Hi,
My name is Terry Ezell. I am just beginning this training process and look forward to interacting with others on this message board. 
Violation of the Code of Ethics Essay
I did an Inspection on a house while buyers real estate agent was present.I noticed there was some shingles missing and the hot water was not working
.There was also some receptacles that did not have current .The agent ask if he paid some money would I leave those out of the inspection.Other wise he would not get the deal.
One potential scenario that could come up, which could be a Code of Ethics violation, is if the client’s real estate agent contacted me a couple of weeks after the closing for the purpose of asking me if I would do some of the repairs I reported to the client.
I chose to do my essay on the “Illustration” for Rigid Metal Conduit. I was curious what amount of important information the illustration would depict. I discovered that the illustration correctly shows a locknut making connection with the junction box; and the presence of a bushing. There is a comment included on the illustration that correctly states that the locknut, when tightened, creates a bonding/grounding point for the metallic tubing system.
A couple of comments that could be added to the illustration to provide more complete information would be: 1) that there is also a locknut on the other side of the box where the conduit comes through (unseen on the illustration) and, 2) that the purpose of the bushing is to prevent damage to the conductors pulled into the box.
Home Inspector Code of Ethics Course Essay
Weeks ago after a successful Home Inspection my client that day asked for me to test for radon due to it was HIGH RADON area. Concluding the test, when I returned to pick up the sample, the young son informed me in front of his father (the seller) that he had a fan blowing over the collection site and was wondering why the fan was needed. The father quickly removed his son from the area and explained that he knew the home had a high radon count and he needed the test to come back with lower then actual levels to sell. He proceeded then to offer me 250.00$ to process the tampered sample and to look the other way. I explained that it was against my moral standards and the Internachi code of ethics and reported it to my client and clients Realtor.
While reading about dryer vent safety it was surprising to me the number of fires death and injury caused per 2005. Most are caused by improper cleanup and maintenance. This article brought additional awareness to dryer vent safety and will lead me to recommend possible cleaning to my clients.
During an inspection I find a crack in the concrete foundation. During the walk through with your clients you point out the crack and your recommendations. During the walk through and before you submit your written report, the Buyers agent pulls you aside and asks you to remove or down play the foundation crack so it wont potentially lose the deal.
I politely inform the agent that my findings and recommendations are based on current property conditions and that it would be a violation of My Professional Code of Ethics to alter or remove such information, and that I am not willing to breach my DUTY to my clients, or help them make a big mistake on such a large investment.
After reading the code of ethics I would have to agree that it is a must standard to follow. Taking bribes or turning your back on potential safety and structural issues is dishonest and illegal.
A hypothetical conflict of interest would be having a family member as a real estate agent. If they were to request an inspection from you on a property they were listing they may ask for a favorable inspection report.
I have been doing home inspection work since 2013 and I sometimes am asked by customers if I can do work on their home to take care of minor repairs. The question comes up fairly often and it seems like it could be a nice stream of income. Sometimes these repairs are as simple as some painting touchup. Sometimes these repairs might involve being asked if I could repair a deck. From my workman’s point of view, gained from time doing construction work and furniture work, I enjoy seeing work well done. My urge is to want to improve something if it is damaged. As a licensed home inspector in Texas it is against the law for me to hire out to work on structures or equipment of a home I inspect within a twelve month period of the time of the original inspection. Knowing this, I recommend that the home buyer or home owner find a reputable contractor for the work they need doing. I also give a brief explanation of the code of ethics (when necessary) to prevent any conflicts of interest.
Stephen Kearley TREC#20430
short essay
To get more business i drop of my business cards at several real estate agencies here in town. I am contacted by a realtor who will send me inspections for a $50 referral fee. This is a violation of the Code of Conduct
One example of a conflict of interest would be if a problem with the HVAC system was detected and the home owner or agent asked if I could perform the repairs for a fee. With having 10+ years of sufficient HVAC experience, I can see this happening in the future. This would be a violation of the Code of Ethics because you shall not perform or offer to perform repairs on a structure or components within the structure, in which a home inspection report has been performed for a period of 12 months.
While conducting an inspection the realtor arrives. The client was not able to be there at the time of inspection. After discovering several obvious defects, the realtor approaches you. The realtor suggests that if I ignore the defects, thus guaranteeing the sale, he/she will definitely refer more clients to me.
After reading a compliant way to give a agent a gift certificate there are ways to send gifts to clients, past clients, and agents that wont break the code of ethics or cost you anything. It is more or less a flier stating where they can get a good bargain on a home inspection the next time they are looking.
short essay.
I learned there are several ways to save money on heating and cooling costs. Some examples are installing ceiling fans, frequently replace air filters and install programable thermostats. You can also install tankless water heaters, LED lights, and use low-flow toilets.
I read an article about composting toilets. These toilets do not require water or sewage treatment. They are becoming more popular because they are environmentally friendly. Use of these toilets could reduce water consumption up to fifty percent.
They do require proper attention and maintenance.
Hypothetical Conflict of Interest:
I have several friends that are Real Estate agents. I certainly will reach out to these friends to notify them of my home inspection service offerings, however, if any of them were to ask for compensation for sending clients my way, this would be on obvious violation of the Code of Ethics.
The following is against the home inspector code of ethics. Taking extra money or benefits from the client in order to give them a perfect inspection.
A defensable space is an area surrounding a house that is mitigated to protect against wildfires.
CODE OF ETHICS ESSAY
A code of ethics violation could include receiving compensation from realtors in order to refer clients to them and vice versa. Receiving any sort of fee or bonus for referral work between inspectors and realtors would be unethical.
Another code of ethics violation might be performing any work to the structure based on what was written up in the report. If a client asked me to fix, repair or do any sort of work that I noted in my inspection, it would be against the ethics code for me to do so within 12 months of writing the inspection report.