A study reported that 86% of those buyers using FHA-insured mortgages in 2002 reported engaging professional home inspectors.

AO found that homebuyers rely heavily on a voluntary home inspection to:
1) identify defects, many of which are visible only to a trained eye,
2) enable negotiation of repairs or monetary allowances,
3) enhance purchasing confidence, knowing that "surprises" are less likely.

GAO found a high degree of customer satisfaction among homebuyers using a home inspection.
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Why hire an Austin ASHI inspector?
Hiring a home inspector to educate you about the condition of your new home is a good idea.

The inspection fee is an investment that can actually save the client money, by revealing problems before they become the CLIENT'S problems.

Even newly completed homes are not without defects; in fact, latent construction defects account for the majority of structural problems that become apparent to an inspector over time.

An Austin ASHI inspector can objectively & independently provide you with a comprehensive analysis of the home’s major systems and components.
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Trust us…We speak house
Austin ASHI members know how to "speak house". They are trained to translate what the house has to say.
ASHI members have demonstrated technical proficiency by sitting for a 4-hour entrance examination.
The ASHI report format requires technical writing skills, & each ASHI member is involved in continuing education in order to become & remain a member.

ASHI members conduct each home inspection in accordance with the ASHI Standards of Practice, abide by the ASHI Code of Ethics, and provide superior customer service.
Each ASHI home inspector will deliver more than a home inspection, they deliver the "ASHI Experience"!
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ASHI Consumer Protection Activities:
The Texas chapter of ASHI, of which Brent has been a Director & Chairperson of the legislative committee, recently stepped into a political fracas (at the State level) in the consumers' interest.

Overview:
The Texas Legislature created the Texas Residential Construction Commission in September of 2003. The nine-member board was charged with creating warranty "performance standards" for new homes across the state.

If a home buyer is not satisfied with a builder's efforts to repair construction defects under the builder's warranty, the buyer can ask TRCC to review the complaint and to initiate an arbitration process.

A licensed / certified home inspector is dispatched to review the complaint.

Dilemma:
Problem is, TRCC created "proposed warranty standards" that exempted builders from code compliance: "The builder is not responsible for making a home comply with code provisions..."
(Building codes primarily address life, safety, & health issues.)

The builder-friendly TRCC standards were strongly supported by TAB (Texas Association of Builders) during the creation process, but no organized consumer group or lobby was involved to balance the process.

Solution:
Brent, as a Director of the ASHI Texas Chapter, petitioned ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) to intervene; in turn, a letter of protest from the ASHI Texas chapter was distributed to over 400 media outlets.
 
Within 10 days of the ASHI letter becoming public, TRCC revised the proposed performance standards, requiring builders to now comply with the most restrictive building codes and standards available.
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Recognition of Achievement:
Brent wishes to salute ASHI and the TRCC Commissioners, some of whom are relatively new to public office, for doing a very difficult job very well. TRCC is the first state commission to be created in the last 10 years; establishing an organization of this nature and developing comprehensive warranty performance standards are ENORMOUS challenges.

During public & private meetings, each Commissioner demonstrated personal commitment to public service and professional excellence. Upon conclusion of reasonable discussions among all parties, the Commissioners moved very quickly to ensure that the warranty standards do not favor the building industry at the expense of the consumer, as recommended by ASHI.
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