It looks like you are going to take this industry to an even lower standard.
I suggest seeing what it would take to add AHIT to the approved schools list.
Also does hours completed in training by any school qualify as CE toward the 100 hours?
Greg: As opposed to what? In your state FABI, NAHI, ASHI, nor the state of Florida have any entrance requirements whatsoever. Your 92 year old, blind Aunt Penny can join FABI, NAHI, ASHI, and legally hold herself out as a Florida home inspector ALL in under 3 minutes if she can sign the check$ fast enough. CMI takes 100 hours.
David: Until the end of the year, any inspection-related course counts toward the 100 hours. The schools listed have all agreed to create advanced CMI courses by the end of the year. Hence the requirement (demanded of new applicants who apply after December 31, 2006) for 40 of the 100 hours to be taken from one of the schools offering the advanced CMI courses. If AHIT wants to create advanced courses for CMI they are welcome to participate.
So this is not for Nachi inspectors only? Some will be able to bypass nachi all together and get the cmi?
Ben: Correct. The Master Inspection Certification Board is not NACHI and CMI is not a trade association. CMI is a professional designation that anyone can attain much like the real estate industry has GRI, ABR, Multi-million dollar club, eAgent, CRS, etc.
My personal opinion (for what it is worth) is 100 hours isn’t nearly enough, but I am not the one creating this designation. Now, with that said I want to say…I carry a nice, big, new shiney red fire extinguisher in my truck. It occurred to me one day long time ago, that if I “ever” needed one when I was out doing my job that I would have it available. I own it, I keep it in the truck 24/7 but I do not advertise that I have one or carry one. Its just there is I ever NEED it.
The designation is out there already so there is little or nothing I can do now to stop it or slow it down. So, I can just ignore it and let go by or I can hitch my cart onto the train and let it pull me and along the way maybe improve the business. I think the boat has sailed or at least the boilers are fired up and its getting ready to pull away from the pier. Get on before they pull up the gangway.
Nick:
One of the provisions is the Board Approved Standands of Practice.
I imagine this would be NACHI’s SOP, hence all ASHI, NAHI SOP guidelines would be null & void forcing a non-NACHI member to use the NACHI SOP otherwise they cannot use the CMI designation.
Am I correct?
Doug: I agree. I actually pushed for 200 hours of continuing education in a lifetime but received much resistance. Most everyone agreed to 100 hours with applicants who apply after Dec 31, 2006 having to fulfill 40 of those hours at an approved school that offers advanced CMI education. 100 hours is the continuing education requirement equivalent of 4.1 NACHI years, 4.5 ASHI years or 6.25 NAHI years.
Jay: No. We could not agree on any one S.O.P. mainly because unlike the Board’s Code of Ethics (which is so high that abiding by it clearly means you are abiding by every other existing Code of Ethics), the S.O.P.s of our industry vary somewhat. We wanted to make the designation available to anyone who wanted to attain it. The Code of Ethics was made as strict as possible so that it meets or exceeds any Code of Ethics one might have to abide by due to association membership or State law (thus it is inclusive).
Greg,
I agree. From the looks of the requirements you don’t even need to be a Home Inspector to get the designation. Hell it doesn’t even require that you perform one single inspection. Do 100 hours of Continuing Education and have a clean record. Big deal… It certainly is not conducive with the title or designation.
Sorry folks, this would never be for me. I would rathar continue recommending NACHI inspectors over CMI non affiliated with anyone designation carriers.
Nick trademarked CMI in 1991. By hook or crook Nick always does what he says.
I concur.
Who set these minimum standards anyways?
So… my grandfather (with no criminal record) can take a bunch of CMI classes and become a Certified Master Inspector. Wonderful.
The only question I have is will this CMI be enough to make it possible for anyone anywhere to be recognized by any state to do Home Inspections. Another words can I living in NYS go to Kentucky and do a Home Inspection.
If not then guess what? Just another piece of paper. I have enough! The best part about it that in NYS all I have to do is qualify for thier license. Do thier continuing education.
Maybe some day someone will get the idea of getting a NATIONAL CERTIFICATION! One that will be excepted by all the states. As again I can use is my certification of being a National Fire Instructor. No big deal but just to show it can some way, some how be done. Go for the National Certification not the CMI Title on Paper.
Just my two cents!
Rick
What a shame that he didn’t put it to good use.
Are you saying that nick is a crook? 
The CMI designation is already out there. Plug into Google Certified Master Inspector and you will see all kinds of people are already using it and have been for a long time. CREIA has a designation, ASHI apparently has it, someone called AII has it. It may belong to Nick but it is already being used by many many others. Oh yeah, the State of Nevada has a Master Inspector designation which requires only 60 hours of training and 400 inspections (50 of them have to be commercial).
He can’t please everybody. He told you it was going to happen one way or another.
Nick I am trying to understand this whole thing?
- I had to go through a background check to be certified in AZ.
- I had to go through a AZ state recognized HI school and obtain 80 hrs. ( I went through the extended program and obtained 120 hrs.) And I add to this 40 hrs a year of classroom training I have allmost 300 hrs at this time.
- I had to obtain 250 Home inspections to be a full member of ASHI ( I have them but was waiting a while to turn them in because of the added membership cost)
- I have to use the AZ state standerds and ASHI and NACHI standerds right now.
So why is it of any need for me to become a CMI HI I am already at a higher level than this?
I think this is going to create a division between those who received their education hands on through doing inspections over the years and those who are receiving education through schools and colleges.
I don’t think either one is less valid, although it sounds like some may think that unless you have the hands on experience you aren’t qualified.
However, I think that since so many education programs are including hands on instruction and even ride along type experience, that perhaps it may not be so far off to consider someone with 100 hours of approved education to be competent.
I think the real issue might end up being the old timers (no disrespect) being EXTREMELY capable and well trained, having to go get MORE “official” training before they can receive their designation of CMI.
Isn’t there perhaps some way for someone who has been in the biz for years to challenge some of the hours and still receive the designation and in so doing receive credit for all the hours of learning they have received on the job?
Wendy: no disrespect but there are several states that have higher standerds required than this so what is the need for members in these states? the standerds need to be high enough to mean something to everyone if they are not going to be laughable.
I believe it already exists, there are two that come to mind;
1). National Home Inspectors Exam
2). ICC - Residential Combination Inspector
The major problem with CMI is that there is no valid reason for its existence, no government agency or other independent respected entity places any value on its syllabus, it does not fulfill any agency’s prerequisites to for licensing to do anything and finally it confers no rights to the holders of the certificate.
From what I can gather CMI is merely a slick marketing ploy that smart home inspectors will use to stratify the profession in an attempt to one-up each other. In the end I doubt the buying public will notice and we will have a brand spanking new $200 CMI inspection being peddled in our neighborhoods.