ASHI First Thing
January 2018
In This Issue:
HON, Porch & theHome InspectionProfession- 2-Day RadonMeasurement Class - Tips For YourRealtors- 5 Report WritingMistakes - Mr. Fix-It's QuickTip - The Buzz: BitcoinExplained Like YouAre Five - Understanding Error
InspectionWorld 2018:Less than 15 Days away!
It's seriously almost here!
InspectionWorld 2018 in Orlando,Florida at the Caribe Royale Resortwill be here before you know it andyou'll be taking part in the largest,most awesome home inspectionevent of the year! Where else will youfind 45 courses, over 100 vendors,
fundraising, a gala and all the peers you canhandle all under one roof (or on one property)?Nowhere except at InspectionWorld!
We'll be live streaming a home inspection! We'llhave programs geared especially towards thesoutheastern United States! We'll have CEsgalore! We have an awesome conference app thatis live long after the event! There are prizes! There
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Quick links:
ASHI.org The ASHI School
Online Education
InspectionWorld 2018
InspectPAC
Inspective: ASHI Blog
is fun! There is more to see and do than hang outat some house inside a warehouse! Come wherethe action is! InspectionWorld 2018 Orlando at theCaribe Royale!
Not registered yet? Click below to register now!
REGISTER FOR IW NOW
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Home Owners Network,Porch and the Inspection
Profession
Let’s jump right into this
discussion with whathappened to HomeOwners Network and whatis Porch?
Home Owners Network(HON) was the creation offormer owners, KevinO'Malley (Inspection
Training Associates (ITA), The ASHI School andCasey, O'Malley & Associates), Michael Casey(Michael Casey & Associates) and Pat Norton &Scott Forde (Professional Equipment)
HON was started in 2012 with the intent ofcreating the ultimate home care program. Theyoffered the “Ask the Experts” smartphone app forinstant answers to homeowner questions, a 24/7Property Emergency Hotline, Find a ContractorService, Home Recall Alert notices and discounts
The ASHI School's
Upcoming Classes60-Hour Online Course60Hour Online Class
93-Hour Class Columbus, OH 1/29-2/3 Brentwood, TN 2/5-2/10 Des Plaines, IL 2/26-3/3 120-Hour Class Columbus, OH 1/292/9 Cumming, GA 2/122/23 Leesburg, VA 2/122/23 Tampa, FL 2/122/23 Baltimore, MD 2/263/9 Des Plaines, IL 2/263/9
160Hour Class Bellevue, WA 2/263/9 Mold ClassDes Plaines, IL 3/103/12
Commercial Class Orlando, FL 1/251/27
Des Plaines, IL 3/243/26 ASHI@HOME Online
on everything a home owner needs for to moveand care for their home.
By January of 2017, Home Owners Network had amembership of over 700,000 home owners andthousands of inspectors were gifting the service totheir inspection clients as a valueadded marketingtool.
HON was originally working with the Red Beaconcontractor search system since their early startupbut by mid 2016 they switched to the Porch.comcontractor service backed by Lowes.
Matt Ehrlichman, CEO of Porch, said he foundHON because one of his managers had recentlypurchased a home in the Seattle area andreceived a HON membership from her inspector. She brought HON to Matt’s attention and afterseveral discussions, Porch became HON’scontractor service for its members.
Home Owners Network was valuable forinspectors because it gave them a marketing toolto close more inspection inquiries and createdconsistent marketing to all past customers andagents with branded monthly newsletters, abranded smartphone app and a branded website.
Porch believed that HON fit perfectly into theirvision of creating their Home Assistant Goldprogram to help home owners care for their homesand by March of 2017 acquired HON..."READMORE"
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2-DAY RADON MEASUREMENT CLASS
(16 hours)Instructor: Terry Howell, President, Radalink, Inc. Friday through Saturday Jan 1920, 8am 6pm
(16 NRSB CEUs)
Tuition: $400 click toRegister Now(Optional) NRSB
Certification Exam will begiven Sunday 8:00am.Additional $100 fee and
registration through Radalink, Inc. (800) 2954655(Optional) Florida Radon Measurement Exam
will be given Sunday 8:00 am. Additional fee andregistration through the State.Course is specifically designed to prepare
students for successfully completing nationalcertification and state licensing examinations.Participants will also be equipped to conductradon measurements in homes with confidenceand success.
REGISTER NOW
Top 5 Claims Against Home
InspectorsAs an exclusive homeinspection insurance
provider, the InspectorPro Program faces claimsagainst home inspectors often. After nearly adecade of defending inspectors, we’ve come tofind some significant patterns. Namely, we’vediscovered that the same allegations continue tobe common. Since we want to help you avoid theindustry’s most common claims, we’re sharingthose allegations with you. Read the infographicbelow to learn the top 5 claims home inspectors
IW2018 PlatinumSponsor
face each year and what you can do to mitigateyour risk.
