CMI poll

I am curious to take the pulse of the membership on the idea of CMI because I have recieved several PMs and emaills from people who (like me) are also not in favor of the CMI.

The options are (all require NACHI Membership):

  1. In favor of it as is (no changes).
  2. In favor of the idea would like the requirements altered (post your suggestions)
  3. In favor of it as an educational designation only(the GCMI idea that was discussed previously)
  4. Scrap it entirely (it is not needed and will segregate the membership)

Not that this will impact anything, but I thought it would ive everyone an idea of where the membership wants this ship to head.

If you want to be certified, get ICC certified, why would anyone want to waste their money on something which is not nationally recognized???

Not Me…

Code? Might as well get certified for hairdressing too. Neither are within the SOP of a home inspection. A leaking roof can be up to code. Code is only good with regard to safety items (which are within the scope of a home inspection) and maybe new construction inspections (which is another game altogether). CMI does not veer outside the scope of a home inspection. The real problem with being Code certified is that you dare not advertise it to get home inspection business.

I voted… FOR it as an educational designation only (see GCMI idea previously discussed) for now, for the following reasons.

First, who knows it might turn out to really be something good that will benefit the consumer, the inspector and our profession, we should give it a chance to grow.

Second, if presented as an educational designation only it will draw inspectors who truly want to rise to the top not for fame, glory and riches but to be the best educated inspectors, while being less prone to to those who wish to hijack it as a marketing gimmick.

Finally, it will help in NACHI’s overall image within our profession and help to unite our profession.

Joe B: Do you like something on the lines of: http://www.ase.com/Content/NavigationMenu/Service_Professionals1/Getting_Certified/Top_10_Reasons_to_Become_ASE_Certified1/Why_Certify.htm ??? Seems to be working well at turning grease monkeys into professionals.

I like it.

I like their tagline as well: http://www.ase.com/Template.cfm?section=Home

Some don’t want to hear of it, but GCMI, GMHI, GNHCI, GHHI is the way to go. Meaningful education, meaningful, marketable designations that would lead the industry. Take them at a school, on a CD or online, take a proctored exam and bada bing.

Education designation! Better than a Marketing PLOY!

If I could make $250,000.00 a year I would.

CMI has always been about “education” from the get go. From the very start we even had three school owner/operators spearhead the CMI launch in New York while I flew to ITA, ITI, ID, CC and other schools to get all the home inspection educators on board. The whole CMI project is and always has been fueled by “education.”

http://www.iccsafe.org/training/campus/index.html

If you know and understand the fundamentals of code in which buildings are constructed you can expand your business far beyond home inspections.

Since joining NACHI, I am very surprised how few other members (on the message board anyway) have not further pursued the business aspect of inspecting any kind of building in which education is a very important aspect.

Advertising code compliance is not the answer to business growth, but knowing it is.

This is just my opinion, but fundamentally using my opinion makes me a very lucrative salary. Therefore, I recommend everyone understand code, and use it to better your business without “Quoting” it.

I agree. The more you know the better and that would “expand your business far beyond home inspections.” That is the problem exactly.

Get all the education you can. I just wouldn’t advertise my ICC Certification on any home inspection brochure our website for liabilty reasons. NACHI has several P.E.'s that refuse to put that qualification on their home inspection brochures for the same reason. One way to stay safe in this business it to stay in the safe zone… within the SOP.

Home inspectors don’t offer hairdressing services, check for code compliance or offer engineering services for good reason, and nothing in your ads should mislead a consumer into thinking these services are included.

I can just hear the plaintiff’s attorney now: “My client chose you because your brochure specifically says you are ICC Certified. You aren’t going to now tell the court that your home inspection report my client relied upon doesn’t include code compliance, are you?”

I don’t advertise code compliance Nick, I’m simply stating if you know building codes you can take your home inspection business to a new level.

Commercial Inspections, and put your own standards of practice in the contract your clients sign, it works very well.

I agree that ICC certification is a great credential. Of course, as HI’s, we are not charged with code enforcement per se, that is, we are not the AHJ as in the NEC. However, it’s interesting to note that the section of the NEC defining what or who is an AHJ, has been changed substantially over the last few editions. Excerpt: “In many circumstances, the property owner or his or her designated agent assumes the role of the AHJ…”

The previous notwithstanding, I see no harm in CMI. There is nothing exclusionary about it. We will all have the opportunity to achieve it. If we choose not to, then so be it. The obvious pro to the CMI, as I see it, is to provide NACHI members a real accreditation. Course work and testing should be rigorous. As we know, the NACHI entrance exam is NOT. As stated previously, my 13 year old son passed it in 25 minutes. It blows my mind how much this industry is being sullied by people having no business even entering the field. Google “home inspector training” and see all the eh hhemm… “schools” that tout “no experience necessary”, “become an inspector in 2 weeks”. NACHI has a great thing going organizationally. I see obvious merit to either tuff-up the entrance exam and or requirements or, offer something like CMI.

As to CMI not being nationally recognized, well that challange will fall on us. I hope it will be rigorous enough to silence the detractors of NACHI, especially ASHI. Personally, I have no state regs as of yet (Ohio). Like it or not, somebody who has a full membership to ASHI has a definate advantage over me. I have been in business for 23 years, 13 of which were with the toughest code enforcement municipallity in the state. Still, I loose work because I’m not an ASHI member. Sure, providing enough marketing and goober smooching, there’s still enough work. But, is it fair that one entitiy has a strangle hold on the “Advanced” segment of the industry? As the saying goes, if you cant beat 'em, join 'em…Well, I’d rather beat 'em.

I vote for CMI. Nick, make it tough!

NHIE fail rate is now down to 34% compared to our entrance exam’s fail rate of 53%. Our failure rate stats are no different when proctored (some try harder on a proctored exam and so do better, but this is offset by those who get nervous over a proctored exam and so do worse).

At this point, in lieu of all the schools now teaching “how to pass,” eBay selling the answers for $15, and the lack of any upgrade to the NHIE pool in years… I think any state licensing board that uses the kindergarden NHIE for licensing should be strung up from a tree.

Ahem…ditto. :wink:

Nick- I agree. However, part of our fail rate must be affected by everyone who, like me, had their kid take it. Further, I imagine it is started and abanoned mid-test by those people just dabbling around on the net.

Nope. Unfinished exam results are not counted. Furthermore we have stats from proctored environments (many schools use our exams). The high failure rate associated with NACHI’s exam comes from the fact that most people trying to enter this profession… shouldn’t. They have no business in this business. Our exam alerts them to this and they go away or join a no-entrance requirement diploma mill association like ASHI: http://www.ashi.org/inspectors/join/candidate_application1.htm

LOL… Okay… uncle… I’ve got an inspection to get to!

I voted for GCMI as well.

So according to these stats our entrance exam is harder than the NHIE.

I think the lower fail rate for the NHIE is do to the fact that in the beginning, at least here in AZ, most folks had to take it twice before they passed it. It would seem they wised up and studied a little more before giving prommisor $195 a wack to take the test.

I still have those ebay test prep questions somewhere and unless they have started selling a new version there are very few questions that are the same.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the NHIE is to easy too, but it is better than having nothing at all.

Also, the CMI test is only slightly more difficult than that kindergarten test.:smiley: