If you are attending the home inspection & want to follow your inspector around, then read this article published in the ASHI Reporter of how you can protect yourself, children & the inspector while he does his job to serve you. Some of these tips can save your life & your children. From roofs to basements to cars, inspectors work to protect their personal safety. The work of inspecting homes is not simply a matter of looking, testing and reporting as it might appear to clients. Each home is unique, in both its flaws and its hazards, and every inspector must protect his or her personal health. We spoke with inspectors in each of five regions to learn what concerns they face day to day — and the unexpected issues that can surprise (and hurt) them if precautions aren’t taken. The most common issues are related to roofs, correct ladder use and safety, electrical hazards, crawl spaces and attics — probably what you would expect to hear. But some inspectors offered fresh perspectives on these commonplace issues and some others that may surprise you.

Attics and crawl spaces
Surprisingly, some inspectors still do not wear respirators when working in crawl spaces and attics. This poses a danger “that’s not immediate, but comes out in later years. You really don’t know what you’re breathing in doing it on a daily basis, and years down the road, you have some sort of pulmonary issue.
Not wearing it is like driving without a seatbelt.

Considering Client Safety
It’s not enough to think only of your own safety on an inspection. There are also plenty of ways for your clients to get hurt. Keep your eye on clients at all times while inspecting electrical boxes or other equipment. I have had to swat a client’s hand away as he tried to reach into an open electrical service panel to point something out to me. Remind clients that they don’t have to follow your every step. Be clear about your ladder rules. Do not let your client follow you up the ladder. They are most safe when both their feet are on the ground.

Austin, Texas

No matter where you look in the housing industry ASHI has its foot in the door. When America was hit with its worst mortgage & financial crisis since the great depression ASHI was there to help. ASHI is the most trusted name in the home inspection industry. We speak house! Read this article below to know more how ASHI helps you.

With passage of the housing bailout bill earlier this summer and the subsequent credit rescue bill passed in early October, the U.S. government has demonstrated extraordinary speed in its efforts to moderate the effects of the severe economic downturn. Time will tell whether these remedies are the best tonics for the collective financial crises. But one thing is for certain: The U.S. government is in the realty business. We would prefer that the housing markets were stable and that any discussion of bailouts/rescues was unnecessary. But with government’s new authority, and new role, come a unique opportunity for ASHI members. The government will become responsible for large numbers of houses that are in foreclosure, pre-foreclosure or some manner of mortgage distress. Some have been abandoned. It is well known that when houses become subject to mortgage distress, the care, maintenance and repair of the houses begin to suffer. The government, backed by the American taxpayers, will soon take control of the debt for many thousands of such houses. No one really knows the condition of these homes, and, of course, the condition affects the value of the properties that secure these debts in purchase-money mortgages. Further, the clear intent of Congress, Treasury and HUD is to sell the houses in a manner that will minimize the cost to the taxpayers. The government should have a goal to at least break even, or perhaps make a profit. This can happen only if the purchasing public can buy the houses with confidence they are in reasonably good condition. Thus, the government has a need to know the condition of the houses under federal management, and further, the government has some extra responsibility to ensure that houses it sells to the public are in reasonably good shape. ASHI has already made these arguments to personnel on the key housing subcommittees on Capitol Hill. In addition, ASHI has drafted language for consideration in follow-up legislation to address the liquidation phase of the housing bailout. Specifically, language establishing that the government agencies handling the liquidation must make efforts to ascertain the physical condition of the houses, both for its responsibilities as a housing owner and its different responsibilities as a seller of houses. The ASHI provision would require home inspections to be obtained at some point in the process. It is clear Treasury and HUD are moving at lightning speed to address the housing and credit crises — so fast, in fact, that the agencies have not worked out many of the problems or details involved in this gargantuan process. Further legislation will be required when the federal agencies and Congress move past the implementation phase of the new programs to the liquidation phase. We expect the congressional housing subcommittees will convene early in the new 111th Congress next year and begin working on those aspects of the process. It is possible they will meet sooner, in a lame-duck session to follow the elections. In any event, ASHI has asked the committees to consider the special responsibilities undertaken by the government, and the need to obtain home inspections, where possible, to make sure the taxpayers will hold, control and eventually sell houses whose condition is known to the general public. ASHI continues to pursue another opportunity: to have HUD incorporate special training about home inspections in housing counseling programs under HUD authority and funding. ASHI members will recall that Congress introduced a bill, HR4776, in the 110th Congress that would achieve this goal. Recent events would seem to indicate the country needs better education for homebuyers to know the details of their purchases. Most of the focus has been on financial education, but ASHI makes the case that buyers should have full and fair knowledge of the physical condition of their homes as well. Treasury is also aware of the need for the better-educated homebuyer. The wave of support for better buyer education is growing, and ASHI is in a position to ride that wave of public policy development.
ASHI will continue to push for consideration of its proposal to require HUD to include specific messages, drafted by ASHI, in its training programs for HUD counselors. In our view, every HUD counselor should fully understand the benefits of home inspections and be able to explain them, persuasively, to every prospective homebuyer they influence. Thus, ASHI has two legislative proposals before Congress at this time. These proposals will carry forth the positive message about home inspections and cause them to be adopted by the government. In addition, the proposals would help the government’s liquidation phase by providing some safeguards regarding the condition of the properties the government would offer to the public for sale. When the time is right and the new Congress convenes to consider the next steps in crisis management, ASHI will be on the Hill to rally attention for these proposals and will seek grass-roots support to ensure that home inspections play a significant role in the process.

