dthomas
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 10
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Have you become frustrated by the self serving goals of these organizations? Convinced that the consumer is their secondary goal, I seek the company of individuals dedicated to honesty, excellence, and professionalism who want to support the Home Inspection industry in the interest of the consumer. Where would I go for this kind of association?
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nyprofessional
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Registered: 12/24/06
Posts: 471
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dthomas
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 10
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Reply with quote | #3 |
Bill, Agree with your statement "I find these organizations have the best interests of their members." However, this causes them to view as "secondary" the needs of consumers. They seek to prevent competition by mandating excessive requirements to become or remain members, then establish a hierarchy of competence based on the individuals desire to jump through hoops that have little to do with meeting the requirements of the profession. The SOP's of the profession do not require genius, neither to they require experts on all the engineering disciplines of a home. Yet, these organizations force requirements that seem to lead those who clear the hoops the profess "genius" in our profession. Seems a formula to keep as many out of the profession as possible. It is clever but not the perceived 'American way.' Competition yields excellence by desire and not by mandate. If I choose to educate myself beyond a need good for me and if I can turn that against my competitors - good for me. To require it allows the lazy and unimaginative to survive where they don't apparently belong. Bottom line: I prefer to communicate and share information with those who truly have a “thrill of the hunt” and “intestinal fortitude” that allows them to survive or thrive in an open and competitive marketplace untainted by intrusive and controlling regulation under the guise of “in the interest of the consumer.” Will I find this kind of entrepreneur on this message board or should I move along?
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Chris_Werner
Registered: 06/07/08
Posts: 2
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Reply with quote | #4 |
The professional organizations do have value for inspectors. You have to separate some wheat from chaff, but there is a lot of good, useful info.
The home buyers are pretty oblivious, though. I only had a handful ask me if I belonged to a professional organization before licensing went into effect in NY. No one has asked me since. I did have plenty of people ask "are you licensed?" when licensing first went into affect but now no one asks that either -- it's assumed or the realtor wouldn't have given out the name. Some of the realtors used to ask if you were ASHI, NACHI, etc. but they don't now.
The professional organizations seem to have the most impact in areas where there is no licensing. I would compare it to being an electrician -- in a county with licensing, no one cares what professional organizations they belong to as long as they are licensed and do a good job.
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nyprofessional
Moderator
Registered: 12/24/06
Posts: 471
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Reply with quote | #5 |
I do still benefit in being affiliated with a National Organization. In New York State, for example, established minimum guidelines, whereas associations are and should be there to benefit the continuing education of each of its members.
In New York, the Merrell Institute, and its affiliates offer a large number of approved courses to benefit each home inspector.
http://www.merrellinstitute.com
All the best.
BILL Our approvals for Appraisal, Home Inspection and Real Estate Sales/ Brokerage comes directly from New York State, Dept. of State, Division of Licensing Services, in which each course, each location and each instructor is approved annually in NYS. (We pay licensing fees for each course, each location, secondary location and each instructor- these courses are to be renewed annually- or they cannot be offered at the conclusion of the year)
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dthomas
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 10
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Reply with quote | #6 |
cw,
You said,"The professional organizations seem to have the most impact in areas where there is no licensing. I would compare it to being an electrician -- in a county with licensing, no one cares what professional organizations they belong to as long as they are licensed and do a good job." - I must agree.
You also said they do provide good to their members ... That's my beef - they are not so concerned about benefit to the consumer as to their membership. Is there proof that one who meets their outlandish requirements performs a more thoughtful, informed home inspection when compared to one who has prepared for the task by having a twenty or thirty year history in construction and industry and additional study without their membership?
Many companies offer training and extended training for the Home Inspector so intervention by an organization seems redundant. Given the irrelevance of a majority of the requirements of organizations I maintain that they hope to become warlords in an "evil empire" of their creation. I am looking for a more honest association of professionals (than ASHI/NACHI.)
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dgthomas |
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dthomas
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 10
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Reply with quote | #7 |
Bill:
As just posted for CW, I wonder why associations need to be involved in continuing education of home inspectors. You mention the "Merrell Institute" as one provider of approved courses - could i not just contact them for my training? "Approved" you say - by who? Seriously, who should be accountable for approving course training for a profession that requires so little in way of responsibility? The HI (Home Inspector) is directed by their Standards of Practice NOT to evaluate or determine. How much training does an HI need to enable a look at a home without the objective to evaluate or determine the conditions of systems of the home?
