denable

A word of caution for those newer users of moisture meters. Be aware if there are any metal objects directly below the surface you are testing, you will get a reading indicating moisture.

Doug, Not to start a thread drift, but I have to correct a misconception. Neither IHINA or myself have the market cornered on ethics. There are a few other things besides ethics that I am trying to etch out. One of those is trying to get home inspectors recognized as professionals on equal footing with others in the real estate transaction process. This means getting compensation in line with the responsibility inspectors take on. This means being able to sustain a buisness without the aid of a middleman. This means getting respect from others involved in the sales transaction. I could go on, but I think you get my message.

Doug, The attached photo shows part of a panel that was around 25 years old. These were the only two bars for the neutrals and grounds. What if anything would you comment on. Dennis Download Attachment: panel.jpg 60.22 KB

Jim, I refuse to learn a second language or go to any city that requires a passport or doesn't recognize US dollars as legal currency. Besides I love raiding your back yard and stealing all them apples. Dennis

Jim, As you know, when it comes to safety, I like to error on the side of caution. Me: Mr. client (who could become a future liability to me and my business), since electricity is a dangerous and tricky thing, I recommend that you have a qualified electrician remove all of the electrical outlets and fixtures from this house and as an extra measure of safety have the power company disconnect your house from the power grid. Heck, we did just fine without electricity for over a thousand years.

Jim, Toss that tester away. Try a more reliable method like I do. Fill the sink with water. Plug in the hair dryer, turn it on, hand it to the agent and ask him/her to see if it works under the water. Dennis

Jim, I think this guy did call you because he told me he wanted an older inspector, one who didn't climb every roof and one who didn't charge less than $950.[] Seriously though, I actual don't get much business in my own town. I get a number of calls from clients who tell me they want an inspector from "out of town." The reason they give is they don't want someone who "knows" the agents.

Jim, When you find an electrician who gets concerned about voltage drops, let me know. When I first started using the Sure Test years ago I would call out for further evaluation when I got 10% or higher. My clients would get back to me and say "the electrician checked out the outlets and didn't find anything wrong." I don't call them out now unless I get 12% or higher or if the drop brings the available voltage down below 108 at the outlet, (of course in my report I disclaim anything to do with voltage drops.) I have found a lot of these high voltage drops to be at "back stabbed" outlets. BTW, I'm going be in your backyard tomorrow. Second time in a month. I tried to kind of talk the guy out of using me because of the distance, but he agreed to my travel charge, plus he wants a water test, which brings the total fee to about a grand.

Brian, Pretty much my point. They should have 2 versions of Word: "Word for Dummies" and "No Thrills Word".

Paul, The sales guy said the big silver noisy thing in the middle of the bike makes pedals unnecessary. BTW, Is TX going to be able to handle all those drunk Bostonians!

Kurt, Now that I think of it, the desktop is using Windows XP professional and the laptop is using Windows XP home edition (it came pre-loaded.) I don't think there is a lot of difference between the two versions. It would be nice if Microsoft responded to a simple question like that, but hey when you control the marketplace who has to worry about customer service.

My desktop is only a year old and the laptop is a week old, so the hardware is up to date. I have MSWord and Amipro loaded on both. Amipro smokes Word in terms of load up speed. Since all I want to do is produce a report, I don't need all the stuff that slows down Word. If it's not broke don't fix it. Jim, I love my recumbent touring bike, it's like lying on a chaise lounge, can pedal about 8 hours at a time, with a few short breaks. However, now that 2 of the 3 kids are out of the house and now that I'm going through my second mid life crisis (why do they call it mid life? I doubt I'll be here at 101.) I went out and got a new bike. It's a little bigger and heavier than my recumbent and I still haven't found the pedals yet. http://ablehomeinspection.com/newbike.jpg http://ablehomeinspection.com/newbike.jpg

