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Probings
The Newsletter of the North Carolina Licensed Home Inspector Association

NCLHIA small logo
October 2016
The mission of the NCLHIA, the premier nonprofit association of licensed home inspectors in North Carolina, is to promote excellence and exemplary practice within the profession, and to meet the needs of the home buying/selling public.

 

In This Issue

Probings
The Newsletter of the NCLHIA
Jamey Tippens - Editor
jamey@jameytippens.com

with valuable help from
Dave Hahn
dhahn@metrolina-inspection.com


Benefits of Joining NCLHIA
  • Meet and Share your experiences with other Home Inspectors and local construction experts at the local chapters 
  • Save on Continuing Education at the Annual NCLHIA Home Inspector's Convention - the Only Major Convention in North Carolina, and the only Home Inspection Convention anywhere that will satisfy your NC continuing education requirements
  • NEW! Discounts on Radon Certification Training through  RTCA  (see below)
  • Stay up to date with the latest developments concerning Home Inspectors in  North Carolina  
  • Inspector Directory on the NCLHIA Website helps your clients find you!  

Congratulations to our member
and Coastal Chapter President
John Gainey 
for his appointment
to the NC Licensing Board
for Home Inspectors 

 

 


 

My Favorite Tool
By Wilson Fausel
  


During home inspections, I carry most of the tools with me in a belted tool pouch.  To keep the weight down, I like multi-function tools like the Irwin 9-in-1 screwdriver which has 3 nut driver sizes, 2 Phillips, 2 flat heads and 2 square bits.  It is rare that I find an electrical panel or furnace cover that I cannot open with this tool.     
Southwire makes a similar model.  Beware the cheaper imitations.

 

 

Using the NCHILB recommended language for Stone Veneer?  Check the link!

 

The link to the Masonry Veneer Manufacturer's Association on the original recommended language no longer works.  Here is the latest link:

 

 http://ncma-br.org/pdfs/masterlibrary/MVMA%20Installation%20Guide%204th%20Edition%20web.pdf

Discounted Radon Certification Training

 

As a benefit to NCLHIA members, Radon Testing Corporation of America (RTCA) is offering a $100 discount for on-line training for radon certification and continuing education.

 

Benefits of Radon Certification

  • Extra income - NCLHIA members have reported that from 15% to 40% of their inspection customers also want radon testing along with the home inspection. With radon testing prices from $125 to $175, this can be an additional source of income.

  • Free listing on the NC Radon and the National Radon Safety Board (NRSB) web sites will bring you more business

 

How The Discount Works

For all NCLHIA members, contact Robert Wilson via email at rhwilson@carolina.rr.com and let him know you are interested in this program. He will forward your information to RTCA who will contact you with your login for their on-line program, apply the discount and RTCA will collect their fee - NCLHIA does not collect any fees. Once you have completed the training with RTCA, you will contact the NRSB. If you have never been certified, you will  take an exam administered through the NRSB or by an approved proctor in your area (information on approved proctors will be sent to you by the NRSB). If you have been previously certified, there is no exam.

 

Fees

Inspectors with no previous certification:

The on-line course through RTCA is $225 for NCLHIA members ($325 for non-members). Price for an exam through NRSB is $90. After passing the exam, the certification fee through NRSB is $85 for 1 year or $135 for 2 years.

 

Inspectors previously certified through NRSB:

You take the on-line CE through RTCA at $225 for NCLHIA members ($325 for non-NCLHIA members). Then the certification through NRSB is $85 1 year $135 for 2 years - no exam is required.

Call for articles
Probings is always looking for articles for upcoming issues.  If you have a tip, a suggestion, a funny or scary or informative story about home inspections, please email Jamey Tippens: jamey@jameytippens.com
  
 
Welcome to Probings, the NCLHIA newsletter.   Want to improve your business, learn new skills, stay ahead of the curve?  NCLHIA is here to help.  Please enjoy the newsletter, and let us know what you think.


Join the NCLHIA

For only $150.00 a year, enjoy all the benefits of membership.  Just click here to join - it's easy.   

 


21st Annual NCLHIA Education and Home Inspectors' Convention and Conference

Great Wolf Lodge, Concord, NC

March 1 - 4, 2017
 
Your association is proud to announce our next Convention and Conference at Great Wolf Lodge, an excellent resort and water park in Concord, NC.  
 
We have negotiated a great room rate at the Lodge that will allow you to bring your whole family to join you.  The room rate includes water park passes, kids activities, unlimited wi-fi, and access to dining and shopping. Again this year we will be gathering Thursday evening for dining, fun, connecting with old friends from across the state and networking with new friends.  
 
At the convention you can receive all of your required 12 Continuing Education Units.  New this year are additional interesting and helpful courses for those who need more units.

You'll also be able to meet and talk with industry supportive vendors and attend the vendors' reception after class on Friday.
 
We'll be sending more information soon about the classes, registration, and more.  But save the dates - this is a convention you don't want to miss. 
 
Latest Statistics

As of November 16, 2016 there are 1217 Licensed Home Inspectors in North Carolina.

