Inspector's Viewpoint
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Spring 1999 - By Dennis R. Robitaille, President Able Home
Inspection, Inc.
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Massachusetts Heading Towards Home Inspector Licensing:Massachusetts State Senator, Cheryl A. Jacques,
has drafted Senate Bill 351 for the licensing of home inspectors in
Massachusetts.
While licensing Bills have appeared in the State House every year for
the past 10 years, none have made it out of committee study. The past
proposals have been poorly drafted and have lacked input from home
inspectors themselves.
The latest attempt to create licensing has been better researched by
the legislative committees and has involved the input of a couple of large
home inspection organizations, including the New England Chapter of the
American Society of Home Inspectors, (ASHI.)
One concern some inspectors have is that the need for licensing has not
been strongly proven. Compared to other home service related fields, the
number of consumer complaints against home inspectors is almost nil. In
fact, research at the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office last year
found only one ASHI New England home inspector with a complaint on record
at the AG's Office.
One of the sticking points with the proposed legislation focuses around
mandatory errors and omissions insurance with a minimum amount of $250,000
per occurrence. It's the feeling of most inspectors that this is excessive
and the cost to obtain it will result in fee increases to home inspector
clients. It will also likely make home inspectors a target for frivolous
law suits. It's been found nationwide that the average claim against an
inspector seldom exceeds the insurance deductible of $1000.
Kidde Safety Company Announces  Senator Cheryl Jacques
would greatly appreciate being E-mailed with any comments you have
regarding the proposed Bill, especially if you have had a home inspection
in the past.
Safety Alert: Recall Of Carbon Monoxide Alarms. U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission |
Proposed Bill Contains A Section Referred To As A "Firewall":The so called "firewall" in the proposed senate Bill
351, is a step in the right direction, however, it is the opinion of this
inspector, that it does not go far enough. This "firewall" would require
that if real estate agents give out a list of home inspectors to
prospective home buyers, that the list contain the names of at least ten
inspectors.
There are several concerns with this "firewall." It has not been
defined as to who determines the make up of the list or what the criteria
is for getting on the list. No one knows whether the list will contain the
names of the ten most thorough inspectors or ten inspectors in the
immediate geographic area or ten inspectors who help the real estate agent
complete sales transactions.
In a free marketplace, service providers are rewarded only when they
deliver a product or service that the consumer deems a good value.
Businesses that offer poor products or deliver poor service will
eventually loose market share and be forced to close up shop.
In the world of real estate, a free marketplace does not exist for many
home inspectors. It's an artificial marketplace due to the influence of
real estate agents. Some inspectors who provide poor service to home
buyers remain in business due to continued referrals from the real estate
agents. Other home inspectors who provide good service to the home buyer
end up loosing referrals from the agents.
One has to keep in mind that the selling agent is working for their
client, the property owner, and one must also keep in mind that the real
estate agent has a hefty commission at stake in selling the property. For
these reasons I have submitted to the sub committee studying the Bill a
suggested amendment which reads as follows:
"A real estate agent or broker representing the seller of a property
may not interfere with, hinder, or influence the choice of a prospective
home buyer's selection of a home inspector. This would include any of the
following: Verbal advice, distributing or displaying business cards,
lists, advertisements, brochures, or other literature relevant to a
particular home inspector. The real estate agent or broker must also not
prevent the contracted home inspector from performing his / her
duties."
State Representative Michael E. Festa is the chairperson of the sub
committee working out the details of this proposed Licensing Bill. If you
feel that my suggested amendment will serve in the best interest of the
home buying consumer, please give Mike's office a call at 617-722-2210.
You can also write to him at the State House, Room 473-F, Boston, MA
02133.
Rep.MikeFesta |
Ask The Inspector:Is there a way to repair or clean the foggy stains in thermal pane glass windows?Unfortunately, insulated
glass panes that fog up have lost their seal. They can not be
repaired. The space between the glass panes uses the air between as an insulator. The less expensive type insulating glass technology does not really seal completely tight. There's
usually a metal or rubber spacer between the glass panes that has tiny
holes or a semipermeable membrane which slowly allows some air to enter or
escape the space between the panes. This is to equalize the pressure
between the panes to the air outside the panes, so the panes won't swell
under hot sunlight or suck in during very cold weather. This design method
is used to allow the window manufacturer to use a slightly thinner grade
of glass. The spacer has a dryer, or desiccant, placed in it to dry the
air entering the space. When the dryer fails, air entering the space
between the panes will drag whatever moisture is in the outside air along
with it. Once started, the fog will worsen over time both from additional
moisture and a photo chemical reaction from sunlight that actually etches
the inside surfaces of the glass.
The more expensive insulated glass windows made now are completely
sealed using a stronger grade of glass and inert gasses placed between the
panes such as argon. They also apply a micron or so (human hair is 100
microns thick) of metal to the inside face of the inside pane as a
reflector for the heat radiating rays of the sun. These windows are called
low-E glass, for low emissively.
Each year the technology of window manufacturing becomes more advanced.
It's quite confusing to potential buyers when they see all the different
types of windows available today. For info on how one window compares to
another, the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) in Silver Spring,
MD can be contacted at 1-301-589-6372. ("Fenestration" refers to any opening in a building's envelope and
includes, windows, skylights and
doors.) |
Send your home related questions to:
Dennis Robitaille
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Thought for the day:
How come if you tell a child there are 100 billion stars in the universe he'll believe you, but if you tell him the bench has wet paint, he has to touch it? |
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