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MONDAY MORNING MESSENGER

Message Prepared For Home Inspectors and Especially for Members of the

American Institute of Inspectors®

November 8, 1999

GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I.™

It's a great day here in Northern Utah. Can you believe it???? Saturday found the Leavitt Clan getting all dressed up in our Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspection shirts to do a re-inspect and head to the Great Salt Lake. It was fun standing along the edge of the lake with Antelope Island in the background to take pictures and play in the sand. It was a great location to teach all four of the kids how to skim rocks on the water. Our littlest son, Aaron, watched intently as his older sisters and brother threw the rocks. It took about 45 seconds before he realized how much fun it could be for him, too.

There are only two more days until we get to attend this year's Annual Meeting in wonderful Las Vegas. Looking beyond the formalities of the Annual Meeting, the best part of attending is the once-a-year chance to rub shoulders with some of the finest Inspectors in the business. Who knows what antics will occur this time to top recent year's events. Let me flashback to the wonderful off the table back flip by Dan Back. Or the dueling "full lobster feast" between Ron Cloyd and yours truly. How about Sylvan Stenge coming to the social dressed as the "Contractor Bum Inspector?" Last year was fun as we explored the depths of the Grand Seafood Buffet in Reno.

ANTICIPATIONS & REFLECTIONS

This year's Annual Meeting is even more promising for fun entertainment with all of the possibilities. Las Vegas not only has shows to see, but also has roller coasters. There is nothing quite as exciting as the looping coaster at New York New York Hotel.

Those not suffering from the fear of heights can go to the top of the Stratosphere and climb into the coaster that runs about 800 feet off the ground..... (Been there and wondered all the while why I'd done that). The Stratosphere has another ride on the very top that launches you a couple hundred feet higher into the air..... The thought of it makes me sick. Brent Foster absolutely loves it though.

My favorite is the coaster just 30 minutes south of the Las Vegas Strip at the California State line. The Wild Bill resort has a coaster with one of the tallest drops in North America. I can't wait...... It's too bad that the plane doesn't leave until Tuesday morning.

It is a shame that more of the membership can't make it to the event. I think that many of you have been spoiled by the proximity of the previous Annual Meetings to your home bases. It is odd to reflect back upon the sacrifice level of different Inspectors within the Association. Those residing in the Northern California area have rarely had to travel over 100 miles to attend a function. When it was held in Reno there was really a lot of squawking about the location. With the meeting so close to home, some inspectors didn't feel the "commitment" level that others who lived far away did. They even scheduled inspections during the Annual Meeting and came for just the Fri. night, Saturday activities.

I have a great admiration for those Inspectors who live outside of Northern California and still always attend. Being a Utah-based Inspector from the beginning, it has never been convenient to attend Association functions. From the very start of my enterprise I was scraping for every penny to help keep our household afloat. With my wife's full support we always managed to get me to the events. My first Home Inspection training found me climbing into my already worn out Honda Accord and driving 11 hours to Sacramento all night. Four days later I immediately left the training and hit the road for the 11 hour drive to return home. There was hardly enough money for food and gas, let alone any entertainment. The option of paying for another night's motel was out of the question. My entertainment consisted of bringing my own basketball so that when I got tired I could stop at the local park and play some hoops. (Winnemucca is where this usually took place) This would get my adrenaline going so I could hit the road again.

This same tight budget process repeated itself for my second Certification Inspector training. This makes me flash back to when I left the other people in training one night who were going out for an expensive, good time and I found a park on the other side of the Sacramento River and played some basketball. In the hour and a half that I was there, it suddenly dawned on me that I was the only Caucasian there. Gangbangers were plentiful as were the drug deals that go with them. The next day when I told Betty Ball where I had played, she drew in her breath and said, "You went where??!! You are lucky to be alive."

We also managed to pull it off for the Tahoe Annual Meeting a few months later. I remember driving all night and we pulled into Lake Tahoe about 5 AM and we decided to sleep for two hours in the car before the Annual Meeting started. Never once did my wife question or bemoan the sacrifice (even though she was 7 1/2 mos. pregnant at the time). The bonus at the Lake Tahoe Annual Meetings was the opportunity to stay in a nice resort with spa tubs in each room. It is refreshing to look back with awe that never once did we encounter car trouble as we drove our 160,000 mile Honda to and from the trips.

Still making only a little money from our inspection enterprise, Shelly encouraged me to drive back to Sacramento that next Spring for the Mid-Year Conference. The 11 hours of driving were tough to endure, but we felt that it was very important for our success. Never once did I leave an Association gathering where I didn't learn something to help my business ultimately thrive. Many times the learning was not gained in the classroom. Instead, it was in the times of discussion spent with my fellow inspectors.

