May2016

May&June

ClassesOffered

120HourCoursesBaltimore,MD-Jun6-17Cumming,GA-Jun6-17DesPlaines,IL-Jun6-17Tampa,FL-Jun6-17Lakewood,CO-Jun13-24

160HourClassBellevue,WA-Jun6-17

16HourResidentialRadon

MeasurementCourse

LiveWebinar-May23-24LiveWebinar-Jun1-2

93HourCoursesBrentwood,TN-May16-21

CommercialClassStamford,CT-Jun8-10

203kDayofDiscovery

DesPlaines,IL-June25-26

Why

ApartmentInspectionsAreImportant

ByLarryUbellandMatthewBarnett

OriginallypostedbyAccurateBuildingInspectors

EverythingYouNeedToKnowAboutTheApartment

YouAreBuyingBeforeYouBuyIt.

Don'twalkblindlyintoabigpurchase!Whetherthe

cooperativeorcondominiumapartmentisinanewor

vintagestructure.Hiringalicensedhomeinspectormay

saveyoualotofheartachesandthousandsofdollarsinthe

future.--(CaveatEmptor!–LetTheBuyerBeware!)

AHolisticView

It'stheperfectstudioapartment–itcomeswithaparking

spaceandarooftopgarden!Youhavetakenagoodlook

attheapartment,butwhataboutthebuildingthat

surroundsthatperfectapartment?

TheBuilding'sBoardMinutes

Whenconsideringanapartmentforpurchase,startby

askingtoseetheboardminutes.Youshouldknowthatnot

everythingisintheminutes.Itemsmayhavebeenleftout

oftheminutes,notforanymaliciousreason,but

sometimesthemanagementorbuildingmanagersdonot

havetheconstructionexpertisetoanalyzethebuilding

systemsorthatperfectapartment.Ifyouhaveany

unansweredquestionsaboutthebuilding,thisisagood

timetohireatrainedandlicensedbuildinginspectorto

helpyouuncoveranyproblemsthatwouldaffectthe

CommercialClasses

Stamford,CT-Jun8-10Burbank,CA-Sept21-

23

What'sgoingonwithyourchapter?Gotaneventcomingup?Somethinginterestinghappenatyourlastmeeting?Whatdidyoulearnabout?Wewanttoknowandwe'll

apartmentanditslivability.

TheBuilding'sInfrastructure

Atrainedlicensedhomeinspectorwillhelpyouunderstand

themechanicalandelectricalsystemsthatsupportthe

apartment.Anaginginfrastructureincludingtheboiler,

waterheater,plumbingsystem,orelectricalsystemswill

workiftheyarewellmaintained,orbecomeaconstant

interruptioninyourdailyliving.Oneareatolookforis

whetherthebuildinghasormaydevelopdampness

issues.Isthereevidenceofapreviousfloodfroma

mechanicalfailuresuchasapipeleakorburst?Isthe

locationpronetoanaturalflooddisaster?Thoughmost

per-purchaseinspectionsarenotenvironmental

inspections,itisimportanttoconsiderthatadditional

testingmightbenecessarytodetermineifleaksorflooding

havemadetheapartmentandorbuildingunsafe.Ahome

inspectorcouldadviceyouontheseissues.

WhoOwnstheProblem?

Themajorbuildingsystemsliketheboiler,sewagedrain

lines,electricalboxes,etc,aretypicallythecooperativesor

condominiumsresponsibility.Thesystemsandappliances

withintheapartmentaretheunitowner’sresponsibility.So

whenisanapartmentproblemabuildingproblem,oryour

problem?Doestheco-op/condoreservefundhaveenough

moneytopayfortherepairorreplacement?Astructural

problemintheapartmentwillbeabuildingissuethatmay

influencethelong-termcostsofowningtheapartment.

Therefore,whenabuildingmaintenanceissuesare

discovered,theyshouldbediscussedandnegotiated

beforecontract,andnotafterclosing.

ALegalPerspective

Whenmakinganymajorpropertypurchase,youmightalso

considertalkingwitharealestateattorney.Anattorneyis

yourlegalrepresentativewhocanadvocateonyourbehalf

throughoutthebuyingtransaction,andwillprotectyou

fromthepitfallsandtrapsoftheco-op,orcondoapartment

buyingprocess.Yourattorneymayrecommendathorough

inspectionbecausethisinformationcanbeusedto

compareyourgoalswiththepurchasecostsandto

negotiateabetterdeal.Note:Clientsthatdeclinesan

inspectionmayberequiredtosigna“NoInspection

RequestForm”bytheirattorney.Foodforthought!Letus

knowwhatyouthink.

