Dear Fellow Inspectors,
2008 has been a different kind of year for everyone. The housing market has slowed. Work for home inspectors requires creative thinking to expand into non-traditional areas. Working with non-profits, Habitat for Humanity, and other volunteer organizations that will highlight your skills as a licensed home inspector will produce a demand for home inspections. Pre-listing inspections, pre-remodeling inspections, specification writing for storm damage repairs, re-roofing, insulation installations, and HVAC repair installations are all sources for work. The punch-list home inspection that is done within the first 12 months of a new home purchase is a market need. The list of needs by the public for a licensed home inspector is infinite.
The list of home inspectors on the MREC website shows a lot of new names and the names of many who have dropped out of the home inspection business. As each of you know and appreciate, home inspecting as a career is not easy. And because of that difficulty, it behooves everyone to expand their offerings to their clients in areas that will enlarge their home inspection business. It is to that end that MAHI continues to promote the communication and awareness within all the fields of activities that a home inspector can participate.
MAHI continues to strive to offer on a monthly basis continuing education (CE) credits. As most of you know the monthly meetings are being held at the Western Sizzling restaurant on Harbour Road in Ridgeland. The meetings start at 5:30PM with the association business meeting and then followed by a two hour educational presentation at 6:00PM. Discussion does continue concerning the needs for more hours of continuing education and having classes presented outside of the Jackson area. Communications of the various continuing education courses continues to be difficult as so many members have addresses and e-mail changes on a frequent basis. This past spring two CE classes were held; a ten hour course at Holmes Community College in Ridgeland and a four hour course in Hattiesburg. MAHI will continue in its attempts to schedule courses at sites other than in Jackson.
The msinspector.com website has a new web master and the site is being brought up to date. The site was partially compromised by a web hacker and could not safely function. The web site should continue to be a focal point for all MAHI inspectors as well as all licensed Mississippi home inspectors. Many guests and construction trades persons visit the website and use the web site to do research on topics that relate to residential construction, inspections, and home maintenance. These guests and licensed inspectors can access a great number of links to gain knowledge of inspecting techniques, calendar of events for training conferences, and current events relating to the inspection industry. As in the past, the webmaster needs input form all members to have the website perform the way it was intended. MAHI is a member driven association and all members must participate to make the association function as designed. Each member can participate, regardless their capacity. Every little bit helps. Simply sending in digital photos of a special interest is a tremendous help to all of us in the association. Asking or answering questions through the MAHI website is one of our goals for the members to become more aware of problems and to get answers from different seasoned professional home inspectors.
Getting the word out of upcoming training classes is difficult, so everyone should check the MAHI website frequently. If anyone has an urgent need for CE hours, they should contact Roy Caves, the Executive Director for MAHI, (601- 982-4009 or fax at 601-981-7676) or contact any of the officers of the Association.
One source of approved CE credits is through the training classes sponsored by the Building Officials Association of Mississippi (www.boam.ms). The courses presented through BOAM are approved International Code Council training classes and are accepted for CE credits by the Mississippi Home Inspectors Board. Additionally, the International Code Council has a schedule of classes that are taught throughout the US. The MAHI website has a link to the ICC and to the BOAM websites. Membership in the ICC and in BOAM is encouraged. Courses sponsored by BOAM are often free or at very low costs but, requires membership in their organization. Presently, their annual membership fee is $40.00. BOAM has a winter conference, usually held in December at a Vicksburg location and a summer conference, usually held in May or June held at a Mississippi coast location. These conferences offer approximately 13 hours of CE credit that is accepted by the home inspector’s board.
Other sources for approved continuing education are through the many national home inspector associations. As they make announcements of their training courses, seminars, and conferences, MAHI will attempt to have that information on their website. Most national associations have approved courses for Mississippi home inspectors.
In December, MAHI will solicit names from members for the 2009 slate of officers to be elected by the members in January. Participation is strongly requested in the election proceedings.
Please continue visiting the website and feel comfortable to make suggestions for improvements that will make the site and the association the best that they can be. The site belongs to all of the MAHI members and is available to all Mississippi licensed home inspectors.
Sincerely,
Rick Eades,
2008 MAHI President