ASHI on the Air

ASHI President Joe Corsetto was interviewed on the nationally syndicated radio show “On the House with the Carey Brothers.” His guest appearance was noted on the Carey Brothers Web site’s home page (www.onthehouse.com) under “What’s New,” and a recap of the interview, with a link to ASHI’s home page appeared on their “Show Notes” page, www.onthehouse.com/sections/radioshow/show_notes.

ASHI Member JD Grewell, J.D. Grewell and Assoc., Silver Springs, Md., said he “made sure my ASHI ID badge was visible attached to my shirt collar,” when he was featured on WRC Channel 4 in Washington D.C., May 24 and 31, during the 4 p.m. early news broadcast. JD was interviewed about home safety issues. ASHI has a growing presence in the broadcast medium. See the Broadcast Tracker below.

ASHI Members in print

ASHI President Joe Corsetto, like previous presidents, handles both broadcast and print public relations opportunities with enthusiasm.

“I just love being contacted by legitimate groups like this one,” he said following a phone call from Max Alexander of This Old House. Joe said Alexander “got my name from his New York office as a result of the media tour, and was interested in talking about homeowners using home inspection services.  He knew of the epic discussion about radon reduction system installs in new and existing buildings I had with his editor counterpart in the city. Very cool!” Corsetto said he and Alexander also discussed “pre-sale inspections for disclosure purposes, using the inspection report as a marketing tool to better position the home, and what homeowners can do to prepare their house for the winter, of course by using an ASHI Inspector.”

ASHI Member Bob Anderson, Inspector Homes, Inc., Staunton, Va. was identified as the past president of the Central Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors in the article “Inspect now, and save later… Skipping this step when buying a home is asking for trouble.” The article, by Jenelle Watson, appeared in the Central Staunton News Leader and on the paper’s Web site.  

Readers were told, “A good way to gauge credibility is to ask your inspector if he/she is a member of a professional home inspector organization, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors.”

“‘After all, nobody knows homes and what makes them tick as well as a home inspector,’ Anderson said. ‘ASHI has a slogan that says ‘We Speak House.’ Home inspectors truly do speak the language of houses, and if one has learned the language, houses will speak volumes to those of us who are trained to listen.’”

ASHI Member Rod Whittington, Whittington Home Inspections, Cleveland, Ohio, was quoted in The Herald Sun: “a home inspection is a snapshot in time of what a home is doing and provides valuable information that is designed to educate the homebuyer on defects or deficiencies throughout the home.” Whittington was identified as the vice president of the North Central Chapter in the article titled, “Independent home inspection is vital before you buy.”

ASHI Member Steve Baranello, The Home Inspection Group, Ltd., Floral Park, New York, spotted an article based on an interview with Rob Paterkiewicz, ASHI executive director, in the New York Post. “Examining rooms. What to expect when you’re inspecting…”

ASHI Member Craig Tillman, Value Guard USA, Inc., Ardmore, Pa., reports his article, “Who really is the deal killer,” has been accepted for publication in a Philadelphia Brokers & Agents magazine.

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Proactive Media Outreach Nets Big Results

Christiana Brenner, MS&L

Back in August of 2005, Les Christie, a staff writer for CNN/Money, wrote an article about what buyers should look for—and look out for —when buying a home. In it, Mr. Christie stressed, “Every buyer needs to have the house inspected independently for defects and potential repairs before closing.” This is good, but he referenced a directory of home inspectors that relies largely on paid placements for listings—a violation of ASHI’s Code of Ethics. Further, the article doesn’t expand on what to look for in terms of an inspector’s qualifications and makes no mention of ASHI.

The original article can be found on CNN’s Web site at http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/10/real_estate/buying_selling/before_you_commit/index.htm.

As ASHI’s PR counsel, Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L) responded with a letter to Mr. Christie that pointed out ASHI’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics and its strict membership requirements. MS&L also directed him to ASHI.org as a source for valuable information, pointing out its search engine for consumers to locate a home inspector. Mr. Christie responded within minutes, thanking MS&L for the information. With that, he was placed on the ASHI media list to receive future press releases.

Nearly nine months later, Mr. Christie called MS&L with an interview request. He was in the process of developing an article about home inspections for which he wanted to use ASHI as the source. MS&L arranged for him to speak with Joe Corsetto, ASHI president, and Rob Paterkiewicz, ASHI executive director.  The resulting article is like the “after” version of an extreme PR makeover!

It is also on the CNN/Money site at http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/11/real_estate/inspecting_before_buying/index.htm.

The entire focus is on ASHI, with a section called “Not All Inspections are Equal.” It touts the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. He also refers consumers to ASHI to locate an inspector. Both Corsetto and Paterkiewicz are quoted throughout the piece. 

A Google search showed that less than a week after the article ran, it had been re-posted on more than 850 Web sites. MS&L is thrilled that its proactive outreach netted such a positive media hit for ASHI, even if it did take nine months to realize the benefits.

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