NAHI Conference

[GrantJones]

Hi all,

Is anyone here planning on attending the NAHI conference in Nashville in October? I'm looking forward to meeting you guys who regularly put my cranium to shame.

[Scottpat]

Hi all,

Is anyone here planning on attending the NAHI conference in Nashville in October? I'm looking forward to meeting you guys who regularly put my cranium to shame.

So far I have not seen any sessions listed that I really want to sit through. It is a pretty weak lineup.

CONFERENCE AGENDA

Thursday October 14, 2010

8:00am -- 5:30pm

NAHI Board of Director's Meeting

6:00pm -- 8:00pm

Exhibitor Check-In/Set-Up

Friday October 15, 2010

7:30am -- 9:30am

Session: Roofing Inspection

Speaker: Steve Preins, Quality Education Group

This comprehensive session starts with a review of roofing inspection standards of practice, then moves on to an in-depth discussion of the roofing inspection procedure. Roofing materials such as asphalt and wood shingles, fiber cement shingles and membranes are discussed. Defect recognition is described in detail, as is hail damage (and why this is important for home inspectors), class action lawsuits and airborne fungus.

9:30am -- 10:00am

Morning Break with Exhibitors

10:00am -- 12:00pm

Session: Foreclosure Market: New Inspection Challenges

Speakers: Calvin & Lisa Parker, Parker Training Services, LLC

Inspectors see more foreclosure properties today than they ever used to. These properties oftentimes come with special circumstances. Learn about what you need to know to be prepared to inspect a foreclosed home and how to use this as an opportunity to build your business.

12:00pm -- 1:00pm

Lunch with Exhibitors

1:00pm -- 3:00pm

Session: Forced Air Heating & Boilers

Speaker: Steve Preins, Quality Education Group

This session provides an overview of common heating issues which home inspectors encounter on a daily basis, and offers an in-depth discussion of equipment and methods utilized for forced air heating and both circulated water and steam boilers. A detailed look at issues regarding combustion air is included, as is a review of required clearances and installation issues for furnaces and boilers. The course concludes with a look at some of the heating defects in a house that are most commonly overlooked or misunderstood by home inspectors.

3:00pm -- 3:30pm

Afternoon Break with Exhibitors

3:30pm -- 5:30pm

Session: Forced Air Heating & Boilers continued…

5:30pm -- 7:30pm

Cocktail Reception/NAHI Annual Meeting

Saturday October 16, 2010

7:30am -- 9:30am

Session: Causes, Symptoms and Solutions to Common Foundation Problems

Speaker: Jeff Kortan, Foundation SupportWorks

This session takes an inside look at the causes, symptoms and solutions to the foundation problems home inspectors see each day. Jeff will highlight failing foundation walls, settling foundations and sagging girders and floor joists in crawl spaces.

9:30am -- 10:00am

Morning Break with Exhibitors

10:00am -- 12:00pm

Session: Energy Audits: Are They For You?

Speaker: Steve O'Donnell, American Home Inspectors Training Institute

This session will explore the potential opportunities for home inspectors in the world of energy audits by explaining why they are performed, who can perform them, what they are, and why home inspectors should consider them.

12:00pm -- 1:00pm

Lunch with Exhibitors

1:00pm -- 3:00pm

Session: Electrical Deficiencies in 1 & 2 Family Dwellings

Speaker: Sal Ferrara, Electrical Training Center

This session dives into electrical deficiencies in homes by focusing in three specific areas: outdoors; attics, basements, and crawl spaces; and living areas. Filled with picture examples galore, Sal's presentation will give you hands-on experience in identifying electrical concerns.

3:00pm -- 3:30pm

Afternoon Break with Exhibitors

3:30pm -- 5:30pm

Session: Electrical Deficiencies in 1 & 2 Family Dwellings continued…

5:45pm -- 6:45 pm

NIT Workshop - Trainers, Trainees, and Interested Schools are invited to attend

Sunday October 17, 2010

8:00am -- 10:00am

Session: Marketing Formula to Success

Speaker: Mike Crow, Millionaire Inspector Community

This session will provide home inspectors the tools they need to develop their business marketing skills. Mike will focus on ways to build a referral base and how to generate quality leads. A must see for any inspector looking to increase their local presence.

10:00am -- 12:00pm

Session: Report Writing Blueprint

Speaker: Mike Crow, Millionaire Inspector Community

Get report writing tips here! From questions about reporting formats, to digital pictures, to decisions about exceeding the standards, to ways to describe cosmetic defects, Mike covers it all!

12:00pm -- 1:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm -- 5:00pm

Session: Social Media for Home Inspectors

Speaker: Damien Steiner Smith, Guerilla Social Media

How are home inspectors using social media to market their businesses? Find out here! Damien will explore multiple social media options for home inspectors and ways to use social media to grow your referral base.

[Marc]

Quality Education Group, Parker Training Services, American Home Inspectors Training Institute, Millionaire Inspector Community, these companies furnish the bulk of the instructors that carry this conference. These companies each seem to have sprung up from former or practicing home inspectors who market their instruction only to home inspectors. I can't put a finger on it yet as to why but it all seems suspicious and also like a mediocre choice of instructors. Not unlike shopping at the big orange box.

