Originally Posted by
Jimmy Bacco
...Can a member of each ORG answer this -
How is the leadership at a national level decided? Appointed, Elected or Birthright?
How often are the leaders (Pres, VP, Treas) changed?...
...Something about recommending certified <inter?>NACHI inspectors instead of "being at the mercy of buyer's choices in inspectors".
God forbid the sellers >>edit: buyers<<get to choose their own inspector...
...Sellers "assisting" inspectors during the inspections.
Gee, i hope they at least took <inter>NACHI's on-line exam first. Or perhaps they can explain how the double tap is ok because its been that way for 15 years, no need to report it...thank for the assistance...
...Don't get me wrong, I think sellers inspections are a GREAT idea, I just don't need the homeowners "help" with an inspection or report.
Note that this was in the page aimed at getting Agents bought-in...
Jimmy,
NACHI members do not elect the directors. They elect a members advisory board and the board does listen to them. There are a lot of good reasons why this type of business model can have it's advantages over members electing the board.
I won't get into all of them but one is that often in organizations, factions can (and do) tip the direction of the organization for the wrong reasons. Members often don't even know what the guy that they are electing is going to do.
Just an observation but as a NACHI member I have learned how much real hatred there is among certain members of ASHI and NAHI (and others) directed towards NACHI and it's members.
An elected board at NAHI decided to contract with an outside company that apparently takes over 2/3 of the membership dues to pay 4 staff members, one of which (the ED) is part owner of that outside firm. This could now turn out to be a formula for disaster since it could jeopardize their non-profit status. That same elected board decided to spend it's members money to pursue a lawsuit against NACHI based on little to no evidence to back up their claims. That is just one example.
Now, if you take the hatred that some other organizations members have and the desire they have to do harm to NACHI and its members, just guess what would happen if NACHI members elected its board. Since most organizations are run by a few and the majority of members in an organization do not usually vote, it would take too long for some of the some people to join, lay low and then take the organization apart from within.
Whether you believe it or not, I think you get my point. All the debate over exams and experience and education still boils down to the fact that none of the members of any one of the 3 organizations are more likely to perform a bad inspection or make mistakes than the other. Statistics will bear that out.
As to the seller inspection program, nobody is suggesting that the inspector do less of an inspection because the seller says they never had a problem. There are plenty of times with a buyers inspection that it is recommended that the buyer consult the seller regarding the history of some issue or another. During a seller inspection it would make perfect sense to get (and verify) that information for the purposes of a more complete report.
It would be a good thing for inspectors for agents to buy into the seller (or pre-listing) inspection concept. Done right it could save everyone a lot of grief and limit the damages when an inspector is in error.
Obviously you are going to sell the best points to each party to encourage pre-listing inspections. This is not an invitation for anyone to manipulate the inspection in anyone's favor.
I say that if someone can afford to be a member of both ASHI and NACHI go for it. In licensed states it may not be worthwhile to join ASHI but that depends on other factors as well. NACHI has a lot of member benefits. NACHI is big on marketing, benefits and education. Some benefits are useless and some are worth more than the annual dues. They try to keep the education affordable as there are enough people out there looking to cash in on inspectors. As with any organization, you also get what you put into it.
One guy might not find enough useful benefits while another will find enough to pay for his dues many times over. I recommend a good look at ASHI and NACHI and see what will give you the most bang for the buck since credentials are less and less a factor to the public.
I won't recommend NAHI. It appears that there business practices are questionable. There are less than 1800 members nationwide (as of last month) so unless you happen to be in a state with big numbers there may not be much for you on the ground.
Good luck on your choices.