Research & Writing Assignment:
Today I have learned that home inspection businesses have a more than average likelihood of being sued. With this in mind forming an LLC as well as developing an asset protection plan to protect your personal assets is highly recommended.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Being asked by agents/buyers “if I would purchase this house”. The correct answer would be that we as inspectors cannot make a purchasing decision for a buyer and/or agent. I would respond by saying that I will be reporting on what I encountered during my inspection.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Situation: Agent pull’s you aside to say they really need this house to go through and to not be as detailed as we normally are.
I would explain the realtor that if we did that it would look bad on both of us. We would be putting our clients into a home that has not been properly inspected. This would make us look like incompetent inspectors and a overly pushy agent. This also bring the potential for legal issues on neglected areas of inspection.
Research & Writing Assignment:
When asked by an agent to pay to be on a particular list of inspectors/inspection companies. This actually has happened to me numerous times and seems to be a standard practice for many real estate offices/firms. However, this is not permitted as per the Inter Nachi code of ethics, and can lead to lawsuits which you did not anticipate on having to deal with.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Do you have a fear of hiring?
In order to make my business grow I need to understand that I will need to rely on the help or additional employment of others.
When starting a new small business with only yourself as an employee it is easy to control and manage your work. Although it is very difficult to grow your business or brand.
Moving forward and growing your business for the better will be difficult on your own but only because the work will be different and you wont be able to do both.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Clients frequently ask me, “What do you think of this place?” I respond by telling them that I am not legally allowed to answer that question. My role as an inspector is to provide information on the condition on the home, the implication of those conditions, and some possible remedial courses of action. I am not allowed to express a personal feeling of the “goodness” or “badness” of the home. I explain that it actually IS the job of their agent (if they don’t have an agent, I strongly recommend they engage one) to give them advice on the desirability and feasibility of the purchase of the home.
As an inspector, I don’t necessarily know the purpose for which the client is looking at the home. It may be an investment purchase, home for mom or dad, or maybe they actually want to buy a “fixer upper.”
Inspectors, while still looking out for the best interests of their clients, must maintain a certain aloofness, as regards personal opinions about the property they are inspecting on their client behalf.
I finished the sop course, and now starting the CEC. I am enjoying this learning process ,hope others do as well.
Research & Writing Assignment:
An Example of an ethical situation would be the compensation of not writing up a faulty HVAC system due to a bribe from the homeowner. The home owner who is a local fishing guide offers to take you and your kid up for an afternoon trip in return he just asks you to skip over the rusted out fire box on the furnace. The options are to skip over the found defect and enjoy a free fishing trip or to write up the defect. The obvious and correct choice is to decline the trip and respectfully explain why it has to be written up. A simple explanation that you have to show a photo of the area on your report so it is unavoidable might help ease the situation.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I read “Home Inspectors as Independent Business Operators” and learned a few key things in the article. The most obvious thing that is repeated a few times is InterNACHI Australia holds no responsibilities for its members as it and its members have separate entities. Thus meaning decisions made are not put back on InterNACHI Australia.Another good part of the article describes factors that play into the fee associated with each inspection. Some of the things that are used to decide the cost of an inspection are size of home, age of home, condition of home and expensive homes that carry a higher liability to replace things missed by the inspection.
Research & Writing Assignment:
A situation where moisture is observed in the basement - the inspector is unable to determine the source of the moisture/water without having to move some objects to gain access and visibility. The seller was asked about the source. She stated that the source is the fridge which was being unplugged and defrosted. The inspector accepted the explanation. Once the transaction was completed, the new owner realized there was a concealed leaking crack in the foundation. The inspector should not have relied on the sellers explanation.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I really like the article titled Do You Have a Fear of Hiring? It touched on the need to hire help and how to establish a positive and productive relationship with employees. There are six main points: a solid and detailed job description that will increase the chances of hiring a good fit; Communicate clear expectations so that everyone on the same page; Provide constructive feedback; provide the right tools to help them, and in turn you, succeed; Properly compensate them to foster loyalty and longevity; Recognize their efforts and give credit when credit is due
Research & Writing Assignment:
I recently discussed the fact that I was studying home Inspections with a local carpenter, he mentioned that he thought it was a good idea. He then said you can refer the work to me. One option would have been to say ya ,ok we can work something out. The second option, is and was what I said, I cant really do that, I can only recommend a qualified carpenter.
