Realtors only using ASHI inspectors

Hi I’m an inspector in the St.Louis area and when I’m talking to new realtors in the area it seems to be a common trend for them to ask if I’m “ASHI certified.” I try to explain to them that Internachi is just as credible of a association as ASHI but they still tell me they would rather me be ASHI certified before they refer me. I was just wondering if there was a way to prove credibility or get Internachi better recongnized in the area.
Thanks,
Sam

Get me proof. My new legal team is bored and is asking for someone to sue. Not just hearsay, but some hard evidence. One of our largest multi-inspection firms is only InterNACHI, in St. Lous, and is killing it. Opening a second office.

Many inspectors belong to both associations

I don’t know exactly how to get hard evidence. I know that a did an inspection for a lady earlier this week and I was told she had to sign a waiver saying she understood that she was getting an inspection done by a non ASHI certified inspector.

Get me a copy. We love suing scumbag agents who steer consumers toward pattycake inspectors.

Out of curiosity, why would you sue an agent for recommending the inspectors that they want? There are a few agents here that only recommend ASHI inspectors and I miss out. The other agents that recommend me make up for it. In my opinion, it is no different from me choosing who I use to perform my radon testing.

I have had a situation or two where I learned that a Realtor had recommended their client seek out an ASHI inspector. I’m a member, so I did not have to explain why InterNACHI is better in most respects.

Apparently, ASHI has managed to position itself in the minds of some agents as the “gold standard” organization for inspectors.

Rather than looking for an excuse to sue someone, I would rather see Nick and InterNACHI go on a charm campaign and educate agents as to the superiority of InterNACHI and InterNACHI-certified inspectors.

Could not agree more.

The “We only refer ASHI certified inspectors” has been the general practice for Realtors and Banks in the St. Louis MO area for decades. Don’t expect it to change anytime soon. If I were you I would just join ASHI. One inspection would pay for your membership.

Funny thing is I serve Illinois directly across the Mississippi from St. Louis (within a few miles) and the Realtors here do not care if you belong to ASHI, or any other organization.

Thank you for the feedback

I hope Samuel gets that waver and sends it to Nick so he can sue their socks off.
I’d bet Samuel will not do it…I would for sure…Yep!.
No realtor has any rights as to who does the inspection for their clients…NOPE!
And they all need to learn this…
It would be a total conflict of interest to say the least! …

Yep^

Samuel …

St Louis Realtors and ASHI is REAL old hat news.

3 Past NATIONAL presidents of ASHI came from St Louis. In 1982 if memory serves me correctly the St Louis BoR put together a trifold brochure explaining the home inspection process to use as a handout to home buyers.

Agents gave thousands AND thousands of those brochures out. Since ASHI was the ONLY player in town at that time they got WELL known. Fast forward a few years and one of the BoR officers was married to a ASHI inspector and we heard they let ASHI have a non-voting seat on their BoR. ASHI got more involved in the St. Louis BoR.

That’s been that way for 36 years. ASHI has been HEAVILY involved with the St Louis BoR this whole time with NO real opposition over there.

Until Billy Boerner hit St Louis there has never been another “Non-ASHI” home inspector ever be able to make it in St. Louis for more than 1-3 yrs. Talk to Billy to get ideas on making it in St Louis … He is the Non-ASHI expert down there …. NOBODY else has done what he has.

Billy is like me, he does not cater to Realtors much. We were lucky enough to figure out nitches in the market and advertising that keep us busy. I gave up on Realtor referrals mainly because of the ASHI domanice in the Missouri market. ASHI owns the Missouri Realtor market. From my discussion over the years with Nick, NACHI will not market to the real estate industry, such as ASHI has. Of course I have respectfully disagreed with him on this matter several times and see it as being short sighted. The main reason inspectors in Missouri join ASHI is because of the referrals they get from Realtors. If NACHI can capture most of that market, there would be no real reason inspectors would keep their membership with ASHI.