Again, it would be great to have a website to share information and benefit from the experiences of others without the 'ball and chain' of self serving politics. (creating levels of expertise, as if necessary, to set themselves above equally qualified HI's who chose not to take the test.) Case in point, the CMI - Certified Master Inspector. I respect your intelligence. That said, it has little to do with the performance of a home inspection that provides tremendous value to the consumer. It is only meant to set yourself above others to take work from them. If we were talking Rocket Science, I agree intelligence is everything - evaluation and determination (e & d) are the core of the tasks. Given that e & d are not a part of the HI industry why is the CMI needed? That is to say that it is not honest to sell ourselves as intellectuals when it has little to do with performance of the task.
The HI has great value to the consumer but the consumer is being mislead about the scope of the home inspection. I do not mean to offend, I mean to initiate a change in the direction of marketing within the profession.
Cheers!
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dgthomas |
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nyprofessional
Moderator
Registered: 12/24/06
Posts: 471
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Reply with quote | #8 |
You points are addressed in a very reasonable fashion.
I, for example offer approved education, with the approval coming from NYS. I am also recognized by multiple organizations for our classes, but the courses themselves, have first been approved by NYS. And they have not approved classes as well. Those classes are not offered.
I am always working on a learning curve to benefit the profession, and as such take as many courses, and exams as I am able. This does not set me above others, since, due to a disability, I no longer inspect, however I am able to take my knowledge and my book learned education and put it to good use. That is why I attended the Federal CDEI training for distance learning. Voluntary in NYS, recognized by IDECC (as the program developer) and ARELLO, I attended this difficult, yet revealing program, for which I am proud to say I completed with flying colors. As a educator, it was not mandatory, but it should be for those offering distance learning.
Either way, I wanted it, and completed it, and now have this National Designation, issued by a Governmental Authority- IDECC.
If the public would be truly best served, there would be a National Oversight board to determine what an inspector can and cannot do. The Associations are doing this for their members, and we all know that licensing deals with minimum standards.
I believe you get out of an organization what you put into it. The networking, the free coursework, the literature, the updates on the profession, discounts from vendors, and even the occasional materials which may be for some junk mail, and for others interesting.
All in all, joining any organization is a personal decision, rather than a blanket mandate. Will your membership get your name out there? Will you receive literature, coursework and be able to rely on others if you have a technical question?
These are the reasons the majority of individuals become members of a National organization.
Just my 2 cents.... Hope it helps!
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http://www.realestatefoundation.org |
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GWells
Registered: 12/27/06
Posts: 20
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Reply with quote | #9 |
DThomas,
There is no greater urge in nature than that of self-preservation. Also, high on the list of human urges is the urge to associate with others. The two urges combine into a great force that is manifested in many types of associations. Associations are by their very nature self-serving.
We, as people, tend to want to associate with others who are like we are, who think like we think, who look the way we look. We also tend to want to associate with others who can help to protect us.
People individually have an amazing ability and capacity to rationalize. People in groups have abilities that are greater than the sum of the parts. It would be profoundly naive of us to think that any group of human beings anywhere, gathered together for any purpose, are not self-serving.
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dthomas
Registered: 06/03/08
Posts: 10
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Reply with quote | #10 |
George,
Good to hear from you. Indeed, we would be profoundly naive to not believe that Organizations have an innate "core force" that like gravity, tries to pull them to the most selfish objective achievable, reasonable or unreasonable. NACHI and ASHI, in my humble opinion have crossed the invisible line of tolerable selfishness. I predict that neither will continue to build their memberships as onlookers, not blinded by the shroud of SOP's & brotherhood, view NACHI/ASHI goals as far from that worthy of a "free" & "capitalistic" society. I still believe our gift of " ... Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of happiness ..." will ultimately win when competing with organization memberships who treat business as if it were "government" - where spirit & ingenuity are stifled.
Is there room for a NEW organization of free spirits who don't need an organization to mandate how members will do their business or the service they will offer?
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dgthomas |
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BFelsteadAssocHdqts
Registered: 10/22/09
Posts: 5
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Reply with quote | #11 |
An organization that needs to succeed today is one that must meet the needs of all stakeholders. Two of these include the Housing Inspection Foundation and the Association of Construction Inspectors.
These 2 foundations are managed by National Professional Services, Inc. which is housed under the parent company Environmental Service Professionals (ticker EVSP). Other subsidiaries include Porter Valley Software and Safeguard.
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