It's a great day here in Orem, Utah! We just finished our biggest month ever. Talk about a trying month, we had some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. I want to thank those of you who sent words of uplifting kindness to my lovely wife, Shelly, last week. She read each one and wanted to respond to each of you but the strength just was not there. She has felt a great source of uplifting strength as a result of your thoughtful prayers on her behalf.
On a lighter note, several of you wished that you, too, could have Inspectors flying in to their household to take care of normal tasks. Maybe this is what we ought to do-- we can all travel around the country as a group and show up at an Inspector's home and get everything done. Now, on to something more substantial........
Hello Inspectors and Associates:
It seems like things are always hopping at the office of the American Institute of Inspectors®. We receive several calls a week from people interested in joining our Association or in becoming Home Inspectors. I really enjoy talking to these folks. Being a member of this Association has increased my business and my confidence greatly. I feel truly blessed to be able to pass along some of the information that has been given to me by so many of our members. Joining this Association was the best business decision I have ever made in this career. Sometimes it is overwhelming to see the amount of information that comes out of the experience we collectively share. Our membership currently numbers 112 members. This may seem small to some and plenty to others.
I was happy to find an association that I hoped I would not become lost in the massive thousands of members. I know most of our members, either in person or from our phone conversations. I always enjoy hearing from our members. As your Executive Director, my goal is to help our Association be the best national inspection association available. Please call me with your ideas to help us maintain this status. Membership dues run from July 1st to June 30th. Invoices will be emailed next week to all of the membership who have email and postal delivered snail mail to the rest of the members.
We looked at the possibility of invoicing each member annually in their anniversary month but that creates considerably more paper/computer work. If you joined during this past year and paid a full year's dues, you will only be invoiced for a portion of the year to bring you in standing with the July 1st to June 30th membership billing year. With the invoices you will receive a form to update your information for the 2001 Membership Roster. Print this form and return it with your dues payment. Also, it is time to report your continuing education credits. In November 1998, the Board of Directors approved a program for continuing education requirements. The requirement states:
A certified home inspector must complete 36 CEU's every three years.
More information will be sent with the form for you to print and return with your membership renewal. This is just a "heads up" so you can get your information together. I do still have a few certificates from people who attended the Spring Conference in Portland and left their continuing education certificates on the table. I will get those mailed out next week.
I have just signed a contract with a very nice Hotel in Reno, Nevada, for our Annual Meeting to be held Nov 2, 3 & 4. I will give you more information on that after I receive the confirmation from the Hotel. NOW is the time for us to discuss any ideas you have for our conference. The A.I.I. office number is 800-877-4770 or locally 541-273-6440. Don't whine later if you don't take the time now to express your desires. I may not be able to accommodate all of your ideas, but I do value your opinions and may be able to accommodate them in the future. Bad ideas are the ones not stated!
One last request before I stop rambling; Many of you offer your thoughts, prayers and support to Michael and Shelly and ask if there is anything you can do to help. Although Michael may not ask for much from us, one thing he has asked for many times is for participation in the MMM from our membership. It takes a great deal of energy to be creative week after week publishing the Monday Morning Messenger. I'm sure we can all imagine how much energy it is taking right now to live the every day challenges Michael and Shelly are facing. Please send in articles for the MMM. You are all very interesting people with great inspection and life experiences. This is one thing we can all do to help. (Michael-- don't you dare edit this paragraph)
Very sincerely,
Betty Buckley Executive Director - of the best national inspection association available!
Your Name:City: State:
Please include your name or I don't know who it is from...
Chris Burkhardt from Sandy, Utah, asked the question of how we set our fees. Richard Grisham took the time to lay out his fee schedule. This is in no way an endorsement of a fee structure. For example, Richard's fee structure is much lower in some aspects when compared to mine, but he is much higher in other areas. The setting of one's fees is a very personal item and you should consider many factors such as the area, the type of homes, the amount of time that you will take, and most importantly, your own sense of self-worth. Richard shared........
Richard Grisham NV
Chris: As with all inspection fees, you should be figuring out about how much time is involved and apply your hourly rate. My hourly rate was twice to three times the normal non-commerical rate and I never had anyone question it.
I have written or taught many students of home inspections. I tell all of them about "preceived valve." It's kind of like going to the Doctor and he advises a brain operation and tells you he can do it for $1500. You, being the wise person you are, decide to get a second opinion. The next Doctor also advises the operation, but says his fee is $25,000 and maybe a little more.
Which Doctor are you going to have operate on you?
I'll bet you decide that the more expensive Doctor must be a better surgeon because his fees are higher.
Maybe not, but you get the general idea of "preceived valve"!
Ron Cloyd - Oregon
Please include your name or else I don't know who it is from.
Good ole Scott Merritt was sitting back in his easy chair there in Grass Valley, California, thinking about the MMM when it hit him..... "The MMM is lacking a new feature called Wreck of the Week." Since most of us have digital cameras, we can now capture, for the benefit of our friends, the piece of junk that we didn't quite expect to be inspecting. So here is our first submission: Enjoy! Then send your "Wreck of the Week" to be included next week!
INSPECTOR: Scott Merritt
HOME LOCATION: Smartsville, CA (In the Sierra foothills northeast of Sacramento).
WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN YOU ARRIVED? Yes. I thought, "I drove an hour to come upon this!!?" I was told the house was finaled in 1996 and was just repossessed by the lender. The condition of this house made it hard to believe it was just 5 years old OR that it had been finaled.
HOW LONG DID THE PAPERWORK TAKE? I was on site for about an hour. There were so many missing components and conditions to mention that I confined the report to the major stuff. I made voice recorder notes, discussed the situation with the Buyer's agent, and drove off. (The Buyers were not able to be there).
HOW LONG DID THE PAPERWORK TAKE? About an hour. I did not follow my usual format, but typed out a narrative that summarized the findings for each heading that I usually report. (Roof, Exterior, Electrical, etc.) It was three pages long.
DID THE FEE MATCH THE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY? In the end, yes. At first, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, thinking I would be at this house for five hours recording all the conditions, including the items that weren't there. Then I proposed to the Agent doing the report differently and I was feeling alright when she saw the sense of that approach.
GRUESOME DETAILS: First floor had stud walls with LP siding that was failing. 2nd floor was a log home kit! The roof was the last thing completed on this house, so the log interior was completely stained. No bath or kitchen fixtures or appliances. The home was designed without windows on the first floor. The slab was as lumpy as the Southern Ocean. The two story octagon shape of the home was the most impractical floor plan I have ever seen. Oh, and that big black stain on the ceiling of the first floor, below the bathroom, sure looked like, dare I say it . . . toxic mold!
Your Name:Phone:State:
I know that many of you are wanting to submit your Wreck of the Week. To do so, just fill out the following questionaire......
INSPECTOR: Your Name:
HOME LOCATION:City:State:
WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN YOU ARRIVED? YES: NO:
WHY:
HOW LONG DID THE PAPERWORK TAKE?
DID THE FEE MATCH THE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY?
GRUESOME DETAILS:
Have any of you seen gypsum type products used for roof sheathing? Have you seen a black, paper-coated gypsum board?... If so, what was it designed and used for?
There is an instance where 5/8 sheet rock would be on top of the rafters and under the roof sheathing as part of a fire wall separation, but I have never seen black-coated gyp board. Dan McLeary - Ashland, Oregon
Yes, I recently saw the same thing in a home in Klamath Falls, Oregon. It was stamped "roof plank" in several places. The home was late 50's. It had been maintained very well. I found no detrimental affects so just noted the type of sheathing and went on. Betty Buckley - Midland, Oregon
Can you believe this water heater installation???........
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