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Re: NACHI, ASHI or NAHI
When I started in October 2001, I joined CREIA (California), ASHI, AAHI, NAHI, SPREI, HIF, and FREA. My purpose in joining them was to get access to their member message boards, member newsletters, etc., so that I could determine what they could do for me as a newbie home inspector (albeit with 25 years of experience in all aspects of real estate in 7 states) and what I could do for them. I did not know about NACHI at that time.
After the first year, I determined that none of them were interested in helping newbie inspectors succeed, which is kind of odd because if those newbies don't succeed, then there goes their membership fees. None of them were interested in volunteers, especially newbie volunteers, helping out, which also is kind of strange for trade associations. Consequently, I quit all of them.
After six months of being trade association-less, I found the NACHI bashing here at inspectionnews.com and, being one to try it before bashing it, I tried it. I joined on March 23, 2003, and have been a member every since. They not only are interested in the success of newbies, but they do everything they can to help those newbies succeed. Not only that, but they were only too happy to have volunteers help, and they weren't picky about where those volunteers helped. My expertise is marketing, so I will freely admit that I fit in well at NACHI.
In six years, I have had 13 people ask me if I were a member of CREIA or ASHI. I booked all 13 because I know marketing and how to sell myself, my company, and my services. I'm currently working on all sorts of new benefits to help NACHI members succeed.
One difference I definitely noted between the CREIA, ASHI, and NACHI message boards is that if I posted a question, CREIA took forever to reply, if at all. ASHI only took a couple of days to reply, if at all. NACHI had dozens of replies within a couple of days. I don't know whether or not it was because the first two had no interest in helping a newbie.
So now I'm able to tell my Clients that since I don't know everything there is to know about real estate, if something puzzles me, I can take a picture, post it on the NACHI Message Board, and have answers within minutes. Newbies over at NACHI get the same respect. I don't know if CREIA and ASHI have changed in the five years since I left, but my conversations at the San Diego CREIA/ASHI dinner meetings indicate that it has not.
If a prospective Client inquires now, I simply tell them that CREIA has about 1,200 members, ASHI has, well, who knows? It seems it's a closely guarded secret, but current estimates range from 3,200 to 6,400. NACHI's membership isn't secret, but at any one monent it seems to range between 8,000 and 10,000 (there's a membership cap of 10,000) based on whose dropped out in the slow market, who is late on paying dues, etc.
Nonetheless, what one puts into an organization typically will reflect what one gets out of an organization. Unfortunately, some organizations don't want any input, especially input that might upset the old timers' status quo. Notwithstanding that, the best way to determine what an organization has to offer, and what one can contribute, is to join it. Contrary to what ASHI and CREIA might want, there is no branding in this industry. I live in an area where there are a lot of CREIA and ASHI inspectors, but in the five years since I left those two, my business seems to be more a direct result of my marketing than inclusion on any list of CREIA or ASHI (or NACHI) inspectors.
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