I agree with Harold and Doug. I will NOT do inspections for agents who are looking for a soft inspection and they are well known in the area. That liability thing is a sword that cuts two ways. I will not put my business in jeopardy by associating with agents who are moving targets for a legal rapist. I have a list of agents I will deal with and the known offenders get the “I’m sorry, I’m all booked up for the next twenty five years.” answer.
I welcome any business that a reputable agent ( and that is most of them) will send me.
How do you define a reputable agent. Some of the most successful in my area are known to have questionable ethics…a sister of one of the more successful has stated this to me!!! ( I got to know this lady as our daughters were starters on a winning high school basketball team) (BTW, both of her parents and 2 brothers were realtors so she’s seen a lot over time)
Storey:
One brother lives directly across the road from me but down over a hill right on the salt water bay (that’s good…I can’t see his house!!). 3 years ago when he was building the new $700-800 grand home, he called me 3 times to try and get me to help him on issues he was having. In the previous 4-5 years he had not referred 1 inspection to me yet wanted me to help him on his new house!!! His regular clients won’t get me but he wanted me!!! SAD!!! SAD!!! SAD!!! That is the RE industry…you can’t paint it much differently!
Here’s a quote from Grow-ops section of the CBC Marketplace website:
Some one commented in an earlier post that the program…
“gives real estate agents a shady image”???
A response (not mine) to that…
I believe that the Real Estate industry has done a fine job of making themselves appear shady all by themselves
I’m really surprised that someone actually gets 95% of their referrals from RE agents!! Must be marching to a much different drummer than myself. It used to be said in the building industry: If you’re winning more than 1 or 2 bids out of five, your prices are probably too low. Getting 95% of referrals from realtors leads me to believe that something is amiss…short inspection times, fluff reports, prefered vendor status…!!!
Its amazing how agents can play a role in licensing of home inspectors as well, they do have some power and control in our industry and its to bad the general public is not informed to well because agents seem to like to control the process of home inspector selection when it comes time in performing a home inspection
Then we have** PHPIO** sending out petitions to agents trying to get them to send it in so Ontario will also get PHPIO approved liciensing .
A Petition asking The Province Of Ontario to License All Private Home Inspectors There is a pervading mindset among consumers, REALTORS®, Bankers, Insurers, etc. that all home inspectors are trained and tested to ensure their competence, knowledge and ability. They are not. And there are probably at least as many unqualified inspectors with little or no training, no overseeing body and no insurance practicing in Ontario as there are legitimate ones who have invested years and large sums of money educating themselves and gaining the required experience. Until the government takes action and licenses the profession, anyone can and will merely print business cards and start doing business as a Home Inspector.
We would like that to change.
PHPIO is sponsoring a petition to encourage the Ontario government to pass legislation requiring that private home inspectors be licensed to practice. British Columbia recently passed legislation, and at least six other provinces are now in the process of doing the same. We think it is time for Ontario to join them. We truly believe the only way you can be assured of any minimum level of competence is to mandate that all inspectors meet certain requirements, as any professional must.
If you would like to add your voice to this movement, please sign our petition by providing us with your name, address and email address and we will present this petition to the provincial government.
We thank you for your time and participation!We will NOT use this information to contact you in any way. The information submitted here will not be shared with anyone other than the officials we submit this to at Queen’s Park. Yes! I would like to participate in the campaign to petition the Government of Ontario to license all private home inspectors in Ontario.
*(Click on reply and move the cursor to enter your information on each line below.)
Well Brian, fortunately for me, the agent’s reputations precede them in my area. It doesn’t take long to figure out what is what and who is whom. Maybe being in the business for ten years helps too.
Problem is that people put too much trust in their Realtor. They like when the Realtor offers them “full” service, sending them to “their own” lawyers, morgage brokers, home inspectors. There are Realtors who even advertise this as the “team work”. If people would take a little bit of time to research these recommendations and realize that agents care about their commision more than anything else, they would avoid many harsh moments of their home buying experience.
A Petition asking The Province Of Ontario to License All Private Home Inspectors
There is a pervading mindset among consumers, REALTORS®, Bankers, Insurers, etc. that all home inspectors are trained and tested to ensure their competence, knowledge and ability. They are not. And there are probably at least as many unqualified inspectors with little or no training, no overseeing body and no insurance practicing in Ontario as there are legitimate ones who have invested years and large sums of money educating themselves and gaining the required experience. Until the government takes action and licenses the profession, anyone can and will merely print business cards and start doing business as a Home Inspector.
