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On Thursday, November 29th the chapter is
presenting a six-hour seminar on the new standards
of practice for home inspectors. Registration will
begin at 7:30 with the seminar starting at 8:00 am at
the Piccadilly's Pub at the Best Western in Waltham.
Times are changing, and so are the MA Standards of
Practice. During this day-long seminar, John (Jack)
Digby, Vice Chairman of the Mass. Board of
Registration of Home Inspectors will present the
newly approved CMR 266. Your training, continuing
education, contract, report and standard of care must
all be in compliance with CMR 266 for licensing and
license renewal.
Under the new standards, all home and associate
inspectors are required to have a minimum of six
hours of continuing education credits on 266
CMR "regulations and standards of practice in order to
renew their license in May 2008. No one wants a
claim against their company or a complaint filed
against their license with the MA Division of Licensure,
for each claim, frivolous or not reflects on our
profession and raises insurance premiums.
This seminar defines your role as a home inspector
and your duty to the public. Your attendance is a must
as changes in CMR 266 are substantial and
compliance is required.
Bob Mulloy, Education Chairman |
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ASAP Environmental
HEALTHY HOMES FOR BETTER LIVING
1 Arcadia St. Dorchester, MA 02122
inspections@asapenvironmental.com 800-349-7779 www.asapenvironmental.com
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Ivy Zelman's view of the U.S. housing market is
gloomy, but it's probably the most realistic.
A veteran Wall Street analyst, Zelman, chief executive
of the research firm Zelman & Associates, says it's
unlikely the U.S. housing market will recover before
2009, adding there's a "50 to 60 percent chance of a
recession," as the housing slump curbs consumer
spending.
Zelman paints a much darker picture than Federal
Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, who said last
week that housing will be a "significant drag" on the
economy into next year.
When you consider the huge home inventories and
tight-as-a-drum mortgage restrictions, it's easy to
conclude that the housing slump could extend well
past 2008. Unless financing loosens up and buyers
return, her prophecy will become a reality.
"I've never seen the market as bad as this," Zelman
said. "And it could get worse. The home-price decline
could range from 16 percent to 22 percent."
Monitoring inventory, builder incentives and demand,
Zelman is also watching adjustable-rate mortgage
resets. Homeowners with these loans will
automatically face higher monthly payments that they
may not be able to afford, another trigger for
foreclosures or sales. Some $500 billion of these
loans will readjust through 2008, Zelman says.
While foreclosures have declined somewhat from
August to September, they still doubled from a year
ago, according to RealtyTrac Inc., which monitors the
housing market. Since more homes are coming on
the market, Zelman says that will only add to the
misery.
"These are the worst inventories we've seen as a
nation," she says. Zelman originally presented her
report Oct. 10 to the Home Improvement Research
Institute, a Tampa, Florida-based trade group.
Zelman's words carry some weight because she was
one of the few major Wall Street analysts to warn of a
housing decline months before it began late last year.
She was alarmed that home prices far outpaced
personal-income increases during the boom, which is
how the economic disconnect began. A bubble
created artificially high demand that had to deflate
sometime. Now, economists and analysts are trying
to assess the collateral damage of the bust and
subprime mortgage meltdown.
Meanwhile, builders are stuck with thousands of new
homes they can't sell and potential buyers are
canceling in droves or are unable to get a mortgage.
Housing starts fell to a 14-year low in September.
"Builders are desperate now and blowing through
inventory," says Zelman of homebuilders who are
doing anything they can to sell homes. "Their
revenues are shrinking so fast, they can't keep up."
The mass psychology that amplifies and spreads the
angst of home sellers will put a brake on overall
consumer spending, Zelman predicts.
"Some 74 percent of consumer expenditures are
correlated to housing. I don't think the consumer will
hold up. They will cut back on things like buying cars
and vacations."
While Zelman forecasts that sales will drop for the
next two years, she isn't as optimistic on home prices,
which she says may continue falling until 2010 or
2011.
"We'd be better off if prices corrected all at once. It will
get worse before it gets better."
Places where sales were strongest and speculators
were most active before the bust will be bedeviled by
high home inventories for more than a year.
Cities that scored lowest with an "F minus" grade,
described as "very competitive with a negative bias" in
her firm's September homebuilding survey, included
San Diego, Phoenix, Inland Empire (California), and
Fort Myers, Florida. Those rated "moderate and
stable" - a "C" in their rankings - were Philadelphia;
Raleigh, N.C.; and San Antonio.
Areas connected to auto-related job cuts in Michigan
and Ohio will continue to feel pain.
Not every market will get pummeled, though.
Manhattan seems to be holding up for certain kinds of
housing. Prices of co-op apartments with four
bedrooms or more, for example, rose 19 percent in
the third quarter from a year earlier.
Major markets with the lowest level of housing
distress include Bethesda, Md.; Boston-Cambridge,
Mass., and Manchester and Rockingham, N.H. That's
according to HomeSmartReports, a service that tracks
six variables of home- market risk.
"Boston is pretty moderate in terms of risk," says Mike
Ela, president of the service. "Lenders have pulled
back aggressively."
Ela, who has "low-ball offers" pending on two bank-
owned properties, prefers dealing with
institutions "because you're not dealing with the
emotion of the seller. It won't take too long to get a
decision."
John Wasik, Bloomberg News |
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FREA
E&O Insurance for Home Inspectors
800-882-4410 www.frea.com |
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In the last legislative session in New Hampshire there
was a bill that was introduced in the House that would
establish the licensure and regulation of residential
and building inspectors. At the close of the legislative
session in May, this bill was retained for further study.
It was referred to a subcommittee and that
subcommittee held several work sessions beginning
in September and continuing through October. In an
Executive Session of the Executive Departments and
Administration Committee held on November 13th ,
the committee voted 13 - 2 to Inexpedient to Legislate
this bill. This means that the committee
recommended that the bill be "killed". The House will
take up this bill and the committee's recommendation
at a session scheduled for January 2, 2008.
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CORCORAN & HAVLIN INSURANCE GROUP
THE SUPERIOR HOME INSPECTOR ERRORS &
OMISSIONS INSURANCE PROGRAM!
Underwritten by AIG's Lexington Insurance Company - Rated A++ by A.M. Best Home Inspector E&O Coverage offers these features:
For a quote or more information, please call Debi
Drury (x244 or ddrury@chinsurance.com) or
Mike Curtis, Marketing Manager (x243) or visit
website at www.chinsurance.com
287 Linden Street, Wellesley, MA 02482 800-304-8242 Fax 781-235-7190 |
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InspectionWorld is the Conference for home
inspectors. It will take place in the Hilton riverside in
New Orleans on January 16 - 19, 2008. It is the
largest annual professional gathering for home
inspectors.
InspectionWorld speakers are your peers. They know
and understand the issues and challenges facing
you. And they deliver the real-world case studies and
presentations that will inform, assist and help you to
better succeed. You can earn you up to 20 ASHI CEs,
as well as apply to your state continuing education
hours.
InspectionWorld vendors are industry leaders,
providing you with the BEST available products and
services to enhance your business, including our
primary sponsor HomeGauge. Attending
InspectionWorld is an exceptional value - three days
of education, networking and vendor access for less
than $200/day.
InspectionWorld New Orleans will prepare you to face
professional challenges in a changing world. Shape
your future by taking advantage of quality continuing
education programs and networking opportunities at
this valuable must-attend event! As always,
InspectionWorld is sure to cover the entire spectrum
of what you need to succeed in building a first-rate
business
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CRACK-X
Got water in your basement?
Since 1985, CRACK-X has been a full service company specializing in residential and commercial foundation welding of cracks and other concrete repairs such as bulkheads, penetrations, cold joints, elevator pits, and slabs. We are committed to 100% customer satisfaction and back up all vertical wall crack repairs with an unconditional 10-year warranty. 25 Washington Avenue, Natick, MA 01760
877-272-2539 www.crackfx.com |
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B-Dry Systems
20 YEARS OF SOLVING WATER PROBLEMS
Written warranty for the full life of the structure. 800-320-2379
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Vent Master
ATTIC VENTILATION SPECIALISTS
Inspectors, when you see signs of:
Recommend Vent Master For a FREE consultation, call Don Marcoux at Vent
Master
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation with Carrier Corp., of Farmington, Conn.,
today announced a voluntary recall of approximately
185,000 packaged terminal air conditioners (PTAC)
and heat pumps (PTHP) manufactured in Mexico due
to a defective electric heater in the units that can
break, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
These are Carrier-brand packaged terminal air
conditioners (PTAC) and packaged terminal heat
pumps (PTHP) manufactured between 2001 and
2005. Model numbers included in the recall are 52C,
52P, and unbranded model 84 units sold through the
Bryant and FAST channels. Serial and model
numbers are located on the rating/data plate on the
right front of the unit, underneath the removable front
panel. A complete list of the serial numbers involved
in this recall can be found at
www.carrierptacrecall.com. The units were sold with
208/230 and 265volts, and have capacities of 7,000,
9,000, 12,000, and 15,000 BTUs.. These were sold
through HVAC dealers and factory-direct sales from
January 2002 through December 2006 for between
$425 and $675.