DownloadPDF:BuyingaCo-OporCondoinNewYork

postithere.EmailyournewstoDaveatdavek@ashi.org

Here'swhat'sgoingoninachapternearyou...

May6-7,2016ASHISuncoastSuntechConfernceHamptonInnOldsmarOldsmar,FL16ASHICEs

May14,2016MACASHIChapterEducationEventJohnsHopkinsUniversityRockville,MD8ASHICEs

May14,2016SouthCarolinaASHIHolidayInnColumbia,SC2ASHICEs

September9-11,2016SEHomeInspectionConferenceInfiniteEnergyCenterDuluthGA

September17,2016NICASHI1DayStateCEEventCrazyPourRestaurantVillaPark,IL

October1,2016OhioASHIHistoricalHomeInspectionsRuthSmuckerHomeSalem,OH8ASHICEs

October6-8,2016CAHPINationalConferenceWestinBayshoreVancouverWaterfrontResortVancouver,B.C.18CEs

October14-15,2016KeystoneASHISeminarDoubleTreebyHiltonReading,PAupto16ASHICEs

Cometothis

amazing2-dayeventofpersonal,face-to-facetrainingoneveryaspectoftheFHARehabLoanProcessform.#1203kConsultant

intheUS

CatherineHall:America’s203kQueen

Courseincludes:8-hrDayofDiscoveryCEclassLive,on-site3-hrtrainingof"Mock203k

Consultation"Full203kReportReviewCoursebooklets&materials

ForMoreInformationortoRegisterNow:

Visit:www.203kinabox.comor

Email:info@203kinabox.com

coursesponsoredby:

MayisDeck

SafetyMonth:GetDeck

October20-21,2016LeadershipTrainingConferenceFountainBlueConferenceCenterDesPlaines,IL

InspectionCertifiedTheNADRADeckInspectionCertificationClassisofferedby

theNorthAmericanDeckandRailAssociation.

Instructor:JimMailey,TrainingManager,Simpson

StrongTie

Thisprogramwillallowindustryprofessionalstoproperly

evaluatedecks,stairsandrailingsusingtheNADRADeck

Evaluationchecklist.TheNADRADeckEvaluationchecklist

hasbeendevelopedspecificallyforindustryprofessionals

asacomprehensivetooltobeusedtoproperlyassessthe

safetyissuesofadeck.

When:Friday,May20,2016,from8:30amto1:00pmEDT

Where:EmeraldIsleTownBoardMeetingRoom

7500EmeraldDrive,EmeraldIsle,NC28594

Onlythefirst150peoplewhoregisterwillbeableto

attend!

DIRECTLINKTOCLASSINFORMATION

5TipsforUsing

LocalNetworkingGroupsToGrowYourBusinessByKevinJordan

Intoday’sdigitalworld,thehottopicsinthesmallbusiness

marketingindustrytendtobethingslikeSEO,responsive

webdesign,pay-per-clickadvertising,andofcourse

whateverthelatestfadinsocialmediahappenstobein

anyparticularweek.Ofcourseallofthesethingsare

importantandhavearoletoplayinsuccessfullymarketing

asmallbusiness,butwhilealloftheseconstantlychanging

andevolvingareashavebeendominatingthe

conversation,onetime-testedmarketingtactichas

continuedtoquietlyprovidegoodresultsforthose

relativelyfewsmallbusinessownerswhohavetruly

masteredit.

I’mtalkingaboutgood,old-fashionednetworking,which—

especiallyatthelocallevel—isstilloneofthemostcost

effectivemarketingmethodsavailabletoasmallbusiness.

TargetProfessional

Programs

GuardianFinancial

HomeOwnersNetwork

Quill.com

LegalShield

Porch.com

MoverThankYou.com

HomeAdvisor

OneSourceSolutions

LibertyMutualInsurance

InspectionContracts.com

GEMMarketing

(ASHIstore.com)

BuildFax

ASHI@Home

Unfortunately,it’salsosomethingthatveryfewpeopleare

goodat.Justvisitanychamberofcommerceluncheonand

innotimeyou’llquicklyseenumerousexamplesofbad

networking.I’mtalkingabouttheguywhopassesout

businesscardstoeveryoneintheroomandyetcouldn’t

tellyouthenameofasinglepersonhetalkedtoanhour

later…orthewomanwhoisclearlymoreinterestedinthe

deserttraythaninanymeaningfulbusiness-related

conversation.It’snowondermanypeopleconcentrateon

othermarketingtacticswhentheir“networking”

experiencesinvolveexampleslikethese.

