RickDriver Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Yea, we all have our own opinions on which one is the best, and which one offers the most education and information. But which one is the absolute easiest one to join and gain full membership? Surely there is one out there that is almost "too easy" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I'm surprised they haven't found you yet..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 If you are still breathing when you read this, try NACHI. If that don't work, send check for $14.95 (plus shipping) to Accurate Inspections llc, 12228 US-27, DeWitt, Mi 48820 and I'll have Crissy send you out a certificate. Might have a few white-outs, but it is 'bout as good as most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Originally posted by RickDriver Yea, we all have our own opinions on which one is the best, and which one offers the most education and information. But which one is the absolute easiest one to join and gain full membership? Surely there is one out there that is almost "too easy" Write your name on a piece of paper. Wrap the paper around an 85mm, f1.8 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lens and send it to me. For no further cost or effort on your part, I'll make you a charter member of Jim's Association of Home Inspectors. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Jim - It doesn't seem like yours would be very easy to join. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobC Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Jesse, What would prompt you to ask the question in the first place? OR Are U playing "Kick The Croc"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Originally posted by Jesse Jim - It doesn't seem like yours would be very easy to join. It would be a snap if you happened to have that lens sitting in the back of a drawer somewhere. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Golly, I remember selling a lens like that at my garage sale last week. I think we got $2 for it cause it wouldn't fix my Brownie hot shoe. Oh well, I do know Jim would make you an honorary president if you can find another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 It wasn't me that asked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Originally posted by Les Golly, I remember selling a lens like that at my garage sale last week. I think we got $2 for it cause it wouldn't fix my Brownie hot shoe. . . One of these days, Alice . . . - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Chew Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Originally posted by RickDriver Yea, we all have our own opinions on which one is the best, and which one offers the most education and information. But which one is the absolute easiest one to join and gain full membership? Surely there is one out there that is almost "too easy" You are really asking two different questions with two different answers: 1) Which one is easiest to join? The easiest one to join would be one where all you really needed to do was fill out a form with your name and contact info and pay the fee (or exchange something of value like a camera lens). They accept your payment and say "welcome to the club". I've seen some associations reduce their membership fees and even waive them for new members, making it even easier to join (by lowering or eliminating the financial hurdle). 2) Which one is easiest to gain full membership? The answer to this question is not so straightforward. They all vary in the number and type of hoops you must jump through in order to become a full member. How easy it is to jump through those hoops depends on the individual who is doing the jumping. Another factor is how well the association monitors and enforces the "jumping through the hoops" before granting full member status. There is a third question which you haven't directly asked, but from your post it immediately jumps into the mind of many inspectors. 3) Which association is the easiest one from which you can obtain a "credential" that, with the associations name and blessing behind it, you can use to market your business to your customers? Again, this varies by the number of hoops you need to jump through and how hard it will be for you to jump through them. There is one association that excels in doing this because they have targeted that niche of inspectors who are seeking the answer to that question. But what real value does that credential have for your client if it is so easy for most people to obtain? The apparent success of that association in filling its niche draws the wrath of inspectors who have worked hard to earn the credentials which they have obtained, since the "easy" credential dilutes the value of their own credentials in the eyes of their potential customers. Are you really asking one of those questions, or are you planning to work in PA and are looking for advice and help to meet their regulatory requirement for membership in an association? I suspect you will not get more specific or helpful answers to your question unless you clarify what you are really asking and explain why you are asking it. Otherwise it just looks like you are dangling a baited hook, waiting for a bite, and hoping to enjoy the fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickDriver Posted October 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 thanks for all the smart ass replies -- very helpful but unfortunately PA law wont accept it.... I was asking in order to meet the minimum requirements in Pennsylvania state law Thanks fellas! This is a geat forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Rick, NACHI is the easiest home