Research & Writing Assignment:
During a recent home inspection (requested by the potential buyer) the seller arrived at the property and requested me to overlook the visible damage to the roof of the property. I asked the person politely to leave and conducted a full and comprehensive report, giving an accurate and truthful description of every facet of the property. The problematic state of the roof was described in detail to ensure that the potential buyer would have full knowledge of the state of the property.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I hypothetically inspect a home built in the 1980’s. I proceed with the inspection and notice that there isn’t any GFCI’s located anywhere in the kitchen or bathroom. The real esate recognizes it as well and ask me not to report it since this house is “grandfathered” per code. I would respond with that it’s a matter of safety and I would go ahead and report in need of correction.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I chose the article “If a Home Inspector Misses Something” from the online library under the Legal and Risk Management topics. The article briefly discusses that situations of missing something is going to happen and it offers some suggestions on how to best handle the situation.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Of the Legal and Risk Management topics, I chose the article discussing whether or not a Real Estate Agent may sign the inspection agreement on behalf of the client. The article discusses the necessary steps that, you as the inspector must take in order to protect yourself from any legal re-course, if you should choose to allow the Real Estate agent to sign the inspection agreement. After reading the article, and learning of the Inter-NACHI Online Agreement system, Inter-NACHI has made this process very simple for the inspector and one that all Inter-NACHI inspectors should take advantage of. With a growing age of technology this system simplifies the inspection agreement process, while also providing and permanent record of those agreements.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Re: avoiding lawsuits.
I recently formed a corporation and obtained a contractors license, in a trade I have been in for twenty years. I moved to an area in the mountains that I know is rather tight knit and the value of more opportunity in business would be helpful. I began studying the home inspection field and will soon gain the confidence and certification to begin this as well. I plan to start both options at the beginning of the year 2019. I plan to do my home inspection business as a DBA of the corporation. This article is very helpful and learned a lot, I will also seek legal confirmation of my plans. I hope to a make a descent living with the combination.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The job of the home inspector is unfortunately one that exposes the inspector to the risk of being sued by a disgruntled client, making anything of value owned by the inspector an easy target as compensation by the claiming client. In order to protect ones assets from these claims it is essential to apply a collection of techniques known as asset protection, which would protect ones personal assets from repossession in the case of a lawsuit.
It is essential for inspectors to make use of legal asset protection techniques to ensure a separation of personal and business assets, which would not only protect the individual during lawsuits but also allows the individual to rebuild the business once the lawsuit has been finalised and all related issues have been settled.
Research & Writing Assignment:
In big cities where surrounding towns are shoulder-to-shoulder, every entity may have its own set of building codes. If youre working an area like this, satisfying a claim that youre a code inspector would seem at least very challenging, and problematic if youve missed something or incorrectly called something out. An inspector citing code may find themselves having to defend their report to not only their client but possibly to a citys building department. Home inspectors promoting themselves as code inspectors would need to report everything in the house that is not code-compliant. If they fail in that, here comes the incompetence label. Or, a mis-representation charge. Correct wording in an inspectors ads and promotional literature are an important consideration, ensuring that the clients expectations about the report is not misguided.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The seller called me before the scheduled inspection and told me that selling this home was very important. His family was in need of ready cash very soon to keep his ill mother from losing her assisted living arrangement. He then informed me that I might make 100 extra dollars when he paid for the radon test if my inspection did not mention what he described as a boarder line issue with a rotted deck support post. I told him that repairing that deck post was a matter of safety, and that it would be unethical to skew my finding.