American Society of Home Inspectors -- ASHI

The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) was formed in 1976 and established the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics to help buyers and sellers make real estate transaction decisions based on accurate, objective information.

ASHI is the oldest, largest and mot respected professional association for home inspectors in North America.

ASHI's Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics guide home inspectors in the performance of their inspections. Today, these guidelines are the most widely-accepted home inspection guidelines in use and are recognized by many government, consumer, and real estate professional groups as the definitive standard for a professional home inspection. With home inspection legislation sweeping the nation, the ASHI Standards of Practice are the guiding Standards for legislation in most of the states regulating home inspections.

Some of ASHI's Standards:

The ASHI 2000 Standards of Practice require an inspector to report on the Primary Systems / Components of the home and their condition. When doing so, the inspector must identify, among other things:

1) which systems and components inspected are Significantly Deficient or are Near the End of Their Service Life,

2) why the system or component is deemed to be Deficient or Near the End of Service Life,

3) whether the system / component should be corrected, monitored or subjected to further evaluation by a specialist, and

4) any system / component designated for inspection in these Standards of Practice, which were present at the time of the inspection, but were not inspected and a reason they were not inspected.

Some ASHI Definitions:

Significantly Deficient: Unsafe or Not Functioning.

Unsafe: A condition in a readily accessible, installed system or component which is judged to be a significant risk of personal injury during normal, day-to-day use. The risk may be due to damage, deterioration, improper installation or a change in accepted residential construction standards.

Some ASHI "Ethics":

ASHI's Code of Ethics stresses the home inspector's responsibility to report the results of the inspection in a strictly fair, impartial, and professional manner, avoiding any conflicts of interest. The Code of Ethics specifically forbids ASHI inspectors from active brokerage or sale of real estate, or, from performing repairs on homes that they inspect.

For a complete copy of the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, click here. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view this information. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader software already installed on your computer and/or are having difficulty opening this link, you can click here for a FREE download of Adobe Reader software)

Illinois Home Inspectors are "licensed" ??

The Illinois Home Inspector Licensing Act requires that any individual who directly or indirectly performs a home inspection for another for compensation to be licensed by the State of Illinois. Many of the minimum inspection standards adopted by the State are comparable to the ASHI Standards of Practice, however, they are just that....minimum standards. ASHI's inspectors are held to a much higher inspection standard and ASHI's ethics are far more restrictive inorder to provide impartial information to the buyer or seller. ASHI's inspectors are required to obtain higher standards before being allowed to become Members. The State of Illinois requires only twelve (12) hours continuing education each two-year license renewal period while an Illinois Licensed "ASHI" inspector will be required to obtain an additional twenty-eight (28) hours continuing education to maintain his ASHI membership for the same time period.  12 hours vs. 40 hours -- you do the math. 

For more information on the State of Illinois Licensing Act and its minimal requirements, go to http://www.obre.state.il.us/REALEST/HomeInspect.htm .


Home Buyers / Sellers

Buying or selling “your home” is the biggest investment you'll make in your lifetime. Before making your final decision, we recommend that you to get a professional home inspection performed by an Illinois Licensed “ASHI” Home Inspector. We call this "The ASHI Experience." CICASHI members know houses and are trained to objectively communicate to you what the house has to say.…. “We Speak House”.

Real Estate Professionals

Are you a real estate agent, lender, builder? When a customer asks for your advice, whose reputation are you staking your reputation on? Only ASHI inspectors can provide your clients with "The ASHI Experience". You can trust a CICASHI member to exceed the State’s minimum standards….”We Speak House”.

Join
ASHI

ASHI was founded in 1976, and for the last 5 years its Central Illinois Chapter, through monthly meetings, has provided home inspectors in the Central Illinois area with some of the best in education, resources and professional networking opportunities. Increase your chances of success and join “The ASHI Experience” today. Become an ASHI member….”We Speak House”.