inspector association to join. Once you join you really have nothing more to do. They don't enforce any of their membership requirements. They make it look good on paper, but after that they really don't care. Yes, some of their members keep up with the CE requirements and send in reports for what they call verification but they are the rare ones. The sad thing about PA and their license law is that is that it is not enforced. I have been told that about half of the inspectors in PA are not licensed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickDriver Posted October 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Thanks Scott for the info This is a great forum, I only came across it recently and have found this place very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focal Point Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Try The Housing Inspection Foundation, There are no requirements, no tests and it's cheapest out there... http://www.iami.org/HIF/home.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAbernathy Posted December 29, 2006 Report Share Posted December 29, 2006 Heck..they are all easy to join....a bit MIFFED as Mr. Pattersons remarks but alas I wont go into that. if you join NACHI you will have to take the online exam to even qualify to join, then the electrical online course, the roofing online course, pass a few other online tests and then and only then will you be granted actual FULL membership. I do not see this as any different than any other of the associations.....they just classify them as Full Members or associates...a bit of a berate if you ask me...but alas I dont make up that process either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted December 29, 2006 Report Share Posted December 29, 2006 You know, Back when there were only two major players in the home inspection organization business, I'd joined one and a couple of years later joined the other, so I had a few years of overlapping membership. I found that those who were the most vocal about opposing organizations were those who only belonged to one of them. How these folks became such an authority on other associations they'd never belonged to is beyond me, but there it is. Personally, my affiliation with either really didn't impact my business negatively or positively, so I didn't really see the point. Then, one after the other, as each did something that I considered monumentally boneheaded, I left. Since then, I can't see where leaving has affected me one way or the other. I think folks should get over the fact that other organizations, not their own, don't agree with the way their own associations do things and move on. We've got too many other important issues to deal with in this profession than worrying about which association is better than another. Let's work on raising the bar for entry into the profession, getting everyone practicing the business to prove that they can do what they claim to be able to do, by submitting to on-site peer reviews of their skills, so that those weak in certain areas can get those areas identified and improve their skills. Then let's work at ending this reliance on the largess of those in real estate profession for the majority of referrals to folks in this profession. Let's start trying to develop this into a true discipline that kids in high school can aspire to, instead of a profession populated primarily with old farts like myself who've backed into it from something else. It's high time we began developing higher education for this craft and established it as a true profession. In the past 10 years I've seen little progress on any of these fronts. As one old fart retires, he or she is replaced by another and these folks aren't interested in training younger folks. Nor are they interested in raising the entry bar or skill level, or supporting the idea of a peer review process, because they are afraid that their own places will be co-opted by younger folks or they'll find themselves deemed incompetent before they're ready to retire from the business themselves. Many have essentially said to me, "Hey, I've got no problem with teaching this business to younger folks and eventually establishing a college curriculum and degree for the business and having peer review. Just do it after I retire, so that I can get mine before then." It's my fear that as more and more folks enter this profession from non-construction fields, interested only in doing as many inspections a day as they can at the lowest possible price, so that they can be sure to continue to garner that maximum number of inspections from those in real estate, that we'll eventually lose all semblance of true credibility. I think when the public eventually loses confidence as more and more inspection horror stories, which were once rare, begin to surface, they'll refuse to pay even the ridiculously low average fees that the profession garners now. When that happens, all of the truly competent folks will eventually abandon the profession. All, that is, except for those who're training the armies of burger flippers who're are willing to blow a half-year's salary on a two week school, so that they can jump into the business with two left feet and quietly get paid to experiment on homes for a few years, hoping that they can learn enough before they are sued out of business or go bankrupt, to be able to stay in it long enough to make their pot of gold and then bail out and do something else. I think we're going to see more and more really dumb and ineffective home inspection laws being passed, that only shelter certain special interests, thus not molesting their profit base, and one day home inspections will be 30 minutes long, cost $50, won't involve examining roofs or crawlspaces, or even opening service panels, and the average inspector will be a geriatric doing the work part time. We may have seen our heyday and if that's the case, our demise will be due to a self-inflicted wound and nothing else. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAbernathy Posted December 29, 2006 Report Share Posted December 29, 2006 AGREED...rather than BASH who is easier or harder.....let more and more inspectors work together and HONOR who they happen to choose to belong to....dont judge the inspector because of their personal choice. One Team - One Fight....Could not agree more ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted December 29, 2006 Report Share Posted December 29, 2006 Originally posted by PAbernathy Heck..they are all easy to join....a bit MIFFED as Mr. Pattersons remarks but alas I wont go into that. if you join NACHI you will have to take the online exam to even qualify to join, then the electrical online course, the roofing online course, pass a few other online tests and then and only then will you be granted actual FULL membership. I do not see this as any different than any other of the associations.....they just classify them as Full Members or associates...a bit of a berate if you ask me...but alas I dont make up that process either. So Paul, If I understand you correctly, NACHI does have different levels of membership? There is "qualify to join" then there is FULL Membership? This goes against the.... oh forget it. Darren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozofprev Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Yes, Rick, this is probably the best forum around. Just pick an organization that doesn't make you feel dirty. Tremendous energy goes into debating which organization is easiest/cheapest/best/worst and so on. A question like yours sparks that gas. Sad thing, really. Energy spent on those debates means little remains for discussion of meaningful qualification of HIs. It's bizarre that a state makes it a requirement to join 'a professional organization' but has no substantial educational or experiential requirement. It's the same here in NY. The real experts in this field know what has happened, what is happening, and what needs to happen but won't. Mike knows. He has had this discussion many times. Defensive emotions get worked up, but each thread fades into the past. No action is taken. No bar is raised. Originally posted by RickDriver Thanks Scott for the info This is a great forum, I only came across it recently and have found this place very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 It's my fear that as more and more folks enter this profession from non-construction fields, interested only in doing as many inspections a day as they can at the lowest possible price, so that they can be sure to continue to garner that maximum number of inspections from those in real estate, that we'll eventually lose all semblance of true credibility. I think we're on the brink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Originally posted by Chad Fabry I think we're on the brink Oh yee of little faith........ Get yer butts on Angies List; "the list" is proof that there is still intelligent life in the universe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozofprev Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 You really like that Angie's List don't ya Kurt. You should. The really cool thing about Angie's is that it is driven by clients. That's how capitalism is supposed to work. Angie's has just started in Buffalo. I look forward to reaping the deserved rewards as you have. The other nice thing about capitalism uninterrupted by RE greed is that the sorry-assed HIs fail. Angie's is the correct way to 'do' capitalism. Ok Kurt, the faith is coming back. Do you know a good way to encourage clients to use Angie's? Originally posted by kurt Originally posted by Chad Fabry I think we're on the brink Oh yee of little faith........ Get yer butts on Angies List; "the list" is proof that there is still intelligent life in the universe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Originally posted by kurt Originally posted by Chad Fabry I think we're on the brink Oh yee of little faith........ Get yer butts on Angies List; "the list" is proof that there is still intelligent life in the universe. I agree! I had a client place me on Angies back in September and I have received three referrals from that listing. Not bad and it does not cost me a cent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAbernathy Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Originally posted by Darren Originally posted by PAbernathy Heck..they are all easy to join....a bit MIFFED as Mr. Pattersons remarks but alas I wont go into that. if you join NACHI you will have to take the online exam to even qualify to join, then the electrical online course, the roofing online course, pass a few other online tests and then and only then will you be granted actual FULL membership. I do not see this as any different than any other of the associations.....they just classify them as Full Members or associates...a bit of a berate if you ask me...but alas I dont make up that process either. So Paul, If I understand you correctly, NACHI does have different levels of membership? There is "qualify to join" then there is FULL Membership? This goes against the.... oh forget it. Darren Well my fine fellow...I can't explain it unless you finish your sentence...goes against the....WHAT?.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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