The “Yoda” of Home Inspection

February 20, 2024

Recently a friend of ours was reviewing the inspector profiles on the ASHI website, HomeInspector.org. “Jason, there is one guy; he has been doing it for 30 years, and he eats, sleeps, and breathes home inspections.” I knew immediately who she was talking about. It had to be none other than Mark Cramer of Pinellas County, Florida.

In his ASHI profile (Is your profile up-to-date?) and on his own website, we find that exact statement: “Mark Cramer eats, sleeps, and breathes home inspections.” It’s not boasting; it’s a beautiful way to feel about one’s profession. How many of us can say that?

I was excited to speak with Cramer recently as I thought, “Surely anyone with that kind of industry drive and professional commitment might inspire a similar fire under us all.” I wanted to share that with my colleagues as part of the ASHI Reporter, too.

Cramer may not have invented the home inspection profession, but his approach shows how anyone serious about anything ought to practice their endeavor—as though they had invented it, or at least helped it to evolve to a higher form. I will say that Mark, who we may, without question, classify as “an inspector’s inspector,” has immeasurably enhanced, contributed to, been a fine steward for, and an essential standard bearer of what the home inspection professional should aspire to and in that evolution become representative of—an expert in their field.

Lofty praise, indeed, though well deserved. Mark has held every ASHI board member position (except Treasurer)—including as president in the year 2000—and has served on and chaired numerous committees, including 15 years on the Standards Committee. He has won the Monahan Award (2001), the President’s Award (2001) and the Iron Man Award (2005). And yet many of us who know Mark can testify to his low-key nature.

In the greater Tampa Bay area, there may be numerous inspectors named “Mark,” but when the local inspector community gets together or exchanges emails and a question arises for which no one else has an answer, the cry “Ask Mark” means only one Mark. That distinction, that recognition is perhaps the truest indication of our Mark Cramer’s impact on the industry. To be the one among all those in the know who knows. Many of us have achieved the ACI distinction; Mark Cramer exemplifies that distinction.

A chatty real estate agent once asked me with a lick of sarcasm, “What is the difference between a state licensed home inspector and an ASHI Certified Inspector?” I marveled at this opportunity. “A state licensed inspector is one who has achieved at least the minimum score on a written exam,” I said with
a pause. “An ASHI Certified Inspector, however, is one who can write the content and teach the course.”

As we each take a deck chair in the tropical shade, canal-side, of his Tierra Verde condo, it is with the character of Yoda that I begin our interview. And though I stop short of asking if he has ever showed
up to an inspection in a Yoda costume, I smiled and read aloud a few quotes from the real Yoda.

“In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way.”

Mark listened with a bemused hum, tilting his head slightly at my iPad, as the Yoda on film might,
so I include one more.

“Pass on what you have learned.”

Later, Mark said to me, “I taught in the classroom for 10 years. When you teach you have to learn in order to thoroughly understand the subject.”

These are some excerpts from my interview with the resident go-to for all things home inspection, Mark Cramer:

What brought you to a local ASHI Chapter?

I wasn’t brought to the chapter. I, along with a handful of other home inspectors, founded the [Tampa] chapter. We were hungry for information, for knowledge. There was no internet, no answers
at your fingertips. No computers, no thermal imaging. You youngsters have no idea.

What is the home inspector’s greatest enemy? A lack of burning curiosity or ignorance?

Ignorance.

Should we accept walk-through inspections for a lesser fee with no reporting?

I have very mixed feelings about that.

What about inspection pricing—by square foot? By hour? As a percentage of the listing price?

It is all about perceived value.

How far beyond the annual required CE credits should the serious inspector go?

At least double.

(And, like the International Building Code provisions, Cramer meant this not in any prescriptive sense but as a minimum. Mark is someone whose CE involvement over the years is tantamount to immersion: I once sat in on an advanced electrical class and the instructor, a scrappy GC of many years and holder of a handful of additional licenses himself, toward the end of the morning asked of us all what seemed a stump question; the dumb silence in a room of 30 or so licensed inspectors was like a bar fight in slow-motion without audio. But then, after a few moments, a voice lifted itself up over the shifting, thought-wracked heads of the seated inspector attendees and with a certain authority said simply, “A floating neutral.” It was,
of course, Mark Cramer’s voice.)

Should the serious inspector supplement their CE training with ICC Code or state-specific code knowledge? What about CE training in other fields, like mold, moisture, thermal, radon, etc?

Go as far as your curiosity takes you. When that listing agent attempts to test or embarrass you with some “gotcha” question, be the one who knows.

Why choose a narrative style inspection report?

It is the best way to communicate the findings.

Is a “conducive condition” that exists that points toward a future failure the same as an already
failed condition?

Note: We have a few minute go-around over this to clarify both the intent and import of the question, though in the end we agree that, yes, it is essentially the same: Both conditions are reportable, however with the descriptive caveat, in Mark’s words: “That one is immediate, the other, imminent.”

At moments our exchange felt almost like two monks of many miles talking shop on a mountaintop; we spoke about sources for stucco and vinyl siding standards and references (ASTM C926 and C1063 and the Vinyl Siding Institute website), touched on building science scenarios and common litigation issues, insurance inspections, spray foam insulation, and so much else.

A mentor, sensei, rabbi, guru, or what have you—these are those who succeed in awakening us, helping us be a better version of ourselves. Observing my own Yoda-like mentor I was reminded that anyone who dives deeply into whatever they do realizes an art in it. True artists are fascinated by their subject. Cramer’s subject has always been inspecting.

Mark’s answers to one’s questions are often so dry and commonsensical that many times I have found myself writing him an email with a question that I have ultimately been able to answer—in his voice!—by the time I finish writing. And this also is an indication of his effectiveness as a teacher.

Inspecting alongside Cramer in his islander style T-shirt with his trademark long zoom lens camera and clipboard, he seems to convey a friendly yet precise authority. I’ve seen him stride across a flat roof the size of a golf course, absolutely fearless of the 80,000 square foot structure to be reported on beneath. On this day Mark maintains a relaxed Yoda posture in his chair as we enjoy the last of the morning shade on his terraced deck, palm fronds lacing about like dancers amidst the breeze, just a hint of autumn air.

“Last question, and I want you to be laughingly honest with me,” I ask him before I go. “Let us suppose you are at a restaurant with friends or family.” I hold up an imaginary menu in one hand and point an eye to the sky with the other. “Are you inspecting, or are you eating?” We both laugh. Mark smiles and says in his most quiet voice, “You know the answer to that.”

Opinions or statements of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.


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