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Think you've got it tough as an inspector dealing with the vagaries of a manipulative real estate agent that wishes you were half blind and mute? Well, appraisers don't have it much better, as this article shows.

OMAHA, Neb. Twenty years ago, President and Founder of National Property Inspections, Roland Bates, interviewed his first three franchisees. At the time, he was the owner, operator, educational staff and sales department for the fledgling company, it’s only employee. All three of the men he interviewed signed contracts. All three stayed with NPI at least 10 years and one remains an inspector with the company today. “For me personally, the most exciting moment for NPI was when I received that first royalty check for $14,â€

In his typical unapologetic good-ol-boy fashion, Walt Jowers once again provides those in the market for a new home some useful insights to keep them out of trouble and holds forth about agents' little helper-type home inspectors. For the whole story, click here.

After a real estate columnist received a letter from an angry consumer denigrating the home inspection profession, a couple of California home inspectors fired back. Read their comments by clicking here.

In this Washington Post Q & A, a home buyer tells Barry Stone that the buyer's agent says that an inspection contingency on a 35-year old home could make the seller balk. Barry sets 'em straight. To read the whole story, click here.

This March 5th article from Nashville's CityPaperOnline, explains the realities of the home inspection process to consumers and mentions veteran Nashville inspector and home inspection pundit, Walter Jowers. To read more, click here.

(PressZoom) - BALTIMORE, MD Architects, teachers, dentists, physicians, therapists, realtors®, and attorneys all have something in common: their careers and livelihood depend on their state-issued licenses. And while many licensed professionals spend hundreds or thousands in malpractice or E&O insurance every month, very few can expect legal protection if faced with a state licensing board action. With this in mind, SML Holdings has launched a new service designed specifically to help professionals protect and save their licenses, their careers, their good name, and their livelihood from state board and administrative regulatory actions. Save My License (www.savemylicense.com) enables licensed professionals in almost any occupation to receive up to $100,000 in costs and legal fees to protect against any state or national board, administrative, or regulatory action that threatens their license and their livelihood. Offering different levels of protection for low, mid, and high-risk careers, Save My License members can protect their professional license( s ) with plans that are offered in protection levels of $25,000, $50,000, and $100,000 and start at $49 per year. All levels of membership include protection against fines a member may be obligated to pay. “Administrative actions against a professionals’ license, whether serious or frivolous, are incredibly disrupting, and can be fatal, to a person’s career, and will affect their reputation, their livelihood, their family, and their income. When a persons license is under threat, It’s absolutely critical that all licensed professionals have the resources and access to experienced legal counsel on short notice to effectively fight for their good name and their livelihood,â€

ORLANDO, FLA. The two most influential groups in the home building industry and the code development and enforcement community are collaborating to bring uniformity to sustainable building practices. The National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council will undertake the development and publication of a residential green building standard, NAHB and ICC leaders announced today. During a press conference at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla., NAHB and the Code Council reinforced their commitment to sustainable building practices and the creation of national standards for green home building. NAHB has long recognized many of its members as leaders and innovators in building green homes, but their efforts were local and without any regional or national reference. Members needed clearer guidance, but wanted to maintain flexibility and be able to incorporate regional distinctions. NAHB took on this task with the publication in 2005 of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines, now a nationally recognized green building certification tool. ICC has been promoting green building requirements through its widely adopted family of International Codes, which set minimum standards for energy efficiency and sustainable building practices for the construction industry and also recognized the need for a national set of standards for home builders and others wishing to voluntarily adopt "above-code" practices. NAHB President David Pressly was joined by Wally Bailey, president of the International Code Council, for the historic announcement. The collaboration is another example of ICC's commitment to green building, said Bailey. "Strong, durable homes that are safe and affordable have a smaller impact on the world's limited resources. ICC is committed to educating our members on green building and participating in activities with other organizations that will assure green building practices are sustainable, safe and affordable," he said. "Code Council members play an important role on code matters related to green building," agreed ICC CEO Rick Weiland. "Our new world headquarters, just two blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building, is in a green building and demonstrates our corporate commitment to respect the environment. Green technology is going to play an important role in our collective future--not just in the United States but around the world." The announcement is also a resounding vote of confidence and measure of the success of NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which now form the basis of more than 15 state and local green building programs around the country, said Pressly. "NAHB members have proven that a voluntary, region-specific, flexible program can be both truly green and also allow for innovation. We believe in the Model Green Home Building Guidelines, we believe in the standards process, and we believe that the end result will be a better document for the home building community." "Because the Guidelines were originally developed using a consensus-based process, it is anticipated we'll have a leg up in the standards-writing process," noted Pressly. "We will once again use the services of the NAHB Research Center, which is the American National Standards Institute-accredited standards developer that oversaw the development of the Guidelines," he said. "I'm delighted to announce our commitment to work with the Code Council to help advance green building practices for our industry," Pressly continued. "We surveyed our members a year ago and 92 percent of them said they would move to green building because 'it's the right thing to do.' That's true of the standards process as well. It's the right thing to do." NAHB and the Code Council are seeking applicants for membership in the consensus committee for the development for the ANSI green home building standard. Applications can be submitted at www.nahbrc.org/gbstandard and must be received by March 10, 2007 to be considered. ### ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 235,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. Known as "the voice of the housing industry," NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country. NAHB's builder members will construct 80 percent of the more than 1.56 million new housing units projected for 2007. ABOUT ICC: The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council.

