I've been invited to help with licensing. What issues are most important?

I’d like to know who you are meeting with to see if it is worth while replying to this thread.:roll:

</IMG>

I’ve read this report and do not consider it to be of much value as there was no input from the home buyer or others that hire us. Most of the information seems to be personal opinions. Most of those opinions were from people that are not even involved in or connected to this industry.
In fact while I was reading I was thinking that if I commissioned this report I would be asking for my money back. The only valid comment in the report is in the first part where the author recommends that further research should be done. The Ohio report is much better. They surveyed 500 inspectors, 500 realtors, and 500 home buyers from 9 states divided into three types of control. they were 3 unlicenced states. 3 states that have miniumn control leaving the sop, coe, and certification to the associations and 3 that exercise complete control that spell out the sop,coe and test for compatency.

Not to mention the liability.

In Alberta 7% on first $100,000. 3.25% on balance.
8000 semi detached and detached homes built in the last 12 months. Average selling price over $334039.00 for detached and 282,434 for semi-detached up 47.7& and 42.5% respectively. Average days on market 26. To night I was told the average size of house had shrunk to 960 sq ft for last months permits. As the price goes up the size goes down. Smaller houses on smaller lots. Because of labour shortages one wit was heard to say “These houses are being built by unsupervised high school drop outs”.

The biggest problem the vendor has is to decide which one of the 15 offers to accept.

It’s bloody nuts and there is no sign of slowing.

Nick; I think you’ve hit the important items. All we want is a level playing field, without one organization trying to play God. Thanks for representing us. I would still like to see no licensing or gov’t interference as I believe private enterprise will sort things out with less chance of screwing everybody involved…but that doesn’t look like thats going to happen, so we’ll have to let the gov’t tell us what we can and can’t do. Just the way goes;) IMO

For an in depth study go to http://com.state.oh.us/real/documents/2005.0001FinalPaper.pdf

Roy

I bought and sold many houses and condos never paid more than 3%. In my area all homes are 1 million+ [you know the area where I live] and agents never get more than 3%.
I agree with Gerry we should be making more for inspections * but it’s not going to happen [ever]. The next best thing is to do volume min. 2 inspections /day at $400-$500 /inspection.

I think you have the right idea $399/inspection, anything less not worth my time.*

Take some finished reports various types . Take enough so you can leave some copies after each of the meetings . Push for Continuing Education and How NACHI members are great at doing theirs . Push fro a short time ( 6 months for claims ). Have lots of NACHI information to leave . Push how NACHI BB helps all inspectors and John Q public and how the other associations BB is closed and gets very little use from the members and none from the public. Leave a list of many of our helpfull sites and suggest the peruse and see how much information is there.
Push how the other Canadian associations are closed door and how their membership has stayed constant ( example OAHI ) just over the two hundred mark for years and how all they are interested in doing is making money from students .
Let them know NACHI has tried to communicate with CAHPI/OAHI and gets zero response Let them Know that NACHI has offered a free both in our May Conference and they have not replied Let them know that NACHI offered CAHPI members rates at our Toronto conference and CAHPI did not even send an invite to the NACHI members to Calgary.
Let them know how happy the NACHI members are and that you have read many posts by OAHI members regarding OAHI having not been able to produce a full financial report to the members for many years and how TWO Financial secretaries quit because of irregularties
.
This is just some ideas and Information what is wrong with the Canadian Association much of this might be better left unsaid . Roy

Darrel wrote:

Thats the problem the Canadian Associations of record are self regulating. They continually prove that private enterprise is not competent nor capable of managing themselves, rife with conflicts, special interest, lack of accountability because the BOD have become a clique not open to member scrutiny, or accountability. They have had well over 10 years to do it and have failed miserably. You and everyone else here has seen the desperation through Mr. Bottoms working on behalf of his task masters to thwart, slander, defame Nachi and all its members. If this is OAHI-CAHPI idea of enterprise they can shove it.

The sooner the government steps in and legislates the biz the better off we would all be, because the critics will then be silenced.

Vern

That report is based on the research, not personal opinions. The findings of the author are fairly representative, and accurate as to the state of affairs in BC and the rest of Canada. There is no other independent report comparable as that of Ms. Reinstein from a Canadian POV and certainly appears to be indpendent of influence from CAHPI.