ASHI home inspectors in Austin Texas are few in number, but make up in quality over the TREC licensed inspector. ASHI standards of practice is strict so the consumer is best protected from unqualified home inspectors. A well diversified home inspector helps consumers in down markets to get what they pay for without having to trust the person in the yellow pages whom they never met. You can trust ASHI, We speak house!

“ASHI has taken steps to arm its members with the resources and support to provide a diverse range of services for homeowners,” said Brion Grant, 2008 ASHI president. “We know that one-size doesn’t fit all in this market. From energy audits to maintenance inspections, phased-inspections and more, we’re arming members with tools to diversify their services so that they can meet the needs of the public.”

New Services for Homeowners

Energy audits are among the core services that ASHI is encouraging its members to fine-tune so consumers have the benefit of potential cost savings. In December, members of ASHI’s Blue Ridge Chapter (Virginia) participated in group training with a nationally certified energy auditing company to secure certification to perform energy audits in their region. “With the cost of fuel skyrocketing, energy audits can uncover inefficiencies and point to savings,” added Grant. “ASHI is working in conjunction with a certifying organization to provide opportunities for training and certification so that its members can offer this ancillary service nationally.”

Another service homeowners may not think about is maintenance inspections. “Maintenance should be at the top of every seller’s list this year, said Grant. “In this market, homebuyers have more properties to choose from, and will look closely at how well a home has been kept up.”

Homeowners who are serious about selling their home in 2008 should consider hiring an inspector to conduct a maintenance inspection, which includes checking everything from the foundation, roof and gutters, to a home’s exterior and interior walls, electrical wiring and plumbing. ASHI also offers a maintenance checklist, a list of items in the home that should be maintained annually or by season. Those interested in obtaining a copy of ASHI’s home maintenance checklist should contact a local ASHI Certified Inspector via ASHI’s Web site www.ASHI.org.

Services for Buying or Building a Home

With a record 2.18 million homes sitting vacant and sellers chomping at the bit to unload their home, buyers are at risk too. Before purchasing a home, ASHI encourages buyers to hire an inspector to conduct a pre-sale inspection to determine its quality, efficiency and safety. “There are a lot of people who are willing to do whatever it takes to sell their homes,” said Grant. “In a market like this, people are quick to jump in because of the rock-bottom price rather than the quality and safety of the home.” And, with many bank-owned properties being sold “as is,” meaning the seller will not be performing any repairs, pre-sale inspections can provide vital information about costly defects.