Shelly reminded me of the trip to Lake Tahoe that found us with no money. Checks were deposited, but had yet to clear and the Readyteller refused our pleas for cash. It was then that I realized the friendships that are possible amongst members of AII™. Out of money for gas or food, a fellow Inspector fronted us about $300 until we made it back home. This wasn't more than about a 1,000 days ago, yet our business has come so far.

As success was settling into our business we were finally able to fly to the next year's Lake Tahoe conference. It allowed us to arrive so much fresher than the driving trips we experienced before. We have continued to fly and sometimes we even rent cars while we are there. The point is that there was always some sort of sacrifice involved to attend the Association events. Sacrifice brings forth blessings...... Sacrifice is how you pave your road to success.

I have seen the same dedication on the part of many fellow Inspectors. Brent Foster, Richard Grisham, Bill Flynn, Ron Cloyd, Betty Buckley, Steve Jordan, etc., have all endured and have traveled many miles to faithfully attend. There were so many others who have not continued in the Inspection industry but also traveled far to the Annual Meetings. I remember back to a man named Cyrus..... I think. He traveled to Lake Tahoe one year in his pick-up truck with a big camper on the back. He and his wife couldn't even afford the hotel room...their accomodations were the camper. At the banquet we sat with him and his wife and since we couldn't hear the keynote speakers due to a lousy PA system, spent the time talking quietly amongst ourselves. I remember him saying his wife had the job and that his inspection gig was the most expensive hobby he had ever had. We all laughed at that. It can seem that way sometimes!

The sacrifice for the Leavitts to attend the Annual Meeting this year is completely different than in years past. The "costs" associated with attending are the registration fees, airfare, travel, lodging, food and entertainment. While these may seem too high, they pale in comparison with the lost Inspection revenues. A current days work will bring in $500 to $1,200. Four lost weekdays will result in $1,800 - $5,000 in money that will never see our bank account. In fact, at least 60 percent or more of those will go to other Inspectors in our area. That is quite a monetary sacrifice...... So why do it???

I believe that every Home Inspector has to recharge his or her batteries. We have decided not to fret over the lost Inspection fees. Instead, we know that there will be 2 to 5 weeks of the year that we will not be inspecting due to trips, vacations and trainings. That still allows at least 47 weeks of the year to make our living. If you look to the long term then the lost inspection revenues will not be an issue. Afterall, how much is it worth to be in the presence of such a great group of Inspectors??? I would say that it is priceless.

I will miss the presence of those of you who cannot make it. I have wondered what reasons are being used to not attend this year. Let's see....... plenty of notice was given. The timing does not conflict with other Inspector conferences..... maybe that's it. You are going to attend another conference. I would hope that you plan on attending more than one inspection-related conference this year. Learning is not limited to a particular group or conference. I am afraid that many will comment that the conference is too far away...baloney!!! The event is in a lively location, with easy travel arrangements, millions of hotels, wonderful entertainment and plenty of interaction time with other Inspectors that run their businesses based on the unique AII™ philosophy. I will be saddened to not see some of you this year........ Enough said!!!

Dennis, Can You Ever Forgive Me?!? by Bill Ball

In August of 1986, (when I had been a residential resale real estate Home Inspector less than 24 months), I had occasion to inspect a home at the request of an agent named Dennis Johnson from a local Century 21 office. It didn't go well.

Dennis had sold a slab-on-grade home that, at that time, was 20 years old and had been recently remodeled with the addition of a master bedroom and bath. The buyer was told that the seller had acted as owner/builder and completed the remodeling himself. That's why Dennis called me - the buyer wanted an "expert" to state that the home and remodeling were "acceptable." Since there were only 3 home inspectors in the city of one million people at the time, I got a call as a result of pure chance - I was home when the phone rang.

Before I get to the results of the inspection, let me give you a bit of history:

1) Dennis was a new agent. This was certainly one of the first 10 sales in his career.
2) Home inspections were NOT an accepted part of residential home sales. As a matter of fact, the real estate industry was actively resisting the trend to have full disclosure of the conditions of a home's components.
3) When I got a call from the Century 21 office where I had been marketing for months, I was exhilarated. I had visions of finally breaking into, what was then, one of the most powerful network of real estate sales offices in my area.
4) Other than the original ASHI Standards of Practice, there was no outline of what I was supposed to do as a home inspector.
5) Having been a contractor for many years, I was very concerned about the liability I was accepting as a home inspector. So when I started my HI business, I wrote my own set of Standards in the form of five inter-office training manuals covering the major components of a house: Electrical, Plumbing, Roofing, HVAC, and Structure. {These eventually evolved into the two volume, 1200 page Home Inspection Manuals published as part of the training curriculum of the association I founded in 1989 - The American Institute of Inspectors®. Of course, back then, I didn't know that I was going to meet Larry (Dominus) Reavis of Homexam in 1991 who had already surpassed my efforts at a comprehensive manual by a factor of a decade's work. Shortly thereafter, his work became an integral part of the said Manuals.} Now, back to my story.