This is huge, especially here in British Columbia. I don’t know what the the situation is like in other provinces, but here in BC it seems like much of CAHPI(BC)'s mandate is to work harder at excluding all inspectors but their own - and too many people are buying into that. I understand the philosophy of “supporting” your own - but not at the expense of demeaning everyone else. NACHI needs a presence and foot in every door that CAHPI(BC) has their foot in - not to do the same thing they are doing and work at discrediting anyone other than NACHI members, but to demonstrate that we are right there with them, raising the bar and promoting and supporting professionalism.

For example, last week on Shell Busey’s HouseSmart show (a Radio talk show on Home Improvements aired nation-wide every Sat morning), Bill Sutherland, CAHPI(BC) president, was given air time. At one point he outlined the requirements for the National Certification Program. After explaining the 150 inspections and mock inspection scenario (where you inspect a house with known deficiencies and are ‘graded’), Shell - speaking to his listeners - went on to say it only makes sense for you to be looking for a member of the Canadian home and property inspectors of British Columbia, and I certainly support that.”. Shell ‘interpreted’ what Sutherland said as what is required RIGHT NOW to be a CAHPI(BC) inspector - and this is not the case. Did Sutherland correct Shell on air? No way! Shell’s error lent to CAHPI(BC) looking like the only real game in town, at the expense of the rest of us - when in fact Sutherland was speaking of a future National proposed requirenment that does not even exist yet.

Push for a list of recognized online educational resources. If the purpose of licensing is truly to protect the consumer then it makes sense to give all HIs the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge without it costing an arm and a leg to do so. If the purpose is to create a closed shop environment then the powers that be usually make it expensive and inconvenient to get the required educational credits. Which is it to be? If the beef is that the online courses need to be proctored then push for a simply way to go about doing this. (It could be as simple as having an impartial witness signing a paper verifying that you did not cheat when you did your exam).

Above all, please try to be civil and do not attack the other organizations just for the sake of it.

Thanks for batting for us.

Arne can you say litigation ,Well get ready if this self appointed group tries .
I am ready have been there with OAHI and they spent $35,000;00 + or- and lost .
I then took them to small claims court for some of my expenses and they obviously felt that this could go one and cost more money .
They settled with me the day before court .
The membership has never been told what the cost was .
CAHPI/OAHI is run by a old boys club and many are fed up .
The members are just like NACHI members help all do our inspections and comunicate with each other.
This does not happen They shut down the CAHPI BB because they did not want the members to comunicate with each other .
The OAHI BB suspends those who post any information that should not go to the members .
The Canuk List owned by Bill Mullen has imtimadeted the members ( By suspending those who spoke freely )and now many do not do any thing but look.
Most CAHPI /OAHI members come to the NACHI site to find out what they can .
Unfortnatly little to no information is comming out on the National Certification.
I have been told more then once by a director to be carefull what I say or I could be in trouble and end up in court( More Intimadation )
Please keep posting any info you get like this it just gives more amunation to use if it goes to Litigation .
Thanks Roy Cooke CAHPI-ON, CMI,RHI

How do you feel about inspection companies teaching college courses and indoctrinating their students to use their reporting systems?

CAHPI will do and say whatever it takes and is needed to ensure its survivability, that includes lying, and defaming Nachi members. The gloves have been off for quite awhile. Publicly the National is open to all but behind the scenes and off the record it has been anything goes!

I thought the Grandfathering provisions in the Ohio document were of note.

I feel such provisions will be a hotly contested issue depending on who is selling the government their rendition of licencing. :wink:

It is best to have all home inspectors on one list with no realtor input.
Have the prospective purchasers decide for themselves whom to hire.

Thats how they handle it in Massachusetts.

Vern - I agree. In reading the report page ii “it was not designed as a scientific survey from which to draw statistical conclusions on the views of all stakeholders. Rather …provided a starting point for more in-depth discussion and other research.”

Certainly the report provides some value (even with 59 responses) - but - in conclusion " it is difficult to identify one approach that would satisfy the concerns of all parties. …mandatory certification of home inspectors would benefit from additional focused consultation with the full range of interested parties … and identify appropriate means to resolve them."

At least to me it sounds very familair.

Claude - Have you had a chance to look at the Ohio state study?
I highly recommend it.

Good stuff, I’m making my list and checking it twice.