Phased inspections are also a good way to protect the interests of people who are building a home from scratch. By engaging a home inspector early on, even in the site selection, homeowners can benefit from having an inspector assess the quality of construction at every step. From pouring the foundation, to closing the walls, home inspectors can provide an unbiased assessment of a home that will save homeowners time and money. ASHI encourages individuals who are interested in learning more about phased inspections to visit www.ASHI.org.

I wish forecasting the future was as easy as picking up a Magic 8-Ball,” said Grant. “‘Outlook good’ would be a welcomed relief from what we’ve seen over the last year. But Americans are resilient, and ASHI is committed to helping homeowners weather this storm.”

About the American Society of Home Inspectors

In its 31st year and with nearly 6,000 members, ASHI is the oldest and most widely recognized non-profit, professional organization of home inspectors in North America. Its Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics are the industry standard. ASHI’s mission is to meet the needs of its membership and promote excellence and exemplary practice within the profession. For more information, visit www.ASHI.org or call 800-743-2744.

To become an ASHI Certified Inspector, ASHI members must pass two written tests, including the National Home Inspectors Examination, and have performed a minimum of 250 professional fee-paid inspections conducted in accordance with ASHI’s Standards of Practice and subscribe to the Code of Ethics. ASHI Certified Inspectors are also required to obtain 20 continuing education credits per year to keep current with the latest in building technology, materials and professional skills.

Certified home inspectors show their experience by their ability to deal with realtors comments to not “kill the deal”. Newbe inspectors are looking for work & are scared of losing respect with the realtor so they will gloss over items & give an untrue evaluation of the property condition. That is why you as a home buyer need to hire only the ASHI home inspector. We are the best trained & skilled of all home inspectors. Our standards of practice far exceeds the state mandate standards of practice. We inspect for our clients, not to get the realtors business. Read this article below to know how an experienced inspector should operate under pressure.

“If you kill this deal, I’ll make sure you never do business in this town again.” This not-so-subtle warning is not uncommon to hear from some real estate agents, according to one Missouri home inspector. Others say most real estate professionals are looking out for clients’ best interests. How prevalent is the problem and what do agents risk by asking for a good report?

As the housing market continues to look bleak, agents are looking for the best ways to close a sale. But are they taking the low road to get there? As any real estate agent knows, there are myriad ways a home sale can fall apart. Most agents aren’t willing to risk violating their code of ethics to clinch a deal, but home inspectors are reporting that some agents are, and that they’re feeling pressure to give positive reports, or lose future referrals.

Agents can help their clients select a home inspector from various sources. Some refer to lists made available by their brokers, while others simply stick with inspectors they’ve worked with in the past, feeling satisfied with the results. Others make no recommendations or referrals at all, at the behest of brokers who insist on avoiding any potential conflict of interest. A few home inspectors are reporting that they’ve encountered real estate agents who are feeling so pressured to close on a sale, they warn the inspector, “You’ll never get another inspection in this town.” Applying subtle pressure In most real estate transactions, pressure on a home inspector — either explicit or implied — is a rare occurrence. Regardless of the market, buyers only want to know what the major problems with a property are, and agents only want to ensure their clients are getting the information they need, according to Mark Nahrgang, professional building consultant for Kingdom Inspections in St. Louis. Formerly a licensed real estate agent himself, Nahrgang now works from the home inspection side and believes that by and large, agents aren’t intentionally urging inspectors to give a thumbs-up on an inspection. He personally hasn’t been warned to give a positive report. “I haven’t been threatened but I know people who have seen where the real estate agent says, ‘If you kill this deal I’ll never use you again,’ or ‘You’ll never work in this town again,’” Nahrgang said. Instead, he notices more subtle ways an agent may hinder an inspector’s work. Home inspectors wary of unscrupulous real estate agents “If you kill this deal, I’ll make sure you never do business in this town again.” This not-so-subtle warning is not uncommon to hear from some real estate agents, according to one Missouri home inspector. Others say most real estate professionals are looking out for clients’ best interests. How prevalent is the problem and what do agents risk by asking for a good report?

