learn from him"


--

Nick Gromicko
Founder, National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, www.nachi.org
Executive Director, Master Inspector Certification Board, www.certifiedmasterinspector.org
Executive Director, International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants, www.IAC2.org
Author, Sell Your Home For More, http://www.nachi.org/sellyourhome.htm
President, Reports, Inc, www.neighborhoodenvironmental.com
Founder, International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, www.internachi.org


I do believe we have accomplished this request, as I can not imagine who these "Rules" would restrict.

Well said Russ, ignore the negative criticism and keep up the good work. Your brothers in Illinois appreciate all your hard work and efforts that help us excell above the rest in this region.

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by ldapkus

Well said Russ, ignore the negative criticism and keep up the good work. Your brothers in Illinois appreciate all your hard work and efforts that help us excell above the rest in this region.

I, whole heartedly, support this.

That is what we are tyring to do. We have been working on it for the better part of 2 years.

2 home grown courses, three (I believe) approved from national NACHI inspectors. More on the way. One, with another one on the way from partnership with the state (I believe, Russ is busy running his own company and helping other inspectors in the state and doing all the work for administering the state CE license for NACHI, so he does not always have time to keep every one informed) plus a course I am working on with regards to Thermal Imaging and another one in the works (How to run a Home Inspection Business).

This is a lot of work.

Plus, working to get other courses, from NACHI national approved.

So much work and only one CMI doing it.

Maybe some others could help?

In other words, what is needed is more help and less criticism.

There are many NACHI inspectors in Illinois who have the experience, knowledge and time to write courses. I have offered to help, if I can. We have guys who know and are experienced in:

• How to calculate reserves for Condo Associations.
• How to inspect (commercial) when a contractor is about to turn over a condo development to a condo association.
• Commercial inspections in general (No requirements, in Illinois, for such inspections).
• Rental properly inspections.
• There are a couple of really good, former General Contractors, in our Chapter, who could write courses on how to do phase inspections, how to do inspections for GCs who are building on tear downs, and how to do (and add value) to draw inspections.
• How to market.
• How to start, run and make successful a new HI company.
• How to market and do maintenance inspections.
• How to offer, as a marketing tool, during the slow seasons, Home safety inspections, heating and water heater safety inspections (since most people don't take the time to have their furnace and water heater checked before heatin season).
• How to partner with mortage companies, RE lawyers and Chambers of Commerce, to improve public safety and improve marketing visability.

And many more.

As I have said before, if every NACHI member were to put in 5 hours during this traditionally slow time (between Thanksgiving and New Years) doing something to futher the Association, that would be 5 X 9200 = 46,000 man hours of effort.

This is a considerable force, wouldn't you say?

Hope this helps;

[Joe Farsetta]

My point in all of this is that NACHI is the education provider, and NACHI decides who is, and who is not qualified to instruct.

These rules are not necessary, and in my opinion, are not enforceable by the chapter.

The state decides what flys, and NACHI goes with the flow. That's all I am saying, here. I dont know why these rules were crafted. NCT is deemed qualified by NACHI, as is ProLabs (as examples). While they may sometimes coordinate events with chapters, they are not obligated to. They are also not controlled by anyone. The rules written by Russ, while nicely worded, can simply be ignored by any NACHI education provider.

Read what Nick recently wrote in the Canadian thread about approving schools, instructors, and courses. Writing a policy of no policy means that no group has control.

[Bill C. Merrell, CMI]

Happy Holidays!

Although I am in NY, we have adopted a position that any instructor who writes a course has an ownership riht to the course. If that person cannot teach the course and it was approved by the school and approvals paid for by the school, we have been able to insert a different instructor as needed. In the case where the instructor pay all fees associated with the course, it his his or her course. period.

Hope this helps. We have used this process for the better part of 20 years and it seems to work well. We have 72 school owned courses and 11 courses in which the instructors developed the course for use.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. See you al in 2007!

If anyone wants some manuals we have a license to, we can send them to anyone who desires them. They are home improvement oriented. See the post in marketing and education.

Sorry for any typo's

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by pbolliger

NACHI should remove all education requirements...period.

I disagree.

[jkormos]

Well said Patrick