As Nick has stated many times before (in Nick-speak, see above for an example)… the CMI designation is nothing more than a marketing tool, which is why so many veteran inspectors have, and still, refuse to have any part of it.
It isn’t only that, but that is it’s main purpose.
Certified Master Inspector is the only thing in the entire industry that makes consumers want to hire you. It says everything that three pages of qualifications doesn’t and CMI does it in less than a couple seconds.
Never George… you are one of many who help were you can .
In most every industry, the top 20% make 80% of the money. CMI is the top 20% of the top 20% (about 4% of the entire industry).
CMI.
Worked well for us and many other great inspectors continue reaping the benefit.
However, if you are a non-business person who turns his nose up at something because it is mostly a marketing tool… CMI is not for you. CMI is for the businessmen who are in the inspection industry… not the home inspectors trying to be businessmen.
But what about the CMI claims that it hurts his business?
That’s Gary Farnsworth, he complains about everything. Look at what he does (has CMI on everything), not what he says. Here is his website: http://www.metrospeckc.com/
If your business model demands that you attract real estate agents who want a patty-cake inspector, perhaps you are right. Maybe you should advertise that you are NOT certified (using that logic).
And there you have it.
And Roy wonders how CMI’s that need serious training, fall through the cracks. :roll:
Try this experiment (it’s been done many times before). Lay everything out on your dining room table: Your state license, your insurance information, your IAC2 patch, your InterNACHI certificate, you company logo, your educational transcript, your First Time Homebuyer Friendly seal, your Honor Guarantee, your tagline…whatever. Hide a Certified Master Inspector sticker in there somewhere. Then ask your Aunt Penny or someone who knows nothing about the inspection industry to dig through it and pick out the one thing that would cause her to think you are the best, hire you, and maybe even be willing to pay you more than your competitors.
You need not report the results of the experiment here… I already know what she’ll do.
Those 3 little words (CERTIFIED MASTER INSPECTOR) not only work… they work every time.
I also think a few Inspectors need serious training in how to treat other homies on this Forum .
A very few seem to have forgotten what respect is .
If it’s training you want, a professional designation won’t give you it, CMI isn’t a course curriculum. Go here for all the education you could dream of: www.nachi.org/education.htm Then put your transcript on your website: http://www.nachi.org/about-transcripts.htm
That’s a totally different issue, off-topic.
Back on topic now: Certified Master Inspector is about instantly conveying the perfect message to a consumer who is about to hire a home inspector. Consumers make their choice in under 10 seconds… that’s all the time you have… and that’s way more time than CMI needs.
Put it this way I would rather belong to 1 Association that has the best training on line and in classroom. Since the training for a Licensing in BC has been approved and the mentoring is being done by CMI’s, there really is no doubt in the eyes of the Government.
Since there are no issues with any “Certified Master Inspectors” in the court that I have heard of, at least here in Ontario I would say that the problem might be somewhere else.
Since Home Inspections are not designed to be technically exhaustive according to the SOP, I would have a problem with someone making it that way.
I have been told this by Clients on many occasions that this is just not what they are looking for.
Courts only care about one thing that you treated the Client with the most respect possible and you did the job to the best of your ability.
That being said just because you have been a Home Inspector for many many years does not make you the best. Each has to continually educate themselves to be the best.
Both CMI and InterNachi provide the best training for SOP.
Won’t give what you’ve never earned!
How’s Wendy?
Off-Topic???
False advertising, or should I say… deceiving the public, IS NOT off-topic!
Jeffrey !
Go change your diaper you stink.
Wrong. We verify every application and require documented proof of the 3-years-in-business requirement to be uploaded to our server when you apply. Try applying without uploading that documentation. You won’t be able to proceed.
That’s why Florida accepted CMI as proof of experience for grandfathering purposes and that’s why the most recent province in Canada to adopt licensing (Alberta) grandfathered all CMIs.
Anyway, try applying without uploading that proof. The system won’t allow you to proceed.
When we got ours we had to have all sheets verified and signed by a notary after we signed them.
Big deal! Anybody can go down to a Notary, make the statement (in writing) that they “took a crap that morning”, sign it, and have the Notary place his stamp to indicate that the person standing in front of them signed the paper he is Notarizing. That’s it. A Notary is a legal witness to a signature. Period! They do NOT verify any content on the paper, other than the signature. Every business person knows this. You are fooling no one here with your foolery.