Originally Posted by
Fritz Kelly
If ASTM creates a national standard, how will out clients know what it is? ASHI and NAHI standards are free and can be handed to the client. ASTM charges $50 and up for a copy of their standards. Are our clients expected to fork over $50 so they know what we are inspecting?
That is just the beginning of the problem. NAHI states that 77.6% of their members support a national standard. Well that is less than 1400 inspectors.
At last look ASHI and NACHI and others do not support ASTM writing a standard when our industry already has standards. The nations 2 largest inspector organizations have SOP's that are nearly identical and many states (like mine) have an SOP that is much the same.
I can tell you first hand that one of the NAHI board members says that rubbing elbows with an organization like ASTM can help make them look professional and credible.
Thier position statement is so full of BS.
Like this:
"When a state adopts the standard of a specific association, you are then required to conform to how that association thinks you should perform a home inspection. In NAHI’s view this is a blatant abuse of the public policy process, and has not been openly addressed by our collective industry. A national standard for the industry, by the industry, will protect against this abuse."
Would they say that if a state accepted their SOP?
And this:
"Many argue that the process for creating a national standard that allows for the inclusion of other stakeholders will dilute the standard. In truth, the collective interest of the home inspection industry and our expertise will be well represented in this process."
That is a completely subjective statement with nothing to back it up. Do we want any outside our industry to have a say in our standards? Haven't we already had enough of that? Do we need yet another battleground to prevent outside influence or the influence of a minority of home inspectors that seem to have disdain for standards that now exist?
And this:
"Today, courts have numerous standards in which to compare. A national standard provides one measurement that courts can look to..."
Since most of those "numerous standards" are essentially the same with some differences decided on by those in their own home state, this is a non-issue and certainly not a justification for ASTM and a gaggle of others with their own agendas to enter the game.
With all the effort they are putting in to make this happen NAHI says that "Without our industry's support, no standard will pass".
But even the vote for a second meeting was manipulated since the two major players in the industry opposed it. Collective efforts to match standards have already been under way within our industry. Only recently has NAHI bowed under pressure and aligned themselves with the two major organizations with respect to performing work in homes we inspects. Recently both NACHI and ASHI changed their COE to prohibit pay for play schemes with the Real Estate industry and NAHI has yet to be willing to prohibit this.
As much as they have resisted matching standards with the vast majority of the industry, 1400 inspectors of that organization now support turning over the process of developing standards to another organization.
Since they have a large number of members in the state that ASTM meets (one of the few), it was pretty easy for them to stack the deck in favor of something that the OVERWHELMING majority of inspectors and inspectors organizations (when understanding the facts) would not want.
It IS reinventing the wheel. We don't need ASTM to "legitimize home inspection...". It is more likely that some think that ASTM can legitimize NAHI. No offense to my NAHI member friends. When I speak of NAHI I speak specifically of the NAHI leadership.
Having read a lot of the positions they take I can see how good they can be at misleading their own members. I'm afraid that this position on ASTM developing a national SOP is yet another spiel to try to make a silk purse out of this. They are pretty good at sugar coating and dancing around strong and legitimate objections. Unfortunately there is no substance to their attempts to address them.
I there ever is to be a single national standard for our industry it will be created by OUR industry. Not by a small minority who feel the need to push the creation of a national standard to try to make themselves look good.
I am sure as you read this position statement yourself, you will find the same kind of logic that was previously used to suggest that working on the property that you inspect is not an issue of ethics. Their membership told them different.
The meeting is on September 24th and I encourage everyone that can get there to show opposition to this to please do so. Since NAHI has even bribed their members with 6 CEUs to attend it is all the more important to show solid opposition to this.
The final organizational meeting for the home inspection standards activity will take place as follows.
Meeting Date: Monday, September 24, 2007
Meeting Venue: ASTM International HQ, West Conshohocken, PA
The vote to formalize this activity will take place at the meeting and proxies will not be accepted and by all means don't allow yourself to be double talked into voting yes on allowing this to move forward. The deck was previously stacked to vote to even hold this meeting. Every NO voting body is needed to prevent this from going any further!
Meetings - ASTM International
Just email an RSVP Pat Picariello and tell him you are attending. (it is on that second NAHI PDF)
Pat A. Picariello, J.D., CStd
Director, Developmental Operations
ASTM International
ppicarie@astm.org
+1 610/832-9720
ASTM International