American Society of Home Inspectors -- ASHI
The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) was formed in 1976 and established
the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics to help buyers and sellers
make real estate transaction decisions based on accurate, objective information.
ASHI is the oldest, largest and mot respected professional association for home
inspectors in North America.
ASHI's Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics guide home inspectors in the
performance of their inspections. Today, these guidelines are the most widely-accepted
home inspection guidelines in use and are recognized by many government, consumer,
and real estate professional groups as the definitive standard for a professional
home inspection. With home inspection legislation sweeping the nation, the ASHI
Standards of Practice are the guiding Standards for legislation in most of the
states regulating home inspections.
Some of ASHI's Standards:
The ASHI 2000 Standards of Practice require an inspector to report on the Primary
Systems / Components of the home and their condition. When doing so, the inspector
must identify, among other things:
1) which systems and components inspected are Significantly Deficient or are
Near the End of Their Service Life,
2) why the system or component is deemed to be Deficient or Near the End of Service
Life,
3) whether the system / component should be corrected, monitored or subjected
to further evaluation by a specialist, and
4) any system / component designated for inspection in these Standards of Practice,
which were present at the time of the inspection, but were not inspected and
a reason they were not inspected.
Some ASHI Definitions:
Significantly Deficient: Unsafe or Not Functioning.
Unsafe: A condition in a readily accessible, installed system or component which
is judged to be a significant risk of personal injury during normal, day-to-day
use. The risk may be due to damage, deterioration, improper installation or a
change in accepted residential construction standards.
Some ASHI "Ethics":
ASHI's Code of Ethics stresses the home inspector's responsibility to report
the results of the inspection in a strictly fair, impartial, and professional
manner, avoiding any conflicts of interest. The Code of Ethics specifically forbids
ASHI inspectors from active brokerage or sale of real estate, or, from performing
repairs on homes that they inspect.
For a complete copy of the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, click
here. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view this information. If you
do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader software already installed on your computer
and/or are having difficulty opening this link, you can click
here for a FREE download of Adobe Reader software)
Illinois Home Inspectors are "licensed" ??
The Illinois Home Inspector Licensing Act requires that any individual who directly
or indirectly performs a home inspection for another for compensation to be licensed
by the State of Illinois. Many of the minimum inspection standards adopted by
the State are comparable to the ASHI Standards of Practice, however, they are
just that....minimum standards. ASHI's inspectors are held to a much higher inspection
standard and ASHI's ethics are far more restrictive inorder to provide impartial
information to the buyer or seller. ASHI's inspectors are required to obtain
higher standards before being allowed to become Members. The State of Illinois requires only twelve (12) hours continuing education each two-year license renewal period while an Illinois Licensed "ASHI" inspector will be required to obtain an additional twenty-eight (28) hours continuing education to maintain his ASHI membership for the same time period. 12 hours vs. 40 hours -- you do the math.
For more information on the State of Illinois Licensing Act and its minimal requirements,
go to http://www.obre.state.il.us/REALEST/HomeInspect.htm .
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Buying or selling “your home” is the biggest investment
you'll make in your lifetime. Before making your final decision,
we recommend that you to get a professional home inspection performed
by an Illinois Licensed “ASHI” Home Inspector. We call
this "The ASHI Experience." CICASHI members know houses
and are trained to objectively communicate to you what the house
has to say.…. “We
Speak House”. |
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Are you a real estate agent, lender, builder? When a customer asks for your advice,
whose reputation are you staking your reputation on? Only ASHI inspectors
can provide your clients with "The ASHI Experience".
You can trust a CICASHI member to exceed the State’s
minimum standards….”We
Speak House”. |
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ASHI was founded in 1976, and for the last 5 years its Central
Illinois Chapter, through monthly meetings, has provided home inspectors
in the Central Illinois area with some of the best in education,
resources and professional networking opportunities. Increase your
chances of success and join “The ASHI Experience” today.
Become an ASHI member….”We Speak House”. |
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