http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills091/bills/hb1189.htm
As most of you know, the MAR (Realtors) and Mike Parsons the ex–Sheriff from Bolivar, Missouri have been trying to PUSH licensure onto Home Inspectors for 3 years. He introduced this This Thursday and Friday.
Look at the dates - the guy is trying to make this coincide with the date the Kansas Bill kicks in (1-01-10) … What a coincidence.
Get active guys.
Home inspectors in Missouri are up against tens of thousands of real estate agents. It will happen, as it has in other states. People cannot fight the governments. They will do what ever they want, and pass laws to what ever interests and benefits them, and their campain accounts. I just want to know if I have to register in both Kansas and Missouri.
If the rest of the inspectors have an attitude like you have, than yes. Gary would you prefer to get screwed in one state or both? It is your decision.
TAMHI is working on something that will DIFFENTLY help.
Gary -
Yes, IF you cross the state line doing home inspections - you would need to be regulated in Missouri as well.
You can then PAY for 2 state licensing fee’s; take 2 sets of CE a year IF 1 state does not recognize the other states CE; and have insurance to cover you in both states; and POSSIBLY have 2 sets of standards to follow - depending on which side of the state line you’re on, etc.
Many in your state felt the same way when Barnes began his push in your state, Gary. As a result, you guys were socked with the worst law ever to be written for home inspectors.
Fortunately, due to an errant provision, the law was sent back to your congress. This time, people went to work at various levels. It was too late to keep a law from coming to pass…but we certainly got it changed from what it was.
Just think how much different it would have been if people had knocked Barnes off of his horse BEFORE the governor signed the bill into law, instead of AFTER.
Join us in the fight, Gary. There will be plenty of time for lamentations if we lose. We don’t think we will and we have been told that a law was certain to pass each year since 2006…and we are still here.
Fight with us.
Actually Jim, Mark Adams reminded me that the MAR, Tom Lauhon, Jim Naylor (KC ASHI guys), Bob K. at ASHI HQ (no longer at ASHI), and the St. Louis and Columbia ASHI guys started that we can’t stop it - its inevitable rhetoric over in Missouri in 2002.
WOW … Looked back at my letters of opposition, etc and thats 7 yrs.
Also - in looking at my notes and old files, I see that the KC Realtors started pushing the KS legislators to get us licensed in 1998. A Lawrence 1st approached us about this in mid 1998. We put together a coalition of inspectors - MET with him, and convinced him it was un-needed. That was the good old days when the legislators listened AND the Realtors had not yet committed MANY $$$$$$$$ to get this into play.
Dan, that is the issue. Special interest groups have contributed to the campaign funds of all of the lawmakers in Missouri and Kansas for years. It is pay up time. The consumers of both states will lose. We, as inspectors here in KC, will have to have seperate insurance policies, educational requirements, even use and create seperate inspection forms/procedures for both states. The expense to the consumer, and us, will most likely be cost prohibitive. Therefore, agents will be doing inspections during the Tuesday tours. One will check sinks, another, the electric, another the roof, etc. and leave results on the kitchen counters. Free inspections. Goodbye to all associations, and inspectors, in both states. The only ones that will survive will be the ones that will be training these agents. I hope they will be sleeping at night.
Gary’s predictions of doom are not that far off the mark…if we don’t fight this bill.
We need your active support at www.tamhi.org . Please help us.
Gary according to this article http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2009040703?OpenDocument, you live in a happy state. 
Why so gloom and doom?
Do not believe everything that is in the media. Judge it for yourself. My business is less than half what is was in 2002. My house payment has been late the last two months. My wife’s company just went through a major lay-off. She has been spared for now. Kansas, as well as most other midwest states, has no large companies or corporations. It has hit us, just in smaller numbers. The news of these smaller lay-offs just do not get into the media. That story you mention may be years old anyway, and just re-written to try to keep people happy. I am real. Home inspection laws hurt the consumer, put home inspectors out of business, let the RE sell shoddy homes legally, help mortgage companies keep their income flowing, and keep lawmakers campaign coffers filled. It happens in every government, and every state capitol. Since the AIG fiasco, people are just finally getting mad about it. I wonder if they will do anything about it. Media only tells us what they want, or who pays them to publish, or not to publish. I would just like suggestions on how we fight back with the new laws that we have to abide by, and not all of the other contractors, repairmen, etc. My reports will be very detailed. If a home buyer has to sign 30+ pages of forms to purchase a home, then our forms need to be just as long. How do we let the consumer know of our plight?
I do not know, I wish I had the answer. KAR went after Kansas home inspectors long before MAR did the same. As some of the Kansas home inspectors, who has fought KAR from the beginning, has said to me in their own way that there should have been more home inspectors fighting this instead of sitting on their duffs and watching it happen. Thanks for sharing what kinda things a Kansas home inspector is going through. I am sure if the inspectors in Kansas are not feeling your kinda pain, they will if the law gets signed. If your new governor was a responsible public servant he would not sign this bill because there is no way that the law can fund itself especially the first few years. I heard about that your last governor, who signed the last home inspection bill into law, there is no way you could call her a responsible public servant. Heck, she did not even pay her taxes according to news reports.
If you guys in Kansas need anything, just let us know. TAMHI will, like always, try to help.
Some of us here in Kansas are e-mailing the Lt. Governor Mark Parkinson, who will take over soon. He may be blind to the irresponsible placement of the home inspection laws in Kansas by lawmakers who are real estate agents. The current Governor is getting out, before investigations of this commence. Any attorney or lawmaker that wants to futher their career has an opportunity here. Since the media will not touch any story that hurts real estate agents, the time is now for someone to step up, and talk about these laws that are not needed, and that hurt the consumer/home buyer, and will put most home inspectors out of business.
You live in a state bordering on bankruptcy with a former governor who was just caught not paying her taxes.
You now have an unnecessary law about to be sent to your new governor for a signature that will require put your state even further in debt.
Call the local television station today, tell them that there will be picketers in front of the Governor’s mansion tomorrow…and grab five to ten people you know and stand there with a sign until someone puts a microphone in your face.
Then you’ll have your media attention.
James i know Gary, he has been fighting his *** off in Kansas to stop things, he may be tired!!!and Pissed!!!
Gary so is this what you found out in your meeting last week, each realtor will inspect 1 02 2 items in the house and leave a report? I feel sorry for the stupid buyer that accepts this kind of inspection. Just wait till the broker or owner of the company gets his happy letter from a lawyer.
Jim some how you better unite MAREI, Larry Sparks special group and whom ever under one common fight
Larry Sparks has been working closely with TAMHI but we never hear anything about MAREI. Is it still active? I know its president has had personal issues and has not been able to participate in very much.
I wondered what happen to MAREI. Sorry to hear that about Mark. I meet him a few times and he seems like a great guy. I think I am still a member of MAREI but I have never heard anything from them in about a year except for a letter against the Kansas bill. It would be great if MAREI and TAMHI could reach a common ground. The reason TAMHI was formed, from what I understand, was because some Missouri inspectors got tried of the same old thing from MAREI, which was tried in Kansas, that does not appear to be working. I am all for uniting, just we need to establish a plan together and do it. TAMHI has a good plan. What about MAREI?
I know Gary has worked is butt off. I consider Gary a brotheren to our cause. I believe he knows that, and that is the reason why I talk to him that way. He can not let this get him down because the opposition picks up on that kinda stuff. If inspectors stick together we can stop this monster that is stumping through Kansas.