View Full Version : Washington State D.O.L. Seeks Your Input
Michael P. O'Handley
03-29-2008, 03:45 PM
Attention Washington Inspectors!!!
Jerry McDonald, Assistant Program Administrator for the Real Estate Division at the Washington State Department of Licensing is putting together a FAQ list, in order to respond to those who will have questions about getting their home inspector's license in Washington State next year.
If you have any questions that you'd like to see answered, please send them to Mr. McDonald at JMcDonald@DOL.WA.GOV or contact him at 360-664-6524. You can also fax your questions to (360) 664-8885 (Attn: Jerry McDonald) or write to:
Master License Service
Department of Licensing
PO Box 9034
Olympia, WA 98507-9034
ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!
Mike O'Handley
Editor, The Inspector's Journal
Randy Aldering
03-29-2008, 06:39 PM
One question might be:
Why are home inspectors being placed in the Real Estate Division of the D.O.L.?
Michael P. O'Handley
03-29-2008, 07:14 PM
Hi Randy,
I don't know that they are. I'm not so sure it's a "division" so much as it is one of several foot soldiers working within DOL that is tasked with the responsibility of administering a number of professions. Maybe the Director thought he was the most logical person to deal with the task of organizing this stuff.
I'm not concerned with it; he seems like a stand-up guy and has been very forthcoming with information throughout the entire process of the sunrise review, hearings, etc.. Also, the law is very clear; the board will be made up of home inspectors; no realtors, no appraisers, no bankers, no insurance folk, no joe citizens - inspectors only.
Have you seen the number of licensed professions in this state? If they had a separate section staffed with employees, with a separate paid director for every one, they'd probalby need to expand the size of the Olympia city limits. Check this out:
WA State Licensing: List of Licenses (http://www.dol.wa.gov/listoflicenses.html)
I'd be more concerned if it were the Department of Agriculture putting this together; there are already three pest-centric guys I can think of with connections in Olympia that are jockeying for seats on this board and the application rules haven't even been published yet.
Through that dumb law and the WSDA, WSPMA has benefitted and grown over the past 17 years and I'm sure the pest-centric folks will do everything they can to ensure WSPMA maintains it's sphere of influence by getting as many pest-centric inspectors on the board as possible.
Unfortunately, there is no prohibition against a pest-centric inspector from serving on the board, so there's always a possibility it could happen; that's why I've been tellling folks they need to talk to one another, figure out who they think will be a good board member, and then get that person to submit his or her name for board consideration.
The more home inspection-centric inspectors submit their names for those 7 positions, the lesser the odds that we'll end up with a bunch of pest-centric guys managing our profession again.
Start talking to one another and get good honest and home inspection centric guys and gals to submit their applications.
ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!
Mike
Scott Patterson
03-30-2008, 09:41 AM
One question might be:
Why are home inspectors being placed in the Real Estate Division of the D.O.L.?
Several of the states that have home inspector licensing have Home Inspectors, Appraisers and Real Estate license boards under the same commission or division. As Mike said it is more for cost savings as they share the same resources in the office.
Having a setup like this can actually be beneficial. The states that have this type of setup, make sure the real estate agents know that it is illegal to use or recommend an unlicensed inspector. It kind of puts the policing of the unlicensed inspectors on the back of the real estate agents.
Jerry McCarthy
03-30-2008, 10:00 AM
Scott et-al;
I've learned in over 50 years of dealing with them to never trust any sort of governmental bureaucracy either city, county, state or federal because unfortunately most who are employed by such subscribe to the "Golden Rule." Of course I'm an old coot and so who would listen? For those that don’t remember the Golden Rule, “he who has the gold rules.” Anybody ever watch these people on TV? Their posturing and BS rhetoric would gag a maggot. If there is an unbiased, fairly represented, savvy state governmental agency licensing/administrating their home inspectors I wish somebody would point them out to me. :confused:
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