midwestpro

Ya I think the plumber may have forgot a few things that day...good picture thanks for sharing. [:-hspin]

Very Nice, I can see why you like the detail. That is one thing I always appreciate when I inspect older homes the detail that was put into them is amazing on some homes.

Yep, that is what I know them by as well...bay window roof.

I think I would also be fascinated with what the HI wrote in his report. Furthermore, I am curious if he had an inspection agreement signed, because I know alot of HI's have a clause to future issues with the home, and on top of that if the HI indicated to the homeowner that there were potential issues both verbally and in the report it seems odd that you couldnt fight the issue and in my opinion quite easily win; especially with a well written inspection agreement.

Wow. Good article, I personally believe it is just a matter of time before you see more and more states jumping on the band wagon and on top of that states requiring some type of testing; possibly during the inspection. Just my .02

Well, cant disagree with some of their verbage or for that fact some of their classes. I think overall alot of the software out their and classes that talk about limiting liability in reports include way to much gabalgook so that it may be interpreted in a different way should you ever be present with a lawsuit. This is one of the many areas that I have revamped in the Inspecit reports that I use, and on top of that I use much more comprehendible words and areas. I think that one of the most important things that an inspector can do to limit liability is 1) perform the best inspection you can 2) explain to the customer what they should expect and what they should not in an inspection 3) get them to sign a damn inspection-agreement personally I still dont know why some inspectors dont do this 4) Lastly, include an area in your report that has inspection restrictions (if it applied) for example if a bush/tree was in the way to properly evaluate an exterior wall, or you could not enter the attic STATE IT IN THE REPORT. We unfortunately live in a sue-happy country and I dont think it is going to change anytime soon so get on the boat and limit your liability...sorry a little off track

That def. does not look like 6 throws of the hand...amazing what some people will do with electrical work. I would have to imagine that the individual that had this work completed did not have a permit. Simple enough as to say that there is currently no main-disconnect and improper wiring practices; would recommend a licensed electrician evaluate the main panel and offer solutions. Something along the lines of that anyway..

Some people may disagree with me but I personally like InspectIt from AHIT. I have tried a few different programs and I am a fan of narrative styles and have tweaked my InspectIt report in various areas and personally love it and so do the agents I work with. As others, I include pictures in my report as well and I certainly think this helps. Just my .02.

I have to agree with you, I think it applies to all areas of the RE industry. Most new HI's, appraisers and RE agents got in the biz when the market was booming and thought about all of the money they could make; and they did when it was booming. Now that the market has slowed down, alot of the agents that never did any marketing in the past because they stayed busy during the boom have finally realized that you have to market yourself and many of them are far to late. I think for all of us that are new to the biz or have been here for awhile and intend on being around the industry for some time need to take a lesson from this major downturn.

Anyone else? I am really curious about doing energy audits I think it would be a great winter, project and especially considering the cold winters and money out the door so to speak we can get here in the midwest.

Just curious how many of you guys are performing energy audits? I have thought about getting into them but where do you start? Education, equipment (what is recommended, do u really need a blower door and infared camera?) software, etc. and for all of you guys who are performing energy audits how are you marketing them? Newspaper ad, direct mail, flyers? Just curious thanks for the input.

Just wanted to place a post and see how everyone is doing; considering the major drop in the economy including various areas. Had a pretty busy spring and summer up until last month. Last month dropped 2 inspections from the previous month of Aug. (still a good month though) and this month looks to be about 7-8 inspections short of last month if it keep this slow through the rest of the month. Got a little bit of the inspection blues, how are all the rest of you faring? How has the past couple of months been?

Thanks for the compliments on the site. Their is alot more work and changes being done, still needs about another 1-2 months of changes, additions, and SEO. I agree with hausdok's point of view and he's spot on with superior work; however with that being said I think it is important if you are considering joining a site for whatever reason (for me in particular, education, exposure, leads etc.) that a return on investment and possible gain of profit is made; and from the above sites this is exactly what ASHI could deliver for me.

Thank you for the great amount of responses. I think Scott is right you cannot soley live on receiving referrals from an association. The reason I posted the above question is because I think ASHI is still one of the best if not the best in the industry and I am very much considering becoming a member and I wanted to see if I join, if I can expect a return. As posted above, every market is different we receive most of our business from referrals RE agents in particular and little from anything else, but I am from a small community where most people do not seem to be using the internet as much. Anyone have any success with other organizations?

Hi guys hope your inspection schedules are full. My question is for you guys who have affiliation/certification with a national organization such as ASHI, INACHI, NAHI, etc. and listed on their website locator/finder. I have heard from various inspectors mostly ASHI members that they receive good success with being a member and receive a good amount of leads directly from the web. I would like to hear if you have received a good amount of sucess with any one in particular and if so how much success. Such as how many leads, you get etc. Thank you in advance and input is greatly appreciated.