ASHI American Society of Home Inspectors Member Michael Del Greco
It used to be that prospective home buyers relied on the house’s exterior appeal, only to find serious damages they had to pay for after they bought the home and couldn’t bring the last homeowners to court for it. They did not have the choice of questioning the construction company for the way they built the house.
Then the home inspector appeared who was adept at knowing how a home was built and, therefore, knew what they were looking at. Some were contractors who had built homes or had trades such as a plumber, an electrician or a pest controller. They helped the prospective homebuyer look beyond the house’s exterior qualities and into the actual functions of the home.
The home inspection field was not perfect and there were some home inspectors who just found the job irresistible for means other than protecting their clients. Some just inspected the home because they knew they would get paid. Then there were inspectors who worked for the real estate agencies in order to get more jobs. In addition to this, the fact that many states didn’t have regulations concerning home inspectors and some home inspections were done in such a way that the prospective buyer was stumped at not only what they were buying, but also at the amount of damages these home inspectors had not pointed out. Even honest home inspectors weren’t trusted and the system needed to change to protect everyone involved.
In 1976, ASHI was created. ASHI stands for American Society for Home Inspectors and consisted of a small group of professional home inspectors who wanted to add a code of ethics, guidelines, and a certain amount of professionalism and quality to help the prospective home buyer choose their dream home. Today, it has grown into an organization with at least 40 US and Canadian chapters that require rigorous standards to even join. In order to become a member, a home inspector needs to do at least 250 paid home inspections, pass numerous exams and attend continuing education classes to keep up with the changing times. Michael Del Greco, who founded Accurate Inspections, Inc. is such a person.
With his past experience as a construction manager, he is bound do his best to complete an unbiased home inspection for you. He follows the ASHI Code of Ethics and acts in a professional manner – he will not suggest companies that can repair the problems or do the work himself.
The AHSI Code of Professionalism and Ethics state that home inspectors will inspect:
- The heating and cooling system
- The electric and plumbing system
- The roofing, the walls, the crawlspace/basement and foundation
- The floors, windows and doors
- The insulation