Justtobeperfectlyclear,thissuperficialtypeofnetworking

isnotwhatI’mrecommendingasawaytogrowyour

business.WhatIamrecommendingisdevelopinglong-

term,meaningfulrelationshipswithqualitybusiness

professionalswhoarereadyandwillingtohelpyou

accomplishyourbusinessgoals.Ifthatlastsentence

soundedfamiliartoyou,itmightbebecauseit’stakenfrom

themissionstatementoftheworld’slargestsmallbusiness

networkingandreferralorganization,BNI(Business

NetworkInternational).Byparticipatinginlocalbusiness

networkinggroupslikeBNI,businessownerscannotonly

improvetheirnetworkingskills,theycanalsomeet

strategicpartnersandgetreferrals—lotsofreferrals.Ina

second,I’llgiveyoufivespecificwaysthatlocalnetworking

groupscanhelpgrowasmallbusiness,butfirstIwantto

defineexactlywhatkindofgroupsI’mtalking

about...READMORE

7HouseSmellsYouShouldNeverIgnoreByKimberlyHiss

IfYourSmell:Gas

MillionaireInspector

Community

GOLDAFFILIATES3DInspectionSystems

BusinessRiskPartners

CitadelInsurance

HomeInspectorPro

HomeGauge

InspectITReporting

Software

KaplanHome

InspectionEducation

MaxMarketing

McKissock

HowToOperateYour

Home

Palm-Tech

Pro-Lab

ReportHost

SILVERAFFILIATES

CarsonDunlop

HolmesApproved

Homes

SimpsonStrong-Tie

BRONZEAFFILIATES

AccuStarLabs

AllenInsurance

AllergyZone

AlliedSchools

America'sCallCenter

AmeriSpec

BNKInsurance

BostonEnvironmental

CompleteAppliance

Protection

Naturalgasisodorless,soinordertomakeitdetectablethechemicalmercaptanisadded,whichcreatesthatclassic“rottenegg”odor.Ifyousmellgasyoucouldbeindangerofagasleak,whichcouldcausefireoranexplosion.Leavethehouseimmediatelyandcallthegascompanyonyourmobilephoneoraneighbor’sphone,saysFrankLesh,executivedirectoroftheAmericanSocietyofHomeInspectors.Avoidusingalandlinephoneinthehouse,turninglightsorappliancesonoroff,orusingacar,allofwhichcouldcreatesparks.

IfYouSmell:SomethingMusty

Amusty,pungentodorcouldindicateasinkleakorbrokenpipethathasgivenrisetomold,whichlovestogrowindark,dampspots.“Formoldwe’rereallyconcernedaboutpeoplewithallergiesandasthma,”saysDavidDyjack,DrPH,CIH,executivedirectoroftheNationalEnvironmentalHealthAssociation.“Bothconditionscanbeexacerbatedbymoldexposure.”Ifyouseemold,disinfectnon-poroussurfacesliketilewitha10percentbleach/watersolutionandletsitfor10minuteswhileventilating,Dyjackadds.Forporoussurfaceslikedrywall,it’sbesttoreplace.Ifyoucan’tseethemolditmaybeinthewalls,inwhichcasecallyourlocalhealthdepartmentorahomeinspector(theAmericanSocietyofHomeInspectorswebsiteprovideslistingsbasedonareacode),tofindtheproblem.Theseareothersmartwaystousebleachinyourhouse....READMORE

QuickTip#36:Tune

YourRefrigeratorforHighPerformance(orcoloritgreen)Therefrigeratorisamongthe

mostneglectedofhousehold

appliances,becauseusuallyit

runsforeverwithlittlerepair.However,itoftenconsumes

themostelectricityamongyourhome’sappliances.You

canimprovetheperformanceandextendthelifeofyour

refrigeratorwithsimplemaintenance.

Thecondensercoilofarefrigeratortransfersheattotheair

ofyourroom.Youshouldcleanthecoilwithavacuumor

softbrushonceortwiceayear.Thecoilislocatedbehind

EliteMGA

EZHomeInspection

Software

GlobalTestSupply

GlobeSpec

HolmesApproved

Homes

HomeHubZone

HomeInspection

Report

HomeTeam

Imfuna

InspectionCertification

Associates

InspectorServices

Group

JoeFerry,LLC

KritterCaps

LiftMaster

LivingInPlace

Institute

MetropolitanSolutions

USA

NationalInstituteof

BuildingInspectors

OREP

Perma-Boot

PHII

PRISMAnalytical

RAdata,Inc.