Currently under construction in Seattle, the NextGen Home Experience is a 4,100 square-foot, three bedroom, four bath home. This home is being built using the latest technologies and building practices available on the market today. The result is promised to be a home that is stronger, greener, more efficient and more digitally connected than any other, but at a price most can afford now. Will it be? Check it out! Click here.

This article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer explains how a new consumer protection group is pushing for a law mandating warranties on new construction and how the Building Association of Washington (BIAW), the largest lobby in the state, is opposing them. To read more, click here. Don't forget to read the readers' response comments on the accompanying bulletin board.

Hmph, I could swear I heard a pacman munching sound when I clicked on this one.

Irvine, CA (PRWeb) Mold and its health effects present a growing concern for home owners, physicians, real estate professionals and new home buyers. For the detection and quantification of mold, the Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) has recently been developed by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) scientists. "This is a significant and exciting new development as it applies a new DNA technology in a meaningful test for mold in homes." states Guaranteed Property Inspection and Mold Investigation (GPI) Senior Microbial Consultant Steve Zivolich. GPI is the first firm in the Southern California area to offer this advanced environmental test option for both home inspection and mold investigation clients. In initial studies by the EPA, the concentrations of different mold species in "moldy homes" (homes with visible mold) and "reference homes" (homes with no visible mold) were compared. Based on those results, mold species were selected and grouped into those with higher concentrations in moldy homes and those with lower concentrations. The ERMI test involves the analysis of a single sample of dust from a home. The sample is analyzed using a highly specific DNA-based method for quantifying mold species. The ERMI report includes the detection and concentrations 36 mold species along with the ERMI value itself. This provides a single number to rank the "moldiness" making it easy to compare the results to a national scale. In addition to the simplicity of taking only one sample, the ERMI offers several advantages over traditional mold screening methods. Carpet dust acts as a reservoir for mold spores and is more representative of mold levels over time versus traditional short term air samples. Further, the use of a DNA-based method for this test allows for increased precision of mold identification as it is based on a biochemical assay using calibrated instrumentation. The EPA is conducting further research that will link the ERMI scores to assessing health risks for susceptible individuals. This new scientific information, along with the national database will be invaluable in providing a more objective and standardized method for screening homes for mold. ### Guaranteed Property Inspection and Mold Investigation, Inc., the home of the "mold detective" is located in Irvine, CA. Steve Zivolich, the senior inspector has conducted over 4,000 property and microbial investigations in southern California since 1998. Mr. Zivolich is a certified property and mold inspector by the California Real Estate Inspector's Association, American Association of Home Inspectors, and the American Indoor Air Quality Council.

