If you haven’t read through the “PROPOSED” SOP’s, I suggest you do.
I was just going through the “PROPOSED” SOP’s over the weekend. So much, in my opinion, is lacking and confusing.
As an example:
Under T: "A licensee shall inspect a property’s readily accessible components of the electrical system during a home inspection and report in the home inspection report the licensee’s findings related to all of the following:
(9) Ground fault circuit interrupters and arc fault interrupters.
THEN, Under U: A licensee is not required to inspect during a home inspection or report in a home inspection report any of the following as it relates to a property’ electrical system:
(8) Test ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) or arc fault interrupters (AFCI):
The SOP’s are not finalized, but I do believe this should be claried.
clearly a case of cart before the horse…It appears the state was more interested in increasing revnue without much thought on how they were going to handle the program…
Call Mike P. I’m sure he can get it straightened out. Or maybe more confusing.
2 Likes
rcloyd
(Russell Cloyd, KY LIC #166164, IN LIC#HI02300068)
7
It seems to me that the Ohio board would do well to adopt the SOP’s of the leading Home Inspector Associations in the nation. In my opinion, the state should let the inspector choose his SOP.
If you compare ASHI or NACHI’s SOP to the proposed Ohio SOP, you will see how inadequate Ohio’s SOP’s are.
From not being required to describe a system or component of a home, to not being required to inspect items. These are the types of SOPs that allow a flood of new inspectors (I’m not against competition) and decrease fees.
I’ve been in this business for 33 years including all aspects of regulation and trade association rise and fall. I know that my words will not convert younger minds but perhaps they will cause some thought.
Regulation does not improve inspection quality or maintain higher pricing.
State Standards will be used against you.
Your product will become a commodity. Everyone is the same in the mind of the consumer.
Ethical people do not not need a written ethics; unethical people ignore written ethics.
Commerce and the consumer should choose the product and service.
Low cost inspections will never disappear. The time and cost of entering this business is minuscule. A few hundred hours of online classes for $2500? Anyone making $10 dollars an hour will do a somersault if they can make $160 for a four hour inspection. Ignore the cost of doing business argument because it falls on deaf ears. All they see is $40 dollars an hour. They will come and go. The ones who become better will raise their prices.
Technical and management skills separate the weak and strong. But the really strong master marketing skills.
Adopt a trade association as your guideline document and modify it to suit your area and service. InterNACHI is a great place to start.
People who demand regulation that says “do it my way in order to protect the public” do not understand that they are attempting to protect themselves. I find them all to be controlling personalities. Forget regulation. Study, participate in InterNACHI (or the association of your choice) and MARKET your business.
Lastly, although this may offend. The phrase “protect the public” is a chant people use when they cannot justify their argument. Home inspection has been around for 45 years. The public knows about the product. The consumer who chooses a cheap bad inspector gets exactly what they deserve. Smart consumers choose good inspectors. Regulation does not protect stupid people. People smart enough to qualify for a loan in today’s expensive housing market know the importance of a good inspection. Those that do not should live in an apartment.
Regulation will not improve your business, protect your pricing or cause better inspections. YOU control that.