What you need to know Print too small? Click here to download theinfographic for a closer look.
What you can do nextProtect yourself from the most common claimstoday by getting a free quote with InspectorPro.And don’t forget to keep educated on insuranceand industry tips by reading our blog.
Get Infographic
TIPS FOR YOUR
REALTORSfrom Applica Solutions
Finding the Invisible:The Home Inspector'sToolsHome inspection requiresyears of experience and
hours and hours of specialized training. But as a
REALTOR®, did you ever wonder what are thetools a home inspector carries to find problemsthat would otherwise be invisible?Here some of the sophisticated devices that atrained home inspector routinely uses when theyare working for your clients.INFRARED THERMOMETERAn infrared thermometer measures the
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temperature of a surface by using an infraredbeam. It is used for checking the temperature ofheating & cooling equipment, air registers, hotwater tanks, and electrical equipment such ascircuit breakers.GFCI RECEPTACLE TESTERAn inspector uses a GFCI Receptacle Tester toconfirm the proper operation of each electricaloutlet of the home that has a groundfault circuitinterrupter.MOISTURE METERA sophisticated moisture meter can actually detectelevated moisture levels behind tile and vinyl. Anda good device can also measure moisture levels inmaterials directly by touching the surface with twopin sensors.AC VOLTAGE DETECTORAn AC Voltage Detector measures the voltagefound in the home's electrical wiring, wallreceptacles, fuses, junction boxes, and otherelectrical systems.POWERFUL FLASHLIGHTA strong flashlight with an adjustable beam allowsa trained inspector to make detailed visualobservations in a variety of lighting conditions.
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5 Report Writing Mistakes Every Inspector
Should Avoid [Video]
InspectorPro Insurance
Inspector Services Group
Kaplan Home
Inspection Education
LiftMaster
McKissock
OREP
Palm-Tech
Pro-Lab
Radalink, Inc.
Sun Nuclear Corp
TownSquare Interactive
Silver Affiliates
United Infrared
Carson Dunlop
EMSL Analytical
General Tools
Holmes Approved Homes
InspectIT Reporting Software
ZAI Trust
Bronze Affiliates
Allen Insurance
America's Call Center
BNK Insurance
Boston Environmental
Buyers Protection Group
Complete Appliance Protection
DARTdrones
EBPHI
Elite MGA
Home Inspection Report
HomeBinder.com
HomeTeam
Inspection Support Network
Live Pure Inc
At some point, every inspector is likely to make amistake when writing a report – it’s just humannature. Here are a few suggestions on how toavoid common mistakes and create amazinginspection reports.
Tip #53: Stifle that
Whistling Shower HeadSinging in the showertakes on a new dimensionwhen you’re accompaniedby a whistling showerhead. No matter how you
vary the pitch and stay in tune, the screech fromthe shower head just won’t play.
A poor melody is one thing, but water sprays andstreaks to one side or the other are a real problem.
This problem is normally caused by a buildup of
Monroe Infrared
PoolStar Network Corp
RAdata, Inc.
ReportHost
RTCA
Simpson Strong-Tie
Sun Nuclear
S.W.A.T. Environmental
US Inspect
Vanguard Emergency
Management
Endorsed Members:ASHI Store (GEM Marketing)
ASHI@Home
BuildFax Guardian Financial
InspectionContracts.com
Joe Ferry, LLC
LegalShield & ID Shield Liberty Mutual Mover Thank You
OneSource Solutions
Porch.com
Quill.com
Target Professional Programs
Upcoming ChapterEvents: 2/19-2/22
3 Days of Secrets Revealed
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Central PA Spring Education
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hard water deposits inside the small openings ofthe shower head. Once they become partiallyplugged, the squealing starts and the uniformspray is blocked.
Solve the problem by soaking the shower head ina plastic storage bag filled with vinegar or a hardwater scale removal product. Often you can just fillthe bag and tie it around the pipe that feeds theshower head. Follow label directions for anychemical you use.
After soaking the shower head, rub it with a coarsecloth or use a toothpick to clear away residue andhard deposits.
To make the job easier, you can simply removethe shower head by turning the connectorcounterclockwise. This may require using a smallwrench or pliers; protect the chrome plating byplacing a rag under the wrench.
