Past, Present and Future

by Frank Lesh January 1, 2017



I
t’s fun looking back. I think it’s human nature to remember the good things that happened, even when memories of the not-so-good things seem to hang around awhile, too.

It’s a little harder to analyze the present because it’s constantly unfolding.

It’s humorous to look to the future because, in spite of our intentions, it NEVER works out the way we planned. However, since the creators of the film “Back to the Future II” were able to predict the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, only being off by one year, I’d like to take some artistic license and come up with some of my own predictions.

So, let’s have some fun. Last month, we reviewed the highlights of 2016. Now, I’ll attempt to predict or, in the spirit of the New Year, make some plans for what we’re going to do here at ASHI.

The first item on my list is to continue serving our members—and that includes our longtime supporters as well as our more recent ones. I think we’ve tried to show that over the past year. With the Year of the Chapter initiative, the new ASHI App, the Print on Demand site and the new How-To Videos, we’re reaching out like never before. I realize that your hard-earned money must be spent wisely, and my belief is that ASHI is one place to spend some of it. Specifically, the ASHI App has the “Find an Inspector” link at the user’s fingertips. That should help bring more inspections to you.

Another goal is to maintain ASHI’s status as the premier home inspection organization in North America. Our efforts in Washington, D.C., are always under scrutiny from groups that also have an interest in property-buying regulations. In the past 12 months, I’ve been to Washington four times to meet with government agencies and members of Congress to discuss home inspection’s role in the property-buying process. I’m pretty sure that, with the new administration, ASHI will be in the forefront of that continuing effort.

One endeavor that some members may not think of as being in their own self-interest is increasing membership. Our goal last year was to reach 7,000 members. Well, we blew that right out of the water because we now have well over 8,000! As good as that is for the association, there are some current members who think that if ASHI increases membership, their own piece of the pie is going to get smaller. I’ve never found that to be the case.

As a matter of fact, many inspectors embrace new ASHI members because, as a group, we raise the bar for the whole profession. Whether or not your state or province has regulations, being an ASHI member places you on a higher plane. Think of it this way: A non-ASHI inspector is going to be out there anyway. Probably not doing as good a job and charging a lot less than an ASHI member. Some clients won’t know the difference initially, especially if the law requires an inspector to be licensed. But we all know that just because someone is licensed doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is as qualified as an inspector who goes through the process of becoming an ASHI Certified Inspector, the only true third-party certification.

Also in the works will be a weekly prize drawing to encourage members to go to the ASHI website to review new products and services. One of the prizes will be complimentary registration at InspectionWorldTM 2018 in Orlando, FL. Another will be something every inspector needs to have: a very expensive $jkesi8wnbcnwep. (Sorry, the editor did her job in obscuring the other prize.)

Hope to see many of you at IW 2017 this month in Las Vegas. And remember, what happens in Vegas…will be fantastic!

Attention, Veterans! A Special IW 2017 Programming Note
We are planning a very special award ceremony for veterans attending IW. Be sure to attend the opening night activities Sunday, January 22. At 1800 hours, we will thank you for your service. ~ Frank Lesh, 13E4P

Frank Lesh, Executive Director
American Society of Home Inspectors
Direct: 847-954-3182
Frankl@ashi.org • www.ashi.org 


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