Inspectors finding these breakers should advise
homeowners to stop using the heating mode of the
recalled units until they are inspected in accordance
with Carrier's inspection instructions, which can be
found at www.carrierptacrecall.com. Consumers
should contact Carrier to receive a free repair.
For more information, contact Carrier at (800)761-
8492 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through
Friday, or visit the firm's web site.
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Peter Greifer Enterprises
ASBESTOS REMOVAL & MOLD REMEDIATION
Serving Eastern Massachusetts & Rhode Island 800-582-5288
401-946-4506 (Rhode Island) peter.greifer@verizon.net |
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The ASHI NE Chapter maintains a library of
educational books, video tapes and CD's for Chapter
members and candidates to utilize for personal and
business growth. Those who wish to sign materials
out may do so for a fee of $16 per item ($10 per
tape) which covers two-way shipping and handling.
Library materials may be used for a two week period,
beginning on the date of shipment. Those who fail to
return library materials on time will be assessed a
fine
of $1 / day. If the materials are not received back
within two months of date of shipping, you will be
charged the cost of replacement. To sign materials
out, there is a form that is posted on our web site
that is to be completed and sent to the executive
office. It is always recommended that you call the
executive office to check on the availability of an
item. Once this form is received, the executive office
will ship the items out with a postage paid return
envelope. The list of the materials that are currently
available in the chapter library is on the web site as
well.
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Rene Mugnier Associates
When in doubt, refer to a structural engineer
specializing in the investigation of homes and
commercial structural problems.
REHABILITATIONS & INVESTIGATIONS
777 Concord Ave., Ste. 201, Cambridge, MA 02138
617-547-7773 |
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The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Home
Inspectors holds meetings on a regular basis that are
open for home inspectors to attend. These board
meetings are usually held at 239 Causeway Street,
2nd Floor, Room 204 in Boston from 10:00 am to 3:00
pm.
The meeting dates for 2008 are as follows:
January 30, 2008 April 9, 2008 April 30, 2008 May 14, 2008 June 18, 2008 August 13, 2008 September 10, 2008 November 12, 2008 You are encouraged to call the board office at 617-727-
4459 for any posssible changes in location and time
of these meetings.
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Atlas Watersystems
WE DON'T MAKE THE WATER.
WE MAKE THE WATER BETTER!! Residential & Commercial Water
Filtration & Purification Water Testing & Analysis
Radon & Arsenic Remediation Softeners * Filters * Purification 800-215-9966 www.atlaswater.com "Bringing Technology to Water"
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Interim President
Mike Atwell /
m.atwell@rcn.com
Vice President
Mike Atwell /
m.atwell@rcn.com
Secretary Lisa Alajajian /
homequest1@comcast.net
Treasurer
Tom Towle /
tom@hdbco.com
Immediate Past President
Paul Kristenson /
absinspections@comcast.net
Directors
Paul Cornell / pcornell@inspecthouses.com Paul Rogoshewski / paul@harmonyhomeinspection.com Council of Representatives
Paul Kristenson / absinspections@comcast.net Lisa Alajajian / homequest1@comcast.net Bill Sutton / wsuttoninspector@hotmail.com Committee Chair
By- Laws: Mike Atwell / m.atwell@rcn.com Communications: Mark Forkey / mark_forkey@msn.com Education: Bob Mulloy / rmulloy@verizon.net Legislative: Len Rucker / lrucker1@comcast.net Membership:Ernest Simpson / esimpson@evergreenhomeinspection.com Executive Director
Walter Perry /
wperry@choiceonemail.com
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We look forward to seeing you on November 29th.
Sincerely,
ASHI New England
email:
clough@choiceonemail.com
phone:
800-248-2744
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