Certification Rules

[tlemasters]

I am promoting Move In Certified inspections, but I can't fin a set of official rules to present to the clients. ( you must list at fetch report, you must repair safety and major defects, you are certifying the property, etc.) Does anyone know where they are or if they exist. The seller must make corrections and reinspect. Is that how it works?
Thanks for your help everyone,
Tom

[Nick Gromicko]

MoveInCertified homes have been pre-inspected by InterNACHI certified inspectors and the sellers confirm that there are no major systems in need of immediate repair or replacement and no known safety hazards.

[Christopher J. Bowman]

is there something that needs to be put in writing

[Darin Redding]

To be honest, we all could do a better job of promoting MIC inspections. How about a video, Nick? The website info. is basic at best, and as Thomas was mentioning, is lacking some important information. The Powerpoint floating around is okay but could use some polish. I am working on a cleaner copy now and will share it here soon.

MIC questions:

Has anyone drafted a lawyer-reviewed agreement for MIC inspections?

Who fixes the faults we find? What if they do not use licensed contractors? What if during a re-inspection of a repair, which we do not know has been completed by a licensed individual, we state that the repair is good, and we certify the house? What liability have we assumed in this scenario?

Do we charge for a re-inspection? What about if there are several?

What if we discover a major issue that would be cost prohibitive to fix? Do we charge the same amount for the inspection even though the very purpose of our inspection is in the marketing gain that such an inspection provides?

Do we have an easy way for agents to post a MIC logo, link, etc. on the MLS?

Why not register a MIC home with a unique number, that can be searched from the MIC website?

I envision a page on the MIC website where clients interested in a geographical area can preview homes, get home stats, photos, etc. BEFORE they download the MIC report. Wouldn't that provide a better shopping experience? Agents could send clients specifically interested in MIC properties to that page.

The best we got now, in a big metro area like San Diego is the CHANCE that a buyer happens to drive by and sees the yard sign. Not good marketing IMO.

[Nick Gromicko]

You didn't number your questions so I'll just answer them in order asked and keep my answers in the same paragraph if your questions were posed within a single paragraph.

Yes. Since an MIC inspection is no different than a regular inspection, use InterNACHI's inspection agreement in www.nachi.org/documents.htm No clause has ever been struck by a court. No E&O insurance company has ever pointed to it as a reason for a loss. We have well over 300 attorney-review hours into it. Your local attorney likely doesn't know $#!t about the inspection industry and is likely not qualified to "review" it. You'd have to pay your attorney to do several years of work and research before he/she could catch up to our attorneys who worked on this document for more than a decade. InterNACHI's agreement is not buyer or seller oriented. It works for both.

That's none of our business or yours. In some areas of the country and for some trades, there are no licensed contractors or requirements to use one anyway. Using licensed contractors to make repairs to defects we find is not a condition of MIC. We do not certify homes. None.

Yes. Charge whatever you want to/able to. That's up to you.

Yes. Yes. Logo in www.nachi.org/logos.htm and at www.moveincertified.com

Because consumers won't perform a search for only MIC homes and besides, all reports loaded on FetchReport.com are already unique and accessible from the bottom of the homepage of www.moveincertified.com.

No, it wouldn't. Again, no consumer looking for a home is going to limit their search to MIC homes. Agents can already do that with FetchReport.com and can access any MIC home from the bottom of the homepage of www.moveincertified.com We already provide that option.

Your job isn't to market the home, it is to market your inspection business. MIC does not market homes. Here is what MIC does for sellers: http://www.moveincertified.com/sellers Here is what MIC does for buyers: http://www.moveincertified.com/buyers Here is what MIC does for agents: http://www.moveincertified.com/agents Here is what MIC does for inspectors: http://www.moveincertified.com/inspectors

[Darin Redding]

I suppose once MIC becomes a national brand it will be an easier sell to RE agents who currently don't have a clue what it's all about. So our job is to educate them I guess. I don't think the MIC website is selling it. I see no call to action. I think a professionally done Nachi video describing the process would be a great benefit for us inspectors.

[Nick Gromicko]

I disagree. For a market advantage, any market advantage, to be of advantage to you... you have to have it at the time most of your competitors don't (this is also the pitch you can deliver to agents regarding MIC).

With regard to MIC, the freshness of the very logical idea in the middle of a stale real estate market is how the members who are getting fat from MIC... are getting fatter. Present it at any real estate office sale meeting and you'll discover what I mean.

Like adding photos to your inspection reports, once everyone offers them, the idea is no longer a market advantage to anyone.

First punch wins.

[Darin Redding]

Agreed. I have MIC in front of a few agents as a test market so we'll see. In reality, I would rather polish the powerpoint to make it really zing before I go out and blanket the neighborhood.

The sticking point so far has been one of costs. Even a meager 300-400 cost to the seller is seen as cost prohibitive.

[Nick Gromicko]

Making a Power Point presentation (salted with subtle ads promoting you) sounds like a great idea.

An inspector can ask this question of himself/herself to try to gauge where they are: Can I imagine one agent describing me to another agent by saying "You should try using _____ . He is a remarkable inspector who.... "

[Eragorn Northe]

Very true, and some very cool ideas, also in my area the price is a factor, the sellers dont want to know whats wrong, as they would have fixed it already. they just want out.

[Christopher J. Bowman]

price is also an issue in my area. but if you market this just right with a decent price those who want out can find their way much easier.

[Casey Patten]

Agreed, I don't know why more sellers don't have pre-listing inspections; how else can you make a smooth sale? I did one in the Cities, the buyers still hired an inspector...he thanked my client (they crossed paths on the way out) for the easy check!