Dennis met me on the property and followed me around the whole time. I began, as I always have, on the exterior starting with the grounds, then the structure. Before inspecting the interior, I climbed up on the roof to inspect it (it was new composition shingles).

Dennis followed me up there. I turned around, and there he was. In my career, I can recall perhaps 6-8 other inspections where the real estate agent climbed on the roof with me.

In any case, I was perplexed. You know how it is when you are inspecting something, and you cannot quite put your finger on what is wrong? I stood there on the roof trying to gather my thoughts for perhaps 15 minutes. Each minute that went by, Dennis became more impatient, and asked innumerable questions - which only served to distract my thoughts even more.

I finally climbed down, but left the ladder in place -- I just knew somehow that I would need to go back up there.

As I continued the inspection on the interior, I eventually got to the new master bedroom and bath. I noted that the sill height of the bedroom window was OK. I noted the adequate number of outlets (and I had already determined from my inspection of the distribution panel that the wiring had been performed by a skilled craftsman). I noted the installation of a wood stove with adequate clearances and hearth. I took time to make a note to myself to verify clearances of the flue in the attic.

During my inspection of the master bath everything was in order except I noted the sink and tub drained slowly. I also made a notation on my report that the size of the master bath was small and this design made for cramped quarters - (Yes, I believed then, and still do, that a HI should inspect for "functional utility" -- or, as my inter-office manuals stipulated, a home inspector should inspect for the "serviceability" in addition to the "durability" of a home's components).

I concluded the inspection, but was unable to reach the area of the attic on the low sloping roof where the flue penetrated the ceiling. All during the inspection, except in the attic, Dennis was at my elbow asking questions.

After I got out of my attic crawl protective gear, I decided to climb back up on that roof. After all, I had left the ladder in place because I was uneasy about something.

This time as I stood at the ridge line surveying the roof, it dawned on me what was missing - plumbing vents! The new addition had no plumbing vents, and it was located half a house away from the other bath and kitchen and laundry. {That was the day I added "plumbing vents" to my roof inspection check list.}

Then I noted that the chimney flue of the wood stove did not rise two feet above the roof line and obstructions within a ten foot radius. {I already had this item on my roof inspection check list, but had been too distracted by Dennis to take note of it earlier.}

I noted these things on my report and surmised that the master bedroom/bath addition had not been inspected by local building officials, so I wrote on the final page of my report: "The room addition on this home may not have been performed with the benefit of a permit and consequent inspection by building officials."

As I reviewed my findings with the buyer, who had recently arrived, Dennis watched. I could see Dennis cringe out of the corner of my eye as I explained my notes on the last page of the report. Yep, Dennis' fears materialized when the buyer backed out of the purchase a couple of days later.

Dennis called me to argue about my conclusions. I tried to explain why I thought my statement was true. Then he challenged me to produce the authority (or document) on which I based my "deal-killing" report, and I had to explain to him that I had these manuals I had compiled in my office and that...... Well,..... you can imagine that it didn't go well from there.

"After all," he concluded our conversation, "who do you think you are to dictate what the buyer will accept - You're not a (government) building inspector."

And he was right. That's when the concept of a protocol for home inspection first became part of what I realized we needed as an industry. I started off calling it the "Rules of Thumb for Home Inspection™" and it was developed and used in my office by my inspectors. Later it became part of The American Institute of Inspectors® training curriculum. In recent years, the concept evolved into the UNIFORM HOME INSPECTOR CODE BOOK™.

To conclude, having lost that sale early in his career, I guess Dennis could not forgive me. He later became manager, then owner of the franchise, and has been one of the top producers in our area for well over a decade now. Yet, to this day, I have never received another call from Dennis (nor anyone in his office) to perform another inspection.

Dennis, can you please, please, please forgive me now? It's been almost 14 years! Although I would report exactly the same thing on that house today as I did back in 1986. The only thing that has changed is that now I'd base those conclusions on the protocol published in the HICB™.

BILL BALL, Publisher, INSPECTOR'S FIELD NOTES™, Newsletter for Home Inspectors -- (published quarterly $25.00/year).......800/347-2455.

Author: Uniform HOME INSPECTOR'S CODE BOOK™ $59.95 plus $4.00 S&H Details the home inspector's PROTOCOL for evaluation of a home's components. Two years in the writing, fourteen years in the compilation, this is the exhaustive work defining and detailing the "Rules of Thumb"(tm) for Home Inspection skills and Standards of Practice like ASHI, A.I.I.™, NAHI, etc.

ABSOLUTE NO QUESTIONS ASKED MONEY BACK GUARANTEE... If you're a home inspector, the HICB™ is a must have tool.

BILL BALL ENTERPRISES - P.O. Box 80392 Las Vegas, NV 89180 Ph: 800/347-2455 Fax: 702/248-8121