While Nick is quite capable of defending himself, I still have to throw something in here.
Since taking his idea of “NACHI” and turning it into a reality, Nick has been targetted by almost every home inspection association there is. He has been the victim of malicious and frivolous “blogs”, lawsuits and media reports and maligned on just about every other home inspection message board…including this message board…by folks who resented him rocking their boat.
Today, NACHI is the largest association for home inspectors in the world. Nick did it. And he did it while dragging behind him a screaming and kicking industry that fought change…and fought against the idea that marketing was a “good” thing.
IMO, it would be impossible for Nick…in one life time…to return the “bashes” that he has taken from the people you would like to defend. If he wants to open their fridge and pee in their Jello, he’s entitled to, IMO.
NAHI doesn’t require its members to alert their unsuspecting consumers that their entire inspection was generated under a conflict of interest and not perfomed impartially until the last minute, when it is too late. The requirement on NAHI members who offer repair services to eventually disclose that they are offering repair services is as sleazy as a requirement as I’ve ever read. Over obviously one must disclose they are selling something if they are about to sell something. This is true for everyone selling anything and so is just a smoke screen, not a true disclosure. A true disclosure is made BEFORE someone buys the inspection service, not after! NAHI does NOT require this disclosure prior to the consumer choosing the inspector, when such a disclosure would have any meaning. Regardless of whether or not the consumer is eventually told of the conflict of interest after the fact, scumbag NAHI inspections are still performed while suffering from the conflict of interest. The poor consumer is only alerted that his/her inspection isn’t impartial after it is too late.
Furthermore, home inspectors are the only impartial party to a real estate transaction and if we lose our impartiality as a profession, as scumbag NAHI wishes, we lose everything. If you were a home inspector, you would understand that (perhaps you are really just a contractor who uses his inspection company to drum up work.)
Furthermore, if scumbag NAHI has its way, every general contractor is going to open up an inspection company and offer free home inspections just to get the repair work leads. That will be great to compete against… free home inspections. Ever wonder why some scumbag NAHI inspectors charge so little? They are counting on getting a percentage of the repair work.
And as for my use of the very unprofessional adjective “scumbag”, anyone who knows me personally knows that use of such language is not in my nature. In my life, I almost never call anyone names. I don’t even know who is on scumbag NAHI’s B.O.D. or who their officers are to call them any names. And I wouldn’t anyway. Not my style. I have reserved this rare use of such an unprofessional adjective, not for a person individually, but for the scumbag trade association who so very much deserves to be described by it. My rare use of such words is a calculated move by me to hammer home the point… NAHI really IS a scumbag association. The shoe fits.
I am sure that Nick’s use of the word “scumbag” has much to do with the fact that a more appropriate and accurately descriptive word would not make it past the “dirty word” screening mechanism.
And as for my use of the very unprofessional adjective “scumbag”, anyone who knows me personally knows that use of such language is not in my nature. In my life, I almost never call anyone names. I don’t even know who is on scumbag NAHI’s B.O.D. or who their officers are to call them any names. And I wouldn’t anyway. Not my style. I have reserved this rare use of such an unprofessional adjective, not for a person individually, but for the scumbag trade association who so very much deserves to be described by it. My rare use of such words is a calculated move by me to hammer home the point… NAHI really IS a scumbag association. The shoe fits.
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Nick… Thanks for clarifying that… For all the years you called NAHI s… …s I just assumed you were refering to NAHI members.
Foolish me, I just assumed that NAHI members were the org , all that time I refused to join or associate myself with NAHI members by attending their convention or local mettings due to the possibility of public seeing this on your site and think I was also a s… …g if I payed to join their org or payed for their CE and mentioned all the membership benefits they offer on my marketing.
True, but I’m not a trade association. I’m not even a home inspector. And I’m certainly not involved in a scumbag organization that provides safe harbor for inspectors who only disclose to the consumer that their reports were not performed impartially after it is too late. I’m just a guy calling it as I see it.
If you want to argue that the use of the word “scumbag” is unprofessional, you will note in my post #23, that I agree. You win (even though you are off-topic).
However if you want to argue that it isn’t an embarrassment to us all that states and licensing boards are forced to pass laws to outlaw that which is specifically permitted in scumbag NAHI’s Code of Ethics… you lose. It is an embarrassment, an embarrassment to us all.
I recently taped a real estate business ethics expert for NACHI.TV and you’ll all get to see what she has to say about NAHI’s defense of something so unconscionable: http://www.nachi.org/the_lady_doth_protest_too_much_methinks.htm No, she doesn’t call them a scumbag association… she calls them worse. And no, I didn’t put her up to it. But I will see to it that it becomes required viewing for every real estate agent in America.
Realize that I’m not out to destroy NAHI members as they have claimed. All NACHI employees and ex-employees will tell you the same thing… we don’t and never have kept track of what association any inspector belongs to. NAHI’s argument that we are targeting NAHI members makes no sense in light of the fact we don’t even know who they are.
Realize that I only want a fair playing field for my NACHI members. NAHI permitting its members to bribe agents via their preferred vendor lists and permitting their members to disregard impartiality (our profession’s most precious virtue), must end… and it will.
Humbly admit they screwed up. When I make a mistake, and my staff knows it to be true, I eat $hit. NAHI should release a statement titled “we goofed,” and change their C.O.E. to be on the same level as NACHI’s, ASHI’s, AII’s, ISHI’s, FAPHI’s, FABI’s, CREIA’s and every other association I know of.
If they did that, I’d remove every anti-NAHI post I ever made, I’d issue a very public and formal apology for being unprofessional without bringing up the ethics issue, I’d give them the congratulations they would deserve, and I’d offer all my help in making sure they recover, survive and thrive as a productive and ethical participant in our profession.
I’m the kind of person who doesn’t even swat flies or step on bugs. However, if scumbag NAHI doesn’t change their ways and stop biting us (non-member inspectors and consumers included)… I’m going to have to make an exception.
NAHI serves as the temporary lodging for ASHI candidates who are still scrambling to get their 250th inspection so that they can market themselves as “members” of something. NAHI is their only hope.
Accordingly, they (more than anyone) must rely upon buying their way into referrals (preferred vendors list) to get jobs and make a quick buck with a repair to make up for their $149.00 low-balled inspection fees.
The guys have to eat. Bringing their COE to our level would deplete their ranks, IMO.
Nick - Thanks for answering my question and taking the time to explain about the “scumbag” thing. I do not agree with your tactics but now I do understand your point of view and why you are doing it.