ReportItQuick

RTCA

USInspect

WagnerMeters

ZAITrust

Contactanyoftheabove

AffiliatesandEndorsed

providersandmention

thatyouareanASHI

memberforaspecial

discount.

orunderneaththerefrigerator;it’saserpentineapparatus

withsmallfins.Thefins’narrowspacingcatcheslintand

debris.Asmalltubeconnectedtoyourvacuumwillquickly

collectthisdirt.

Viewingandaccessingthecoilsisoftenassimpleas

snappingtheplasticcoveroffthelowerfrontofthe

refrigerator.Oftenthereisalsoasmallfanthatmovesair

acrossthecoils.Thefanshouldalsobecarefullycleanedor

vacuumedafteryouunplugtheunit.

Cleaningthecoilandfanwillaidinheattransferand

shortentherefrigerationcompressor’sruntime.Thiswill

saveelectricityandlengthenthelifeofyourrefrigerator.

ByTomFeiza,Mr.Fix-It

(c)Copyright2009byTomFeiza,Mr.Fix-It,Inc.|misterfix-

it.com|htoyh.com

Helpingyouoperateandmaintainyourhome

60%OffSecondGuest!AGreatBenefitforASHIMembers

7-nightcruisesfromjust$599perperson*BookacruiseonanyRoyalCaribbeanshipandthesecondguestsaves60%,plus30%offthethirdandfourthguestsinthesamecabin,whenthefirstguestpaysregularprice.ThisIra'sCruises/CruiseOneofferisavailablewhenyoubookyourcruisebeforeJune6foranydepartureafterJune2,2016(exceptChinaitineraries).*Restrictionsmayapply.WealsooffergreatsavingsonlandprogramstotheCaribbeanandMexico,aswellasthroughoutEurope.AskushowyoucanstartsavingtodayonyourdreamcruiseORlandresortvacation!CallIraat708-917-4078oremailitaubin@cruiseone.com.www.irascruises.com

*Onboardcreditisyourstospendaboardyourship.Pleasenotethatonboardcreditamountsaredependentoncabincategory.

AskushowyoucanstartsavingtodayonyourdreamcruiseORlandresortvacation!

Don'tforgettomentionthatyou'reanASHImember!

WhatEveryHomeInspectorNeedsTo

KnowAboutPinterestPinterest.Perhapsyou’veheardofit,perhapsyouhaven’t.

Eitherway,itcannolongerbeignored.AsaHome

Inspector,Pinterestcaneasilybeoneofthemostvaluable

toolsinyoursocialmediaworkbelt.WithPinterest,itisall

aboutvisualization,whichyousomethingabout,right?.

Everhearthat"picturesareworthathousandwords"?It's

whyyouplacepicturesinyourreports.Pinterestcanbea

verypowerfulsocialmediatoolinanHome

Inspectors'marketingarsenalifusedproperly!Thekeyto

makinganysocialmedianetworkistoestablish

relationshipsandengagewithothers.Pinterestiscertainly

nodifferent.

WhatisPinterest?

IfyouarestillunfamiliarwithPinterest,here’sabrief

rundowntogetyouuptospeed.Basically,itisavirtual

bulletinboard.Youcan“pin”imagesorvideosfromallover

thenettodifferentboardsunderyourprofile.Thenumber

ofpinsandboardsthatyoucanhaveareunlimited.Each

pinhasadescriptionandlinksdirectlytothewebsiteyou

gottheimageorvideofrom.

Onceyoushareapin,yourfollowerscanlikeitandre-pinit

tooneoftheirboards,whichgoestoalloftheirfriendsand

familyonthesite.Thatcanmeanalotofvisibilityina

smallamountoftime.Ifyouuseitcorrectly.Additionally

oneofthethingsthatmakesPinterestgreatistheshelflife

ofapinnedarticleorphoto.Thereareveryfewsiteswhere

yourcontentcangetsharedconsistentlyforalongperiod

oftime.

HowDoIUsePinterestCorrectly?

Yes,ofcourseyouwanttousePinteresttogrowyour

business.Butjustlikewithallaspectsofsocialmedia,

Pinterestismoreaboutengagingyourfollowersand

buildingtrust.Simplyput,youwantyourfollowerstolook

atyouastheexpertforallthingshomeinspection.You

cannotdothisbyjustthrowingtipsintheirface.Thisisa

commonthemeamongmanyhomeinspectorswhodon't

understandwhytheynevergetanywherewithsocial

media.

