Why NACHI Needs ASHI

General Inspection Topics General Inspection Discussion
1

A fellow ASHI member has brought to your message board certain posts that have recently appeared on the ASHI message board for our members’ eyes only.

I want to thank him for eliminating the names from the posts since they were made by some very high ranking members and former members of our board of directors and other high positions within ASHI.

If you have not read them you can see them by going to post #143 on this thread http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26053&page=8

It is true that ASHI is in the nova stage but it is important that NACHI works with us to help keep ASHI alive for you need us out there promoting the profession.

We all know that there is no longer the distinction that goes along with membership with us as there used to be and we don’t need to keep attacking that point. We should understand that there are a lot of people who think we are still reflecting a high standard and who does that hurt? Does it not help all inspectors for the public to think well of home inspectors?

Maybe there won’t be an ASHI in two or three years. Then, what will you do?

2

I for one do not bereave in removing names. If you say something stand behind it. Why would I want to keep ashi alive. They stoled over $300 from me and they deceive the public. I see no reason to support them. ashi has some great inspectors that are members of there association but the association is an insult to the industry.

Your last statement is music to my ears!! :D:D Ill have a party.

3

Maybe interNachi would be able to carry on promoting the profession? Oh No whatever will all the poor home inspectors do!

4

Maybe sharing your story might help the OP appreciate your position.

thx,

tom

5

OK, Henry.

Like it or not, ASHI members and NACHI members are in this together.

Your association has surpassed ours. We are admitting that, not just here on your message board either. Our own directors are agreeing that Nick Gromicko’s model for a home inspector organization best serves its members.

But you have to admit that it was ASHI’s reputation that drove NACHI harder to be better. You cannot light a match on a bar of soap, Henry.

Together, maybe not on purpose, but still together, ASHI and NACHI have built this profession to what it is and shares in a duty to take it further. NACHI has that ability where ASHI does not.

We are down to 3500 members according to our last report and there is talk that almost one-third of them are not actually inspecting houses. We may not be totally relevant or on the cutting edge but we do have some things we can offer the industry if we are allowed to participate with you.

6

Can someone please draw the curtains and shut off the lights because the shows over!!!

7

OK. Very funny.

Can someone tell me why I got this?

Why NACHI Needs ASHI 3/1/08 3:43 PM poopy head

8

Sorry for this happening Charlie we too at NACHI have a very very few small people who have no gonads.

Please except my apology for them as they lack the ability to tell you who they are and why they disagree with your post.
…Cookie
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9

Thanks, Roy.

I am very glad to see that you were able to see fit to return to NACHI. Every family has a flare up now and then.

10

Your correct the members are in this together. The associations are nothing without the members. ashi s reputation did not make NACHI work harder. ashi pissed off there member and the members went to where they were respected.

11

So what is it you have to offer?

12

I joined NACHI because I thought it offered me more than ASHI. But I do believe that the two need each other. The consumers are the ones that need both of them the most though. If you have one giant that sets all the rules, there is nothing to strive for. There is no reason to improve anything, or a reason to be innovative in your processes. And for that reason alone, I joined NACHI. But I do believe there has to be competition and cooperation between the two parties. Different views are healthy for everyone involved. Eventually NACHI will be the longbeard on the block and a new group will come along and push us to become better and stronger, therefore improving the industry and serving our clients better. Maybe that group will surpass NACHI, maybe not. Time will tell.

13

Quote: Originally Posted by Charlie Q. Griswald, Jr …but we do have some things we can offer the industry if we are allowed to participate with you. By coming to NACHI where we all tend to help every one on our open BB this shows ASHI and the other associations how friendly and open we are .

This BB is also visited extremely often by the Canadian ASHI chapter ( OAHI/CAHPI ) as this seems to be the only place where much information is posted.
…Cookie

14

Ian, I have to give you my view on ASHI which may be different than others. Here in NH we are facing licensing and the local ASHI chapter has set up a independent coalition to confuse the state legislators. They have written a bill that mirrors ASHIs membership requirements and have lied and been deceptive in their vain attempt to gain control of the inspection industry here in NH. They have lied so much that their lobbyist actually quit in front of a house of representatives committee hearing.

They have also attempted to gain support from me and other NACHI members under the guise that we all need to work together, which by the way is the theme of this thread, while I agree with this premise, it was less than a month later that my state senator read me a email that was sent to him stating that we, NACHI inspectors, basically couldn’t inspect a dog house and are all unqualified.

Now that is whats happening in my neck of the woods, the ASHI members here in NH are back stabbing liars that cannot be trusted, so why should we NACHI members think for a moment that this industry needs back stabbers and liars to help keep this industry professional. In my opinion the sooner this organisation goes under the better, not only for the consumer but the industry as well.

All of the above is JMHO.

15

So Charley, I see your back, been talking to John lately :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Are you saying that ASHI should hand out free memberships, and market inspectors to the public by simply requiring them to take an on line open book quiz, make them promise to other things, after they are already marketed to the public as certified inspectors?:roll:

Or are you saying ASHI should start being like nick, and offer non existent bogus benefits, or benefits that any inspector can get with out belonging to an HI org, and make it look like only ASHI can offer those things for it’s members?:roll:

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16

One of the great strengths in America (and Canada) is the competative nature. One company starts doing something, then another company comes along and does the same thing, only for less cost and / or at better quality and / or with added value. In otherwise, just better. The first company either adapts or goes out of business.