Counties with the most inspectors:
1. Wake  204
2. Mecklenburg   131
3. Guilford  53
4. Buncombe  45
5. New Hanover 40
6. Union 39
7. Forsythe  38

 
NCLHIA has a strong chapter that welcomes new members in Raleigh.  For more information contact chapter president Wilson Fausel.

We encourage those of you in Mecklenburg and Union Counties to join the growing Charlotte Chapter.  For more information contact chapter president Dave Hahn.

In Wilmington and Brunswick County, please help advance the home inspection industry by joining our Coastal Chapter.  Contact  John Gainey.

If you live in the Triad or Asheville and want to increase your business and knowledge by helping grow chapters in those areas, please contact Robert Wilson our executive director.
 

IT'S TOUGH TO BE A HOME INSPECTOR 

or at least, it's tough to be one that gets it right. 

By Dave Hahn

 

You know the saying; "Jack of all trades, master of none." Well, I put it to you that we need to be a Jack of all trades and master of most. But it's hard to know it all. Heck, we're not supposed to cite code (or at least not without conducting the entire home inspection "using the building codes in effect at the time of the construction, renovation, and any subsequent installation or replacement of any system or component of the home") and it's no wonder. With constant updates, county/municipal specific interpretations, and exceptions upon exceptions, plus the sheer volume of it, keeping up with what is in effect can be difficult. But I believe we should have a strong command of a high level of standards, especially when inspecting new construction.

But it's tough to be a home inspector. There are variances from manufacturer to manufacturer in how something should be installed correctly. One example is that some manufacturers prohibit woven valley installations for laminated "architectural" shingles (e.g., GAF), while some recommend other methods be used (e.g., CertainTeed/Landmark), such as cut valleys or open valleys. Still, some manufacturers either allow it (e.g., Owens Corning) or appear to be silent one way or another (e.g., Tamko). And what about fiber-cement siding? Should the butt joints be flashed or caulked? Well, some yes and some no ... and it depends when it was installed.

But it's tough to be a home inspector. While we don't know as much as our counterparts in any specific licensed trade, again, I feel we still should be a "master of most." This mastery comes from education and experience. Yes, we all have our minimum requirement of continuing education (only recently dropped from 16 credit hours to 12), and some have to do more for ancillary certifications they may hold. But do you look at continuing education as a chore, or a way of enriching yourself in your profession? The latter is the attitude of a career professional, the former is someone going through the motions until they move on to their next job. 

But it's tough to be a home inspector. How much value do we bring our clients if the majority of our report is filled with "I dunno. This requires subsequent examination or further investigation by a specialist." I've heard more than one real estate agent bemoan, "I'm done with home inspectors. All they do is refer out." Now, don't get me wrong, if you don't know, you don't know. After 13 years in this business I love that I still learn something new nearly every day (or learning that I was wrong on something that I thought I knew just the other day). But a lot of that comes from education, sometimes self-imposed. Participating in webinars, or taking courses you don't "have to," or reading manufacturer installation manuals, or talking to other inspectors at Association Chapter meetings or just picking up the phone and asking another inspector. We can't and don't know everything, nor can we be absolutely positive about many things. But I feel that a report that is routinely (and that's a key word here) wrought with "refer on" does our clients a disservice. Are you leaving them wondering after reading your 50-page report, this is all nice, but why did I hire you, I still need a plumber, an electrician, an HVAC contractor and an engineer to tell me whether it's OK?

But it's tough to be a home inspector. I know we all want to cover our rear ends, and that's certainly prudent in this day and age. And we certainly want "further investigation" on things we do find that are wrong so that any underlying damage is addressed, too. But through continued education, and even some wordsmithing, we can give our clients the implication and direction they need to form a request for action by the seller without more money spent by the buyer. So rather than routinely "recommending" further evaluation by a licensed contractor, what about a more definitive approach that covers our desire to have everything found, but that directs corrective action, not just investigation. One example might be "This condition warrants repair by a qualified trade professional, combined with further investigation to identify any other related conditions and the full extent of repairs necessary."  In this approach, there is a directive or action that incorporates our desire to have things "investigated" above and beyond what we see or suspect.

But it's tough to be a home inspector. We all have our ways of reporting and phrasing what we mean. But let's not put ourselves out of business and instead let's prove our worth. Educate yourself. Get involved in your profession and be a "master of most."

 




NCLHIA BOARD

President: Bob Scott
bob_scott55@hotmail.com

Vice President:
Wayne Mander
waynemander@carolina.rr.com

Secretary:
Jamey Tippens
jamey@jameytippens.com

Treasurer and Past President: 
Eric Coates
eric@detailedhomeinspections.com


 Executive Director:
Robert Wilson
rhwilson@carolina.rr.com

 Charlotte Chapter President:

Dave Hahn

dhahn@metrolina-inspection.com

 

Triangle Chapter President:

Wilson Fausel

wefausel@gmail.com

 

Coastal Chapter President

John Gainey

secureinspect@yahoo.com