Looks like its just about over … 10 years running and Missouri Home Inspectors = 10 / Missouri Realtors = 0
At the Missouri Realtor leadership meetings in Springfield this last week, the MAR reps / officers have told most everybody, its over / Legislators do not want to spend $$$$ on unneeded legislation (us).
The last 2 weeks we’ve been hearing the same sad tune in KC at realtors offices, WCR meetings, KCRAR meetings, etc. It is very disappointing to many realtor leaders that the state legislators can NOT see why this vitally NEEDED political agenda of theirs is NOT so important. I’ve heard time and time again how vitally important it is to license home inspectors and all the reasons we need to be licensed (protect the public, help in the war on terrorism, fight the war on crime, stop drugs in the street, etc, etc). It is really maddening to the MAR when you consider the $$$$$ and votes they’ve thrown out and countless committee meeting in realtor offices all over the state AND zippo to show for it.
To be polite it makes you want to puke. Why don’t they ever just stand up and state a simple truth.* “Hey we’re the commissioned house sales people and we screw up alot. We’d really like to get the home inspectors licensed, with mandatory E&O insurance, and with a provision that makes it illegal for them to use language in a contract that limits their liability by time or SSSSS. That will help shift liability off of us AND give the trial attorneys another food source”. *
It would be so refreshing to hear the honest truth.
If Missouri tries to put HI licensing into play again, I want to put the following right in front of their faces:
Standards of Practice listed definition of “representitive number”:
ASHI: REPRESENTATIVE NUMBER:
One component per room for multiple similar interior components such as windows, and electric receptacles; one component on each side of the building for multiple similar exterior components
InterNACHI: representative number: a sufficient number to serve as a typical or characteristic example of the item(s) inspected.
Kansas SOP:
[FONT=Times-Roman]gg) **“Representative Number” **means a sufficient number to serve as a typical or [/FONT][FONT=Calibri]characteristic example of the item(s) inspected. For multiple identical interior [/FONT][FONT=Calibri]components such as windows and electric outlet receptacles, it means one such [/FONT][FONT=Calibri]component per room.[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]Further down in the Kansas SOP’s:[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][FONT=Calibri]I want to inspect any Missouri or Kansas lawmaker’s home using these so-called Kansas (AHSI based) SOP’s, and show them the shafting of home buyers in either state. This is how the $199 shoddy home inspection happens, and actually gets pushed in to play by the lobbyists and their RE cronies. One item per room, no appliances, heck what are the buyers actually paying for anyway?
This is sad what the state governments have done to our industry; and home buyers of their states. And you wonder why RE sales are the way they are, and why real estate and lender fraud is running rampant.
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License or No license, home inspectors in the St.Louis area are still controlled by realtors and have some of the lowest priced, soft report, home inspectors in the country.
The NAR, RE broker offices nationwide are killing their own industry by placing into play laws that they think benefit them.
It is all starting to back-fire.
With more and more business being done online, lenders offering RE services and high commissions being charged by the RE agent, people are getting smart and saving hundreds, if not thousands, by by-passing the RE agent. Even lenders and banks are now offering RE services to home buyers, saving all involved loads money.
The age of the RE agent is coming to an end. They need to offer the best services for their clients; most are not. Dan, Buck and I are the only CMI’s in Kansas, and should be booked out for days. We are all just hanging on.
As an informed home inspector, you should be aware that the NAR back around the year 1998-2000, set up about 13-15 long term NATIONAL goals. One of those goals was to get home inspectors licensed in EVERY state (needed or not needed). We originally thought this might just be an URBAN myth.