Yes,youcanhaveaboardthatisdedicatedtoyourHome

Inspectionbusiness,butyoushouldalsohavePinterest

boardsthatarefullofeye-catchingimagesthatarerelated

toinspectingallaspectsofthehome.Remember,thepoint

istofindthingsthatwillpromptyourfollowerstore-pinthe

image.Iftheimagedoesn’tinspireyou,youcanforget

aboutitinspiringanyoneelse.Andthisgoesforevery

singlepictureorvideoyoupin.Likeothersocialmedia

channelsitisperfectlyfinetoshareothercontentthat

interestsyou.Aboveallelsebehuman!Youdon'twantto

bejustaHomeInspectionrobot.

WhatShouldIPin?

NowthatyouunderstandhowPinterestworksandwhatits

purposeis,it’stimetogetdowntothenittygritty:what

youshouldbepinning.Herearesomeideasforboardsthat

youcanimplementintoyourPinterestprofile.Eachone

servesadifferentpurposeandcanattractdifferentusers.

PostcardsfromtheField–Youlovethatsectionof

ASHI'sReportermagazinethatshowcasesmishapsand

flawsinthehomethatinspectorslikeyouinspectevery

day.Well,here'syourchancetoshowcaseyourveryown

"postcards"withcaptions,linksandtags.Evennon-home

inspectorslovetoseethoseimages.It'swhyHGTVisso

popular.Wealllikethedreamhomes,butit'stheflawsthat

getusstaring.

NeighborhoodInformation–Therearespecificareasthat

youdohomeinspections.Sure,yougooutofyourway

sometimes,buthonestly,yousticktothesameareas.Take

somephotosofthosetypesofhomestoshowcaseallthe

differentstylesofhomesyouinspect.Justlikeyou,home

buyers,sellers,realestateagentsandeveryoneelseare

visual.Theyliketoknowwhatyoucanandcannotdo.

Show'emwhatyoudo.

TeamPhotos–SincePinterestisaboutbuildingtrustwith

yourfollowersyouwanttomaketheexperiencepersonal.

Includeoneboardthatintroducesyouandyourteam(if

youhaveone)sothatyourfollowersfeelconnectedtoyou.

Ifyoudon'thaveone,buthaveadog,catorotherkindof

Sendusyourcelebratorynews

andwe'llpostithere.Ifwe

don'tseeit,itwon'tbeposted.

HouseMaster'sScott

WhartonHonoredwiththe

CenturyClubAward

AtlasHomeInspection

Earns2015Angie’sList

SuperServiceAward HouseMaster'sBrad

HorstmanHonoredwiththe

CenturyClubAward

CALLINGALL

CHAPTERS!!!

Doyouhostachapterevent,seminar,orconferenceandtradeshow?Doyouattendthemasanexhibitor?Ifyouanswered'yes'toeitherquestion,thenyouneedASHI'snew"StepUpWithASHI"banner.

ThisbannerhasallthetalkingpointsyouneedtopromoteASHI

pet,showthemyoursoftsideandshowcaseyourpet.

Tips&Tricks–Don'tjustwritedownatiportrick,findan

imageandpinittoyourboardwithtipsandtricksforhome

improvementsandwhattodoatvarioustimesoftheyear

togettheirhomesreadyforthatseason.

Realtorsandtradespeopleyouworkwith–Nothing

improvesyourbusinessmorethanwordofmouth.

Repinningimagesandtopicsaboutyourreferralnetwork

willhelpthemrepinyourpostsandincreasetraffictoyour

site.Increasedtrafficequalsmorevisibilityandmore

visibilityequalsmorebusiness,

WhatDoIincludeWhenPinning?

Youcaneitherfindalloftheimagesyouwanttopin

yourselforyoucansimplyre-pinthemfromreputable

homesites,realtorsites,toolcompanies,Eitherway,when

yougotopinsomethingyouwillhavetofillinthreefields:

Description,Link,andBoard.

Description–Whenwritingyourdescription,compose

somethingcatchyandcreative.Itisalsoimportantto

includekeywordsandhashtagssothatyourpincanbe

easilyfoundbyPinterest’ssearchfeature.

Link–Thisiswheretheimagewilltaketheuserwhenitis

clicked.Ofcourse,anythingfromyourwebsiteshouldbe

double-checkedtomakesureitislinkedproperly.Itisalso

legallyimportantthatyoucheckthelinkonallre-pinsto

makesuretheyarecomingfromalegitimatewebsite.

Board–Youwillbegivenadropdownmenuofallofthe

boardsyouhavecreated.Simplychoosetheonethatisthe

bestfitforwhatyouarepinning.

Agreatimageto"pin"istheinfographictothelefttitled"Top8

IssuesFoundinHomeInspections"

membershipandhelpnon-membersandnon-ACIsalikewiththestepstomoveuptotheACIlevel.

Orderyourstoday!ContactDeeGoldsteinatdeegem@optonline.nettogetpricingandmore!