Next Level: A closer look at the tiers of ASHI membership…

...and why to consider moving up

April 1, 2023

Did you know there are many ways to be an ASHI member?

While the highest level of ASHI membership is the ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI), all home inspectors who join ASHI begin at the Associate Level, regardless of their experience.

Members can move up to higher levels at their own pace. It is a requirement of the Inspector and Certified Inspector levels of ASHI membership that. These are the requirements for each level of membership:

Associate Member

The starting point of ASHI Membership.

Requirements

  • Submit a membership application online.
  • Complete a background check through the Background Verified Inspector Program.
  • Pass the ASHI Standard of Practice and Code of Ethics education modules.
  • Remain current in your ASHI dues.
  • After one full year as an Associate, you must begin earning 20 ASHI-approved CE annually.

Benefits

  • Associate Member logo use.
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Colleen Brand has been a Master CREIA Inspector for 18 years. During Covid her local chapter folded, so while she remains a CREIA member, she decided to also join ASHI as she said CREIA became less viable for her.

“I joined ASHI as an associate about a year ago and took/passed the NHIE last fall,” she said. “I have been in business for almost 20 years and performed thousands of inspections, so the only step I needed to complete was the NHIE. The most useful thing for me was to read the NHIE home inspection manual before taking the exam.”

Brand works as a home inspector for AmeriSpec Inspection Services in Los Angeles.

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Inspector

The next level on the ASHI membership path. This level is for ASHI Members with more experience and technical knowledge as a practicing home inspector.

Requirements

  • Completion of all Associate level requirements.
  • Obtain or maintain your home inspector license if your state requires licensing. If your state does not require licensing, you must provide proof of passing the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE).
  • Pass the ASHI Standard of Practice and Code of Ethics education module.
  • Completion of a minimum of 50 fee paid home inspections.
  • After one full year as an Associate, you must begin earning 20 ASHI-approved CE annually.
  • Pass the Report Verification process. Using ASHI’s report verification portal, members will submit five full home inspection reports for review. The report verifiers will review the reports in accordance with the ASHI Standard of Practice and Code of Ethics.
  • Receive an affidavit from ASHI, notarized with the total number of inspections completed.
  • Remain current in your ASHI dues, and obtain 20 ASHI-approved CE annually.

Benefits

  • ASHI Inspector Member logo use.
  • Voting rights for ASHI Board Members and Officers.
  • Voting rights for proposed bylaw changes.
  • Profile is searchable in “Find an Inspector.”
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ASHI Home Inspector Member Mike Blackwell became an inspector right before the pandemic hit, getting his New Jersey home inspector’s license in 2019. He inspects as part of Buyers Edge Home Inspections, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

“Now, with more funds behind the business, I started branching out. I joined ASHI last year, and I’m enjoying it very much,” said Blackwell, who also recently attended InspectionWorld—his first home inspector convention.

Blackwell says it didn’t take him long to become an ACI, as he’s held his home inspector license and several others through the NJDEP and NJBOA for years. “My Commercial Pesticide Applicator’s License and my Radon Measurement Technician Certification were all through New Jersey. If I hadn’t already been somewhat established it would have probably taken a long time to get there,” he said. “The staff at ASHI were super helpful.”

These days Blackwell is focused on furthering his expertise and increasing the value of his services. “I just started offering radon testing with Continuous Radon Monitors,” he said in winter. “I feel like I geek out about radon now. That was not a passion of mine when I first started. Now though, these CRMs are so cool.”

He’s also begun to offer large buildings, schools, and multi-family surveys.

Blackwell is also a career firefighter in New Jersey, with more than 10 years in the field. He said firefighting and home inspecting go hand-in-hand. “It’s never boring, that’s for sure. Being an inspector made me a more knowledgeable fire officer, too. A lot of the tools are the same even—thermal imaging cameras, gas meters, ladders,” he said. “Being in the fire service makes me look at my home inspections like they’re another way to keep people safe and their families healthy. Any time you put time into learning something new in one, you’re getting something useful for the other at the same time. I didn’t realize how good they would go together in the beginning.”

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ASHI Certified Inspector (ACIs)

The highest level of ASHI membership. ACIs are fully accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and are recognized as having the highest standards in the profession. ACIs are recognized as leaders in the home inspection industry.

Requirements

  • Completion of all Associate and Inspector level requirements.
  • Obtain and maintain a state license to practice home inspection, if applicable.
  • Pass the ASHI Standard of Practice and Code of Ethics education module.
  • Pass the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE).
  • Completion of a minimum of 250 fee paid home inspections.
  • Pass report verification.
  • Receive an affidavit from ASHI, notarized with the total number of inspections completed.
  • Remain current in your ASHI dues, and obtain 20 ASHI-approved CE annually.

Benefits

  • Certification by ASHI and the NCCA
  • ACI Member logo use.
  • Voting rights for ASHI Board Members and Officers.
  • Voting rights for proposed bylaw changes.
  • Profile is searchable in “Find an Inspector.”
  • Eligible to serve as an ASHI officer, director, committee or task force chair, committee or task force member.
  • Access to ASHI Advanced Education and associated badges.

To Read the Full Article

ASHI offers its members unparalleled resources to advance their careers. ASHI offers training for inspectors at all levels of knowledge and experience, including resources about all major home systems. Members benefit from a vast network of experienced professionals, providing a community for mentorship and knowledge sharing..

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