What Home Inspector Association is Best When Hiring a Home Inspector?

When you are looking for the right home inspector, you will see a lot of talk about associations. But you might not understand what they are and how they elevate the status of an inspector. 

Home inspection associations offer initial training and continued education to help home inspectors to stay informed of new or altered inspection rules, regulations, and industry developments. Some work to shape home inspectors into shining industry leaders who have strong ethics and strict standards of practice. 

Every association is a little different, and some home inspectors choose to join more than one! This makes it difficult to determine the “best one.” Each has its own benefits. Personally, the inspectors at Divinity Inspection Service are a part of ASHI and InterNACHI.

To help you to learn more about the advantages of each home inspector association, we will discuss some of the most popular ones for Florida home inspection companies. Understanding these organizations is crucial because the association your inspector has joined will significantly impact the way they run their business. You should decide for yourself which ones are best for your needs.

InterNational Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI)

This association helps inspectors to develop the soft and hard skills to run a successful inspection service business. They cover everything from:

• Education
• Certification
• Marketing
• Software

Once the inspector completes their list of requirements, they receive the highest certification title, Certified Professional Inspector.

American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI)

This not-for-profit association offers home inspectors a standard of practice, code of ethics, and advanced training to help them to provide their clients with the highest level of professionalism and excellence. As this association educates an inspector, they receive various certifications. The highest certification title is “ASHI Certified Inspector.” The instructor has to pass all tests and complete 250 inspections to earn it! And it’s a pretty big deal.

People who are ASHI-certified home inspectors are the only ones who are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI)

The NAHI no longer exists, but it’s worth mentioning. This association ended its 29-year reign in 2016. It had an estimated 3,000 members or more before it collapsed, and those members were absorbed into ASHI. 

The non-profit spent over $300,000 suing the younger association NACHI who subsequently agreed to change its name to InterNACHI. After spending so much money, they struggled to keep their doors open.

During the years NAHI ran strong, it was an upstanding organization with as high of standards as ASHI. It also required its inspectors to pass exams and perform 250 plus inspections before receiving full certification. 

If an inspector mentions NAHI, they were taught to have exceptionally professional practices, but the NAHI certifications are nothing more than bittersweet mementos. 

Florida Association of Building Inspectors (FABI)

Last on the list is your local associations. Unlike the above organizations which connect to their inspectors online, local associations are more hands-on and in your face. It can be a fantastic opportunity for inspectors who are earning their state license, want to grow their network, or enjoy attending multiple conferences year-round.  

FABI specifically has a partnership with InterNACHI. This means FABI members are receiving InterNACHI education and share in their code of ethics.

Which Home Inspector Association is Best in Tampa Bay?

When you hire a home inspector, make sure they have all of their ducks in a row. They should be licensed in the state of Florida, fully insured, and certified by a respected association. Remember when we mentioned ASHI is the only certification accredited by the NCCA? Technically, ASHI inspectors are the only accredited home inspectors. That isn’t to say professionals who choose to be associated with other organizations are less qualified. 

Before you hire anyone, you should always:

• Ask for recommendations
• Read customer reviews
• Ask your real estate agent  

Taking a few extra steps will protect your investment and ensure you receive an accurate home inspection report. That document can mean the difference between financial ruin and a happy home. 

If you are looking for an ASHI and InterNACHI certified inspector who is licensed and insured, get in touch with us! Our reviews speak for themselves and if your real estate agent is looking out for your best interests, they will recommend us too. 

Divinity Inspection Service is one of the most sought-after companies in the area, and we would love to show you why.