Two years later my sister-in-law was Pres of the largest Board of realtors in her state and also set on the NAR’s national BoD … She confirmed the fact. Three years later my cousin was Pres of the Board of realtors in another state and on the realtors State Legislative Leadership Committee … he also confirmed this. Many association leaders in various groups say lets work with them to build bridges and mend fences. When the biker gang down the street burns your house and tries to rape your 13 year old daughter, do you say “Lets try and mend fences and build bridges”. Interesting position…
So moving forward … We have now heard the same Sales Pitch to legislators in MANY states from their respective state realtor committee’s. My own personal experience in Kansas & Missouri has reflected that: Different states / same sales pitch / MOST of it 99% BS that they state as GOSPEL and few if ANY people call them out on their lies … Examples of their BS sales pitch.
thousands of people in our state have been harmed by BAD home inspectors (but they’ve never had any of those harmed people present NOR even a name - just the realtors stories about bad inspections); 2) a home is most people most expensive purchase of their lifetime AND anybody can pick up a clip board and call themselves a home inspector (in 3/4th of KS or MO, anybody can get a shovel and call themselves a foundation contractor, get a hammer and say they’re a roofer or builder, buy a camera and call themselves a photographer, etc); 3) EVERYBODY involved in building or selling a house is licensed EXCEPT for home inspectors (nope lets look at builders, remodelers, roofers, chimney sweeps, brick layers, siding contractors, mortgage brokers, etc, etc); 4) EVERYBODY but home inspectors have madatory E&O insurance to protect the clients (nope in my states of KS & MO, builders, realtors, doctors, appraisers, termite inspectors, engineers, lawyers, etc are NOT required by law to get or have E&O insurance to get a license or do business - - its a personal business decision); 5) IF a home inspector is allowed to use a Limit-of-Liability clause and anything ever goes wrong, the poor consumer has NO legal recourse but to get a refund of their inspection fee (BS to the 10th degree, if a consumer thinks they’ve been damaged there is small claims court, mediation, arbitration or suing JUST like with any other profession … LoL clauses are used by every major profession I know of including: realtors, lawyers, doctors, hospitals and schools / last fall I took a class at a local college and before my enrollment was finalized I was given a LoL to sign stating that I would NOT hold the school responsible if me or my vehicle was hurt or damaged hile on campus.
Where do you think the build bridges and mend fences comes into this. Their ONLY bridge or fence is when the realtors can get some of our weaker sisters (or those working on a power binge) to go along with them. I am ashamed of all the HI associations for NOT using their media sources to carry our story to the public.
We inspect / they sell … The commissioned sales people have no business writing laws that affect the techies - us.
I an just amazed how Realtors complain that home inspectors are causing harm to the consumer, but every Missouri bill so far included grandfathering-in existing home inspectors. Why would you allow the home inspectors that are supposedly causing the harm continue business as usual? Sad but true.
A charged should be led against the high commissions these agents get paid.( for doing what anymore?) Talk about the poor consumer, the seller gets hosed to pay out of the sale the commision and buyer gets hosed by having these commissions rolled into the sales price.
The agents have NO problem always recommending the CHEAPEST HI, Carpenter, Electrician ETC or yes not to forget the CHEAPEST ENGINEERS to pass a foundation, ALL UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF LETTING THE HOME BUYER KNOW THE AGENT IS LOOKING OUT FOR THEM and tryijng to keep the high priced HI from taking their money
Don’t you think thats a little radical … Time & Time again I’ve heard our realtors state all they really want is a knowledgeable, well trained, experienced and well balanced inspector and price is no object / Then ask a 10-15-20 year veteran inspector to match prices with the newbie that just got licensed 2 months ago.
AND whats really sick is that in most cases our experienced inspectors are only charging $35-$60 more than the newbies. Disgusting
It is really amazing that Missouri is finding out that home inspection laws in other states are creating soft, cheap, low-cost reports, all allowed by the laws that the RE’s want. These laws do create something, at least.
Licensed states got the laws, now home buyers have cheap inspectors, and lawsuits abound. And again, you wonder why the home sales industry is the way it is.
Remember 12 years ago when there were no home inspection laws, and no one was complaining? Now it is the other way around.
I recently read an article online that stated St. Louis is the cheapest city in the nation. Wichita KS was #10.
License home inspectors because they are involved in the RE transaction, then license home builders, tradesmen of all types, painters, plumbers, HVAC, electricians, roofers, home cleaners, home stagers, etc.