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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
Here'swhat'sgoingoninachapternearyou...
May6-7,2016ASHISuncoastSuntechConfernceHamptonInnOldsmarOldsmar,FL16ASHICEs
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coursesponsoredby:
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SafetyMonth:GetDeck
October20-21,2016LeadershipTrainingConferenceFountainBlueConferenceCenterDesPlaines,IL
InspectionCertifiedTheNADRADeckInspectionCertificationClassisofferedby
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Instructor:JimMailey,TrainingManager,Simpson
StrongTie
Thisprogramwillallowindustryprofessionalstoproperly
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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
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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!