Marc

[hausdok]

Hi Marc,

I don't think there's anything to be suspicious about. This professional is largely populated by old farts that got into the business in their 40's and 50's after working at something else their entire lives. They only have a limited number of years that they can remain active in the profession before their knees, hips and backs start giving out from the physical end of the business and then they start casting around for something else to do or just retire. Many decide that, since there aren't stringent standards set by any national entity for inspection instructors, to open up schools and they start teaching. Some of those have been able to make a go of it and have gotten large enough to expand to multiple campuses. As long as there aren't any education requirements for instructors we're going to see this continue.

It would be nice if, besides establishing for-profit short schools that produce shake-n-bake middle-aged inspectors, these experienced inspectors established real 2-year long home inspection training courses at community college level and really taught a lifelong profession to students, instead of just teaching them how to get by for a decade or so without getting sued. I don't expect to see that happen in my lifetime unless I can do it myself with some other interested folks, because there is almost no interest in the profession in teaching this gig to young people. Right now for most it's just about putting as much away as possible in the shortest time possible and once they leave this gig they never look back.

This is why these annual seminars almost always feature elementary subjects and are the same instructors over and over again. The majority of those who attend are newer folks starving for knowledge and there's never much there for the old hands because so many of the old hands leave every year. The schools cater to the new guys and the experienced guys are almost always left shaking their heads and are frustrated with the elementary nature of the training.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

. . . So far I have not seen any sessions listed that I really want to sit through. It is a pretty weak lineup.

And ASHI's Inspection World is looking every bit as weak this year.

I mean no offense to anyone here who might be presenting at either of these events, but WOOF! They both look like snooze fests.

If I'm going to travel across the country, and give up a week of inspections, I want some damn fine educational offerings. What I'm seeing here looks like yesterday's warmed up leftovers.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Kurt, Les, please take note for further discussions.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Scottpat]

. . . So far I have not seen any sessions listed that I really want to sit through. It is a pretty weak lineup.

And ASHI's Inspection World is looking every bit as weak this year.

I mean no offense to anyone here who might be presenting at either of these events, but WOOF! They both look like snooze fests.

If I'm going to travel across the country, and give up a week of inspections, I want some damn fine educational offerings. What I'm seeing here looks like yesterday's warmed up leftovers.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

I agree..... I'm considering the Southeastern Home Inspector Conference this year. It is held outside of Atlanta. They seem to have put together a pretty good program this year.

[GrantJones]

Well good to know where you guys stand on this. Thanks for the input. I agree, it's a pretty weak schedule. Being right here in town it's hard to resist if I get my required CEU's and then can pick and choose individual courses where I'm weakest on my own schedule.

[mgbinspect]

. . . So far I have not seen any sessions listed that I really want to sit through. It is a pretty weak lineup.

And ASHI's Inspection World is looking every bit as weak this year.

I mean no offense to anyone here who might be presenting at either of these events, but WOOF! They both look like snooze fests.

If I'm going to travel across the country, and give up a week of inspections, I want some damn fine educational offerings. What I'm seeing here looks like yesterday's warmed up leftovers.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

I agree..... I'm considering the Southeastern Home Inspector Conference this year. It is held outside of Atlanta. They seem to have put together a pretty good program this year.

Hey Scott. Any chance of posting a link or offering enough specifics to follow up? Thanks in advance.

Mike

[Erby]

http://www.sehomeinspectorconference.com/

[Marc]

It would be nice if, besides establishing for-profit short schools that produce shake-n-bake middle-aged inspectors, these experienced inspectors established real 2-year long home inspection training courses at community college level and really taught a lifelong profession to students, instead of just teaching them how to get by for a decade or so without getting sued.

North American Institute of Home Inspection

1st year - Fall Quarter

Intro to Bdlg Codes

Foundation Systems

Electrical Installations

Typing & Computer Literacy

1st year - Winter Quarter

Wood framing

Plumbing Installations

Water heating

Modern Building Materials

1st year - Spring Quarter

Bdlg Codes ll

Heating Systems

Flashing & Drainage Planes

Typing ll

1st year - Summer Quarter

Co-operative Work Experience Program

2nd year - Fall Quarter

Building Envelopes & Green Building

Roofing

Cooling systems

Typing lll

2nd year - Winter Quarter

Boilers

Masonry

History of Building Materials

Report Writing II

2nd year - Spring Quarter

Expert Witness/Litigation Support

WDI & Fungi

Historic Buildings

SOP’s & Ethics

2nd year - Summer Quarter

Co-operative Work Experience Program

*Program will not seek undergraduate accreditation since many of the courses are rooted in the trades instead of professions though some courses may be taught by professionals (Ex: WDI & Fungi).

*School will have a committee charged with promoting & marketing the program to states and will be headed by the school director.

*Program is divided into 24(4 per quarter), 30(5 per quarter) or 36(6 per quarter) courses.

*Each course will include a syllabus and daily instructor notes for 36 (3 per/week), 48 (4 per/week) or 60 (5 per week) sessions.

*Each course will be based on a book or publication which may or may not be written by a staff member.

*Selection of books, publications used to support the courses is to be reviewed by entire staff on an annual basis.

* Cooperative Work Experience could be the ASHI hands-on training now in use or simply a tag along with a practicing inspector.

This represents about an hour of thinking & typing. Call me a loon if you wish but I'm for this school. If it can be fashioned into something that states will require, it will sell. We're talking about a decade long endeavor before it fully blossoms. 2-4 years before it opens the doors.

Marc