“Say he’s doing a home inspection and finds a defect, and as he’s talking to the client about it the agent is standing there and says, ‘Oh, we see that all the time, it’s not that big of a deal.’ You can’t really say much at the time when the agent contradicts you, you just go on. But in reality, what has happened is the issue you’ve reported maybe is not a big deal to fix, but it would be a big deal if you left it alone,” Nahrgang said. “That would be a thing I would see more often, (the agent) taking ownership of a problem saying it’s not really a problem.” When Nahrgang first entered the real estate business as an agent, he said the brokerage where he worked had a list of inspectors and another salesperson would check off those who were recommended, and those who were not due to being too “nit-picky.”

Now, as an inspector, Nahrgang teaches classes on home inspection basics to real estate agents, and advises them on how to make inspector recommendations. He suggests they select from a list of just a few, three or four, who are known to be thorough but fair. Some agents, Nahrgang said, are barred by their brokers or attorneys from making home inspector referrals, but he said this doesn’t necessarily benefit their clients. “I never did particularly agree with that. If you’re just picking out of a phone book, you don’t know what you’re getting. If you’re a real estate agent and sincerely trying to help your clients, you’re going to want to make a recommendation of someone who is going to do a good job for them. But, the agents have to do what their brokers say,” he said. Motivated by desperation Although the depressed housing market could be a factor in pressure on home inspectors, Nahrgang thinks it’s no more of an issue than any other time. But, he acknowledged, when business and the economy are bad, and people are desperate for work, he understands that a buyer walking away from a deal because of a poor inspection is certainly frustrating for the agent. The risk for a home inspector facing pressure from an agent comes from both the business side and the legal side. There is the potential to be “blocked out” of future business if the inspector doesn’t give the kind of report the agent wants, or the possibility of litigation if a problem wasn’t noted in the report.

In Austin, Texas ASHI home inspectors are the standard for comparison. Read this article & you will understand why.
The following article is taken from the ASHI Reporter on what a good home inspector should report & what he should convey to his client when a problem exist. Is it enough to report the symptom or direct the client to the source? ASHI home inspectors are trained to identify the source of the problems as much as possible.

Published April 2008

As a principal of a company that performs home inspections for the relocation industry, hundreds of home inspection reports cross my desk each year. Today, most are computer-generated, easy to read and to understand. ASHI recognized this trend, and at the 2008 InspectionWorld in New Orleans, the ‘Software Shoot-out’ session was devoted to computerized report-writing systems. Overall, the trend toward computerization is positive, but — and you know there’s always a but — I’ve noticed far too many inspectors using an electronic report format as a crutch instead of a tool. Fortunately, we do receive reports from knowledgeable, conscientious inspectors who know how to see it, understand it and explain it. To do the job right, we need concise, insightful reports. We must see beyond the obvious and understand what caused the condition we’re reporting. Here’s an example of what can happen when an inspector moves through the sections of his computerized report, entering what he sees, but not understanding what it means.

Understand it: The cracked tile An inspector noted that there was a cracked tile at the entrance to a shower stall. Normally, cracked tiles are a small cosmetic issue. The inspector sent a photo confirming the cracked tile on the floor — end of discussion. He’s done his job, right? Or, should the inspector have gone through the following thought process?

Q1.Where does some of the water from the shower go?
A1. On the floor at the entrance to the shower.
Q2. What happens when water sits on a tile floor?
A2. It goes through the grout onto the plywood sub-floor.
Q3. What happens when a plywood sub-floor gets continuously wetted?
A3. It rots.
Q4. What should you be concerned about in this situation?
A4. That the sub-floor is soft and rotted.
Q5. Was the sub-floor damaged?
A5 .Yes. In fact, it cost more than $2,500 to repair what was reported as a “cracked tile.”

Did the inspector do his job? Well, not really. Although he noted or described a symptom (cracked tile), his report was superficial in that he failed to understand the underlying reasons that caused the symptom. In fact, he failed to understand it was a symptom, and failed to accurately identify or report the underlying problem, which was that the bathroom floor was damaged.