I don't know if there other inspectors like myself who refuse to give up old programs because they are easier and faster to work with then new ones and of course as we get older we hate learning new computer stuff. Case in point, I use AmiPro for my word processing / report generating. Been using it since 1995. It was supppose to go bad at the 2000 bewitching hour, never did though. I don't need all the bells and whistles of MS Word. Plus I've spent 8 years tweaking my report program. There are a couple of draw backs though, like the 8 character limitation on file names, but I've worked around that. The one drawback I can't seem to fix is using a wireless mouse on my laptop. I was able to find a driver for the desktop computer wireless mouse and all the mouse features function. I have a Belkin wireless mouse for the laptop, but I can't get the scroll feature to work. So if anyone knows of a mouse driver that can get that mouse to fully function on the laptop, I'd be glad to hear about it. Thanks, Dennis

Rob, Thanks for sharing your electrical experiences. I will advise all the clients I refer your way to wear safety goggles, thick rubber boots and thick rubber gloves. Dennis

Don't forget the cats, they go crazy chasing that red dot.

Jack, I'm a card carrying AARP member. What am I going to do with the 2 to 3 people (previous clients and client referrals) who contact me every day after I start using my AARP card? Of course I would only pass those potential clients on to inspectors who are fair to the house and put things in perspective and help facilitate the sale. Don't want to pass those leads to one of those pro-consumer inspectors who charges $750, takes 50 photos, documents all the defects and only does one inspection per day and gives the potential home buyer way too much info.[]

Brian, I agree with what you have stated. IHINA will not become a large organization (membership wise.) Most of the IHINA members are old farts, like me, who have a steady flow of clients from sources other than real estate agents. Unlike some HI organizations, IHINA is not going to swing the membership door open for every guy (or girl) carrying a flashlight and clipboard. IHINA and some of its members are involved in the background with a few things that could have a major impact on the inspection / real estate fields in a couple of states. It may not be necessary to have a 6,000 member organization to effect change. The provision to keep real estate agents out of the inspector selection process here in MA was the work of just a few inspectors. (Oh course it didn't hurt to get Dateline NBC involved for a while.) Dennis (walk softly and carry a big stick.) [b)]

Kurt, I'm sure your comments were not directed towards IHINA or its members. IHINA does not exposé "negative connotations". Exposing the truth may come across to some people as being negative. The following links are examples of exposing reality. If you happen to get along with the other "profession" then the information will have "negative connotations". I happen to get along w/ anyone that sends business my way; I am the founder and charter member of the EORR (Equal Opportunity Referral Receiver). Let's not play coy; of course I was talking about IHINA & its members. The simple sentence above of "exposing truth" is sanctimonious to a degree that is breathtaking. The links provided merely document the daily screwing of poor souls by the unethical, something that is hardly limited to real estate. Gee whiz, someone got screwed in a business deal. Also in an educational deal. And a legislative deal. I think I got screwed this afternoon down @ my neighborhood greengrocer; the avocados I bought are all spoiled. Dammit, there should be laws to protect all of us from all possible unethical possibilities. I'm gonna call my legislator & have them get right on it.[:-idea] I think IHINA is a really good organization; unfortunately, it has several bedrock tenets that I can't get on board with; the "truth" that the real estate (profession/business/insert acceptable moniker here) is inherently unethical, that IHINA members are the arbiters of ethical conduct within the real estate profession, that referrals from real estate agents are an inherent conflict of interest (sometimes yes, sometimes no), and that to associate or market to realtors is unethical. The next decade is going to see the real estate industry decimated by the ultimate ascension of internet marketing & sales models; the next generation of home buyers is going to glom onto internet marketing modes & the old wink, wink smiley handshake sales model is toast. The real estate profession/industry/evil empire will scrabble like banshees to hang on, & they won't go away quietly, but they will go away. Enacting laws that provide the illusion that consumers are being protected is a nice idea, but only an idea. It is an idea that also prevents ethical realtors from behaving ethically. For those that think ethics can be legislated, it might seem like progress. That isn't progress, it is an agenda that benefits particular business interests. Sounds like business as usual to me.

Scott, Regardless how one feels about marketing to agents, the very fact that they have been "allowed" to be the "gatekeepers" by the majority of inspectors, is the number one reason why inspection fees are "surpressed". I pitty the first agent selling a $750,000 home, (making over $30,000 in commission,) who makes a remark to my client like, wow, that $700 fee you paid your inspector was too high. BTW, I am another 20 year ASHI member who refuses to associate with an organization that continues to play along with the "gatekeepers".