Code Notes assist builders in obtaining code compliance of energy-efficient technologies. These information sheets written to code officials address a single above-code or otherwise obscure building feature. These are helpful documents that explain how the feature is covered by the relevant code(s), give a concise explanation of why and how it works, list in detail any other requirements that must accompany the particular feature, and include detailed drawings and graphics. To go to the Code Notes site, click here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Release #07-089 On January 25th the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with TAC LLC, of Loves Park, Ill. (formerly Invensys Building Systems), announced a voluntary recall of approximately 850 "Erie Boiler Boss" Operating and Reset Controls, due to a defect that can cause water temperature to rise to the high temperature limit. According to the manufacturer, should the high temperature thermostat or external safety limit devices also fail, consumers could suffer scalds from unexpectedly hot water during use or system piping damage can result. TAC is aware of 17 incidents where the boiler control reportedly failed. One incident of system pipe damage has been reported. No injuries have been reported. The recall includes all Erie Boiler Boss 2400 Operating Controls and Erie Boiler Boss 1200 Boiler Reset Controls. The controls are typically used to cycle the domestic or hydronic water system burner. The control is mounted in an enclosure mounted on or near the boiler. The recalled controls have a name plate on the front of the enclosure with the system name and model number. A numerical LED display will be part of the nameplate. Affected BB2400 carton labels on uninstalled products will have date codes prior to 0523. Affected BB1200 carton labels on uninstalled controls will have date codes prior to 0647. No date code is stamped on installed products. The controls were sold through TAC wholesalers, independent field offices and original equipment manufacturers nationwide. The controls for the 2400 model were sold from February 1998 through June 2005, and the controls for the 1200 model were sold from July 1999 through November 2006 for between $550 and $650. Inspectors finding these controls should advise consumers to contact TAC to receive instructions on how to participate in the recall and obtain a free replacement control. For more information, contact TAC toll-free at (866) 692-1110 between 8 a.m.and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday. To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including a picture of the recalled product, click here.

It's long been accepted in the profession that reports are done for your clients and that nobody else has a legal right to them. Not in California. The linked article will explain why. To read more, click here.

Nope, Got suction cups on my shoes to keep me in here. OT - OF!!! M.

In this column, Barry Stone goes off about an inspector who knowingly doesn't inform clients about the FPE issue, because he doesn't want to kill deals. For the full store, click here

In this article, a real estate agent talks a young Whidbey Island, WA military couple out of having a home inspected which had been storm damaged. Water leaks and mold made the family sick. For the full story click here, search the story archive for "mold" and pick the first article displayed.

And still more: http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/n ... l?d=112123

In this article, Barry Stone lays it out for a member of the insurance industry. Click here.

The Copper Tube Handbook from the Copper Development Association features information on understanding and working with copper tube. Useful sections include "Standard Types of Copper Tube," "Selecting the Right Tube" and "Design and Installation Data." To download your free pdf copy, click here.

For some roofing and flashing tips from the JLC Field Guide, click here.

Here's another in the same vein: http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 20327/1003

Pacific Environmental Sampling, a subsidiary of Environmental Service Professionals Inc. has signed a stock purchase agreement to acquire National Professional Services, a firm that develops training programs and technology based solutions for the Indoor Air Quality industry. In this PrimeNewsWire article, The President of ESP Inc. is quoted as saying, "The NPS Training curriculum and software is a comprehensive solution which will enable ESP to achieve its mission of blending the Home Inspection and Mold Inspection industries through our CEHI program." Interesting reading. We wonder how many professional inspectors agree with the idea that the home inspection profession and the mold inspection industry need to be blended. To read more, click here.

Although it's been around for decades in Europe, cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipe is still relatively new in North America. In fact, it's so new on this continent that many builders and home inspectors have no idea where it should be used or what constitutes best installation practices. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) intends to change all that. Working with the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) and the Partnership for Advanced Technology in Housing (P.A.T.H.), NAHB has developed a new, 128 page, Residential Pex Water Supply Plumbing Systems Design Guide The guide is meant to increase the acceptance and proper use of (PEX)in water supply plumbing systems, and provides comprehensive design concepts and installation guidelines that builders, designers and trade contractors need to design and install PEX water supply systems and inspectors need to understand them. The guide can be downloaded free in pdf format from ToolBase.org, the NAHB Research Center’s online resource for practical and technical information. To download your fee copy, click here.