Setting the Standard

One of the most important achievements ASHI accomplished in its early days was defining what exactly a home inspection consisted of, and how home inspectors should conduct their inspections. Outside of these early members, the term "home inspection" was not widely known among the general public. Passero summed up this experience by stating that "when you arrived on the job, the first thing you had to explain was what a home inspection was."

ASHI saw the necessity of creating its own Standard of Practice to clearly define what is required in a home inspection: the scope of work and the manner in which components and systems shall be assessed. Additionally, a Code of Ethics was also proposed, in order distinguish the integrity of the organization and its members. To write these important documents, charter member John Heyn was appointed to lead the Standards Committee. After 13 straight months of meetings to compose the Standard, it had been completed.

For home inspectors at this time, the standard became a useful tool of reference. The standard would guide them through their inspections, providing a comprehensive list of home systems and structure that they were to inspect. By adhering to this standard throughout their inspections, they could rest assured that they were providing their clients with a quality inspection that was both comprehensive and beneficial to the homebuyer.

At this point, ASHI was gaining prominence among the early home inspectors and membership was growing, now seeing the professionalism and prestige this organization was earning. Even further, the field of home inspection was gaining awareness beyond the industry itself. New homebuyers had a better understanding of what home inspection accomplished and its value when buying a home. With the standard now being employed by the members of ASHI, home inspectors were on their way to elevating themselves from mere tradesmen into real estate professionals. ASHI had defined what the practice of home inspection was, and to be a home inspector was to adhere to this standard.