Bitcoin Explained Like You are Five
Hearing news about the phenomenal rise ofbitcoin and wondering what the fuss is all about?Here is an explanation that even your 5yearoldnephew will understand:Imagine you give away a piece of candy to
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Western Washington Spring
Seminar 4/11-4/12
NOVA ASHI Spring Seminar
another person. It’s a tangible, physical thingwhich is visible to the naked eye. Once you’vegiven away that candy, it is no longer with you. It isnow in possession of the other person.
You don’t need a third party to verify this. Thewhole process is binary. Either you gave away thecandy or you didn’t.
What if the candy is not a physical, sugary treatbut a digital entity? Even if you do give away thedigital candy, how do we know that it is now inpossession of the other person? You’d need somesort of a ledger to maintain that record and awitness to prove the authenticity of the transaction.
Bitcoin is that candy and a blockchain is theledger. Each time you give away the whole candyor a fraction of it, a record is made on theblockchain and it remains for the entire world tosee. There’s no way for you to cheat by sayingthat you’ve given it away when you haven’t.
There you go. This simplified explanation is theentire gist of what bitcoin and blockchain is allabout. The value of a bitcoin is determined bymarket sentiment and the rarity of availablebitcoins.
Use this explanation as a party trick the next timeyou see someone spewing jargon.
Still skeptical about buying bitcoin? Well, here’s anice little minimalist wallet to store your usualboring currency in the meanwhile. Visit ourstore for the coolest products available online.
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UNDERSTANDING ERROR
SPECIFICATIONS OF CONTINUOUS RADONMONITORINGNot all Specifications areEqual
By Dr. Kai Wundke, SunNuclear Corporation
The EPA has designated January as RadonAction Month with the goal of spreadingawareness about the harms radon can cause andthe importance of testing homes. In this spirit ofeducation, the following article addresses theways in which Continuous Radon Monitorperformance is evaluated – and why it’s good toknow the difference.
Continuous Radon Monitor (CRM) performanceevaluations by NRPP and NRSB follow stringentguidance for evaluation and test procedures.However, there is no guidance on howmanufacturers specify and market CRMperformance, which can lead to confusion andmisinterpretation.
What are typical performance specifications?Typical Error – the “mean error” or “the most
likely error” to be observed when performingrepeated tests. This error is less meaningful whencomparing CRM monitors only among each other,and not against a NIST (National Institute ofStandards & Technology) traceable source.
Coefficient of Variations or COV (also referredto as Uncertainty or Precision) (ANSI MSPC2015) – the standard deviation (SD) of a set ofmeasurements from the arithmetic mean of thosemeasurements. An Uncertainty of 1 SD, 2 SDs,and 3 SDs would cover ~68%, ~95%, and ~99.7%of data, respectively.
Accuracy (ISO 57251) – the closeness ofmeasurement to the true value. Accuracy includesall errors and is the maximum percent errormeasured against the true value.
Per a requirement set by the US EPA in the 1990sand later adopted by the NRPP and NRSB, SunNuclear has traditionally used Accuracy tospecify CRM performance. Most othermanufacturers do not specify an error limit, butonly provide a sensitivity value, which on its owndoes not limit the error a measurement mayexhibit. When an error specification is providedfrom other manufacturers, it is typically limited toan Uncertainty specification.
We are often asked why our CRMs specify a 25%error (i.e., Accuracy) while other CRMmanufacturers often specify less than a 10% error.Such error comparisons are problematic and arerooted in the ambiguous definition and use of theterm “error.”
To illustrate this, the figure below shows a 2007US EPA evaluation of (5) Sun Nuclear Model 1028CRMs against a NIST traceable radonconcentration. The blue bars represent thequantity of discrete Model 1028 measured datapoints, organized by the percent difference from
the NIST source. The red line is the statisticalbestfit distribution for these measurements.
This figure demonstrates
three ways to define errorfor the same set of data,with drastically differentanswers. Based on theEPA evaluation shownabove, Sun Nuclear’sModel 1028 CRM performance for a typical 48hour test can be described as follows:
Typical Error – 3%. This means the mostcommon error to be measured is 3% from actualagainst the NIST source.
COV / Uncertainty / Precision – +/ 8%. Thismeans that at 1 SD, ~68% of the 1028measurements are within 8% of the mean value.
Accuracy – specified to be +/ 25%. Thismeans Sun Nuclear specifies that the maximumdeviation of any one measurement among allmeasurements collected is 25% or less fromactual.In summary, when comparing CRM performanceor “error” among CRM manufacturers, terminology
and definition can vary considerably. Don’thesitate to ask questions to ensure youunderstand the percent error published for yourdevice.
Want to learn more or discuss further? Email us,or stop by and say hi to the Sun Nuclear team atINSPECTIONWORLD.
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