We would like that to change.
PHPIO is sponsoring a petition to encourage the Ontario government to pass legislation requiring that private home inspectors be licensed to practice. British Columbia recently passed legislation, and at least six other provinces are now in the process of doing the same. We think it is time for Ontario to join them. We truly believe the only way you can be assured of any minimum level of competence is to mandate that all inspectors meet certain requirements, as any professional must.
If you would like to add your voice to this movement, please sign our petition by providing us with your name, address and email address and we will present this petition to the provincial government.
We thank you for your time and participation!
Here we go again with the big lie. Let’s see the proof that licensing will improve the quality of inspections or inspectors. Let’s see the statistics that support the contention that there actually is a problem of substantial size in Canada.
“Until the government takes action and licenses the profession,”
There is a solution coming and it doesn’t require a vast bureaucracy, or handing over control of our independent businesses to the very people who will lie to the public about our industry, who will cast a pall over all of us to further their agenda, who will beg the real estate industry to join them in controlling the industry through a dangerous licensing scheme dictated by Realtors, who set the ‘requirements’ and then benefit from them, who make wild claims about licensing in Ontario by the end of April in order to frighten inspectors into joining their organizations.
Oh there is a solution coming and these people are terrified of it. As well they should be.
Well Claude here are those facts you asked for . I have the proof .
I did an inspection and at the end was given the report from an earlier Inspection .
This Inspector is a PHPIO /NCA approved Home Inspector .
Reading his report I found numerous things he had missed some very serious .
His roof nothing report mine 10 years ~ life left & caulk the satellite dish, clogged Gutters.
Exterior He missed slope away from home Mine raise dirt around the home,.
Deck ,He missed Spindle gap over 4 inches Hangers need nails .
Garage He missed man door does not close automatically, Step from Home to garage is loose .
Main entrance He missed step 11 inches . He missed electric panel 3 openings and 6 breaker openings , wire in panel white should colour changed for 240 volt circuit GFCIs outside and Bath test faulty .
Missed Furnace condensate line no trap furnace filter extremely dirty .
He put attic not accessible I found the entrance 11~ inches of Insulation 6~ inches Fiber glass and 4~ inches of Cellulose .
Missed Ceramic floor damaged and needs rerouting .
So this person has been peer tested and would receive and would be given a BC license .
NOW! tell me how great a job PHPIO is not doing
For The Record: Contrary to what Roy C stated above, PHPIO is not sending out petitions to agents only but rather to every group of people connected with the Real Estate Transaction, plus government people.
[FONT=Verdana]Licensing may not be the perfect solution to some looking for perfection, but in my opinion, it is the best solution presently available. [/FONT]
I see so that makes OK!
If PHPIO was not so secretive and had posted this information then all would Know what is going on .
No way they are that secret society and unfortunately they got caught with one more slippery method of trying to control this industry .
Phpio the association with the 20 minute inspections .
Incidentally they are not sending it to every one Marcel says they are and I did not say to agents only.
Thanks for your post Bill/Marcel we all know Roy is a liar and Bill always tells the truth I am so glad PHPIO has so many great Home inspectors .
My Post tells the whole story about the best .
Why do I have to listen to you.
I tell you what I have the report book at my home and you can see it any time it is convent to both of us other wise I guess you are out of luck.
No way will I listen to your demands .
My wife does not even say things like that and she is the boss.
I wonder why you think you are more privileged then she is.
Sounds to me like the truth bothers you about this PHPIO members report.
For your Information I read my and the PHPIO report to one of the PHPIO Directors and he was disapointed to think a NCA approved Inspector did things like this .
Oh! Yes I saw another PHPIO report that is even worse then this one.
You guys do need a new broom a big BIG one and use it .
Roy -please give it a break. Quit living in the past. Tell me any association that does not have inspectors that can possibly mess up.
If there is a problem with a PHPIO or any other inspector of an association report them. You are good at that, now show me or provide that association the evidence. Unitl than I still fail to see that your word is the final judgement on making an impartial decision. I’ve seen a lot of lousy reports too. So be careful who you think you are pointing a finger at - than again some claim there’s no problem or worries within the inspection industry. At least none to really be concerned about.
Every profession has its good and bad – people calling themselves a professional when the term doesn’t really apply. In Canada, the home inspection industry is largely unregulated.
The real truth of the matter, in a real estate transaction, everyone involved is licensed and government regulated, from banks, insurance agencies, lawyers and real estate brokers, even para-legals are regulated - but not the home inspector.