ASHI’s problem, at least in my area (I live 5 miles from ASHI national headquarters) is that they got fat, self important and just disregarded NACHI and did so with arrogance.

Many ASHI members, in Illinois, were former tradesmen. With the union mentality, they looked upon NACHI members as a bunch of apprentices and scabs. They saw us as incompitent scabs.

Now, most NACHI members in our area have college degrees, know how to use computers, know how to employ the new technologies (deep probing moisture meters, electrical circuit analyzers, thermal imaging, etc) and apply more of the theoretical aspects of building science to the inspection.

I have always been curious about one aspect.

Our state HI law has a definition of a particular type of defect. I believe it was taken directly from the ASHI SOP.

Significantly Deficient: A system, component or item that either doesn’t function or is unsafe.

Unsafe: A system, component or item that poses a significant risk of personal injury or property damage because it is damaged, deteriorated, improperly installed or changes in current construction standards.

The changes in “current construction standards” is taken to mean national code changes.

So, a house built in the 60s and without GFCI protection is significantly deficient.

The only problem is that most ASHI guys I talk to, the older ones, mostly, will say no. They will say that it is “functioning as intended”.

When pressed, they talk about the local codes and gransfathering provisions and all that. They think of themselves as code inspectors, mailny because around here, the code inspectors have all the authority.

Maybe it is because they came from the trades and maybe it is just because the don’t want to rock the boat. Maybe they want to insure that they don’t offend their Realtor base.

I see it as a cop out. They work for the cleint and MUST have the client’s best interest at heart. That’s fiduciary responsbility.

But, NACHI is a new breed. In a little less than 3 years, I have seen ASHI go from, (in the minds of Realtors, because of the “branding” campaign) from being synonymous with being licensed to being almost meaningless.

This was done, at least around here, by:

  1. Extensive education of the NACHI HIs.
  2. Massive mentoring of the new guys by the older NACHI members.
  3. Strong NACHI Chapter programs.
  4. Breaking the backs of the ASHI (and NAHI) CE educators. Better courses, higher quality and at about 1/4 of the cost (for NACHI members. About 1/2 for non-NACHI members).
  5. Letting the Realtors come to us, based upon our repuation and quality, rather than NACHI members courting and cow-towing to the Realtors.
  6. Realtor education. Most of them had no clue as to what HIs actually were required to do, according to our state law.
  7. Reaching out to members of other associations and forming common interest groups, to work for the interests of all HIs (political lobbying, state representation, etc). The state authorities take us much more seriously if we are all on the same page rather than sqabbling between ourselves. Last year, this group, working with the Illinois Association of Realtors, got the Radon disclosure act passed. This year, we are working on a similar discloure act for Home Inspectors.
  8. The arrogance of some (by no means all, or even many) of the old school ASHI and NACHI “leaders” who thought that they were going to be on top of the heap forever. Many of these “leaders” were also profiting off their membership by over charging for state required CE and just putting on totally easy, lazy, rote classes that one could sleep through and still pass, easily. Thanks to efforts from some of our NACHI Chapter members, these people have had disciplinary action taken against them, by the state, for the mock classes.

I have always reached across to members and leaders of other associations, to work for the betterment of the entire industry. I will continue to do so, as long as it helps. But I will always be a NACHI member and continue to help NACHI first.

I also hope that NACHI members will never make the same mistake that ASHI members did and get fat, overconfident, lazy and complacent.

Do your best, improve and try to change the old paradigm where it needs changing. Let the market decide.

Hope this helps;

17

Yes, I get that. I have heard all of this. Hence, they are the longbeard right now, and we are the pups so to speak, even though a lot of our members have lots of years in experience. But as an organization it is still fairly young. Would NACHI have been created if it wasn’t for this ugly type of situation you spoke of. I doubt it, people would have just said "oh that guy’s in ASHI. or whatever org. and went on their way. By them turning themselves into a monster, they created a need for someone to step up and take a swing at them. In the process, the consumer was also helped, because of the firestorm NACHI stirred up and awareness that was shed on the situation. Realistically, it probably helped NACHI. I understand where you guys out East are coming from, I really do. I don’t agree with their ethics or practices, but do believe you need competition to remain benificial to your customer. As you can see, I didn’t choose ASHI. So, I guess that shows which I sided with. Just an opinion.

18

Well said Will.:slight_smile:

19

Hey Ian, good post, but I disagree with you that this industry needs ASHI, once they finally close their doors I’m sure someone will step up and start a new org. Or if ASHI could pull it’s head out of it’s arss and do whats right by their membership and by the consumers then we would have healthy competition and healthy competition is what benefits everyone concerned in the long run.

20

Go to the members’ only section of our message board, Dan. Read it for yourself. Our leadership has come to the realization that trying to run ASHI “by consultant” has been a bad idea.

We paid outside consultants for advice instead of listening to our own members who left us in droves when we first began selling ourselves to realtors as “something special” in our branding program. Sure, it did a lot for newbies like you but the real inspectors who were already established did not need or want branding. It pushed ASHI at the expense of its members.

Today, whether you can allow yourself to admit it or not on this message board Dan, it takes more to qualify to be a first day member of NACHI than it does to be a first day member of ASHI. To say otherwise makes you a liar and if you insist upon lying you will not be representing my ASHI, just your own thoughts. From what I have read here, there is not much regard for your own personal thoughts around these part.:wink: