Ride Along With NACHI

Originally Posted By: Fred Silva
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Just wanted to give my thanks publicly and to let all know that NACHI members are there to help.


I contacted Rusty and asked to go on a ride along and he was extremely receptive, professional, and a darn good teacher. My thanks to Rusty Rothrock of the Lindsay Group in Richmond Virginia.

Being new to the business, this ride along was great. With this ride along, one video from the library, so far, and all the knowledge and experience on the message board my NACHI membership has been a great investment. I’ll keep riding along with NACHI for as long as I can.

Thanks again.

Fred Silva


--
Fred Silva

Originally Posted By: adufresne
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Fred, you can ride with me any time, armand, quality home inspection services.


Originally Posted By: Fred Silva
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Armand,


Good talking to you via email. I might just take you up on that offer.


--
Fred Silva

Originally Posted By: mmazzitello
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Wow ! I posted a request to ride along in my first few months on another board. I was told candidly that any ASHI/NAHI member would be glad to help you…well when I approached a few…I was viewed as pond scum and or competition etc…let me put it to you this way…no one jumped on the band wagon to help me…


Then I come here and it seems the opposite....everyone has a completely different style here and are willing to help.

If anyone in the River Falls area is interested in a ride-with I would be glad to offer my services, and/or request to ride with them.

Thanks everyone for showing me that there are folks out there that are willing to help...a sort of Home Inspector brotherhood, not a bunch of tight-n-squeaky buck-farts unwilling to share information.

Thank NACHI !!!

Mike


Originally Posted By: Rusty Rothrock
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Fred - Thanks for the kind words. The door is always open for you to come and assist/observe on any inspection. Love to have you and anyone else for that matter. Here’s an idea for all of you up North, plan a vacation or a long weekend to Virginia this spring or summer, work with me one day and vacation the rest. The invitation is open to everyone.


Best Regards, Rusty Rothrock


Originally Posted By: Nick Gromicko
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Wow. You guys are the greatest!


Nick


Originally Posted By: Brian Maloney
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Mike,


Buck-Farts??? ![icon_lol.gif](upload://zEgbBCXRskkCTwEux7Bi20ZySza.gif) Must be a local expression. I don't even understand "Tight-n-squeaky"... is that an old plumbers expression? Or sailor talk? ![icon_lol.gif](upload://zEgbBCXRskkCTwEux7Bi20ZySza.gif) I am still cracking up having just read your complement to the organization, although I don't think we can include references to those other guys as "tight-n-squeaky buck-farts" in any NACHI brochures... unless COE (Code of Ethics Committee) approves. (And with this group, who knows!)

Brian


--
Brian Maloney, NACHI
Valley Forge Chapter

Originally Posted By: Fred Silva
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Rusy, You’re very welcome.


Armond, keep in touch.

Mike, I like that HI brotherhood. I just don't know if the HI industry is ready for a Union. I echo your feelings about NACHI members being willing to help.

If anyone takes Rusty up on his offer, count me in. I don't have many inspections, yet, and I don't have Rusty's experience, but being a South Texas boy I make a mean Bar-B-Que. Vacation in Virginia, attend a training session with Rusty, then my place for eats. You could even right it off as a business trip. What a deal.


--
Fred Silva

Originally Posted By: Brian Maloney
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Don’t forget a historical trip to Valley Forge… come inspect one of those 1930’s reproduction log huts the soldiers slept in and called home. And join us at a chapter breakfast and more.



Brian Maloney, NACHI


Valley Forge Chapter

Originally Posted By: ismetaniuk
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This membership was a big waste of my time!



Igor


Top To Bottom Inspections


Glen Spey, NY

Originally Posted By: rray
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First, Jeff Remas did not contact me from across the country just to say hello. He called asking for help. I gave him every tip I know, and he acknowledged yesterday that the help I gave him is working for him. I think that’s great. And I did that even though I care greatly about my franchisor, and we do have franchises in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, etc., so I am helping my company’s competitors in a roundabout way.


Understand that I'm the only NACHI member that I know of here in San Diego. I don't like CREIA and ASHI, so I am suspicious of them; that's where my most recent experience outside of NACHI is. I don't mind sharing the pie, and I have recommended inspectors here when I was too busy or just didn't want to work that day. Those that I recommend are people I know and they are not members of CREIA or ASHI, although not being a member of CREIA or ASHI is not specifically a determining factor.

I don't have a problem with you disagreeing with my philosophy, which might also be different if I didn't live in San Diego. But I've spent most of my life taking care of people at great expense to me. Now I'm getting old and no one is there to take care of me. So for a change I have decided to look out for #1. And right now, #1 is me and my company. As I said, when I am financially sound or think I am, I would like to go into teaching to help other inspectors market their companies. But I'm not going to give away all my business secrets to help the competition. Sorry, just ain't gonna do it. I've spent too many years developing my business philosophy and am not going to give that philosophy away willy-nilly (will-nilly?) on a free bulletin board. I've already given away lots of advice from my attorneys on these bulletin boards, and I have not seen any royalty checks arrive in the mail yet.

I helped Jeff for two reasons: (1) He was a NACHI member, and (2) he was not located in San Diego.

I apologize for those who think my two reasons are wrong. They are right for me at this point in my life.

Your mileage may vary.


--
Home inspections. . . .
One home at a time.

Originally Posted By: jmyers
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Igor,


There are certain "trade" secrets that not even I give away for free. I certainly point all new members in the right direction but I have to agree with Russel that those words were expensive to us and also a good learning experience.

All the members have to figure what will and what will not work for them given the great regional distances between us. I would do anything to help a member but I certainly agree with Russel that I will not hold their hand. They must learn for themselves what being in business for themselves is all about.

Russel has given much advice here on the message board without concern that his competition may be lurking about and using it to their advantage now to gain an edge on him. Please remember that this is truly a "public" message board free to anyone that wishes to visit and read or learn from our experiences. There are times when you can not/should not post your "experience" here in public. ![icon_biggrin.gif](upload://iKNGSw3qcRIEmXySa8gItY6Gczg.gif)

Russel, I hope you continue to share your experience with our members and by all means do so. Ultimately you should share that which you are comfortable with sharing.

Igor I hope you can understand his position, I certainly do.

Joe Myers


Originally Posted By: jhagarty
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DELETED



Joseph Hagarty


HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.

Originally Posted By: rray
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Okay, Igor, back to ride-alongs, then.


I would not take someone local on a ride-along because that reveals my trade secrets about how I do business. Now what I will say is what everyone says:

Be friendly.
Treat your Clients with respect and do a great job for them.

I would also say, contrary to what many, many home inspectors say, treat all Realtors with respect. But I say that because I'm also not afraid to say that I market to Realtors. They are the target market at this point in time and I realize that and don't have a problem with it, other than the fact that I wish I could make a viable living by marketing to the people who pay me. Alas. . . .

Now the rest of what I do to market my company at the inspection stays with me and those I hire. That's the way it is. I do realize that an employee could leave and open his own company. But that's simply a cost of doing business in America because while they are learning everything they can about my business, I am also making money off of them. That's as it should be. I would make no money off of a ride-along; it would simply be gratis advice and training on my part. I cannot condone that, just can't. Sorry. It's the way I feel.

I certainly would not ask my local competitors to let me ride along. Now when I get to the East Coast, I would thoroughly enjoy going out on an inspection with Joe, Joe, Joe, or Jeff. I feel like I've connected with them and think I would simply enjoy visiting with them. And if I could contribute to an inspection while I was visiting, I think that would be great. And I wouldn't even demand to be paid. Alas, as Igor said, my posts are too long. . . .

Margarita time!


--
Home inspections. . . .
One home at a time.

Originally Posted By: Nick Gromicko
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When I was in the home inspection business, two of my employees: Joe Myers and Luigi Crestani, each formed their own inspection companies while working for me. While they ran their own inspection companies in direct competition with me, they also worked directly for me as employees. I tried to teach them everything I knew. As their own inspection business caught on, they found less time to work for me and finally left my employment altogether to operate their own inspection companies. I still helped them. Joe’s company, which is in the exact same town as my company was, got very busy. When he was too busy to schedule an inspection, you know who he referred the work to don’t you? Anyway, I would rather help another NACHI member get good then get busy, refer work to me when they are too busy, back me up when I’m too busy, keep my regular real estate agents serviced when I’m on vacation, come back to work for me when I have a 12 unit apartment building, share marketing costs, ask me if I need any water samples run to the lab when he’s going there, loan me a helper grunt, etc.


Now if they were both ASHI members, I'd probably think like Russel. You know the difference between an ASHI Inspector (ASHI/NACHI members excepted) and a dead snake in the road? The dead snake has skid marks in front of it.

Joe & Luigi are riding up with me to the NY NACHI meeting Tues. night.
http://www.nachi.org/nynachi.htm I hope all those NY NACHI ASHI guys don't read this till after I get out of the meeting (NY NACHI is made up of mostly ASHI guys, correction... mostly Italian ASHI guys).

Nick

ps Russel, I'll split your plane ticket with you if you ever want to go to a NY NACHI Chapter meeting.


Originally Posted By: ismetaniuk
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This membership was a big waste of my time!



Igor


Top To Bottom Inspections


Glen Spey, NY

Originally Posted By: Nick Gromicko
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Igor:


You are right. I have a bunch of dead lawyer jokes too, but my attorneys are excepted.

See you tonite.

Nick


Originally Posted By: wwarner
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Hey all!


This is a “newbies” point of view so take it as just that.


(I sure wish I'd met Nick about ten years sooner)...(that's a compliment)

Coming from a retail/parts manager, I can see both sides of this discussion. We ALWAYS want to know what the competition is doing. Sharing trade secrets is a no-no, but being cordial and cooperating together for the benefit of the customer/client has always benefited us as competitors in the long run. Having a friendly relationship with them allowed us to "go the distance" in helping our customers. Our customers could care less about competition this and competition that. They only know that you were able to help them with what ever their need was in a timely manner. This they (most of them) remember and pass on to future clients and customers. Our friendly relationship also helped greatly when our two companies recently merged. My philosophy--You never know what bridge you might have to cross (or re-cross) so best to put out any fires even if your hands get burnt.

Just my two cents.

Bill Warner
ps won't be at this meeting but hope to meet everyone soon!


Originally Posted By: lfranklin
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Welcome Bill


Now you said This is a “newbies” point of view so take it as just that.


That is hard to belive. Your post makes you sound like an old vet.


Very well said.


Two cents?? Sounds more like a dollar


Originally Posted By: Sean LaSalle
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Well, I wish I were as lucky. So far Ive posted two messages asking for NACHI members to take me on a ride along or two and no one has responded. I am in Allentown PA. If anyone is interested. Or maybe I should attach a nice picture to get people interested icon_lol.gif