courses (8)

What is a Home Inspector?

What actually happens during a home inspection? It depends who you ask. Home inspectors are called upon every day to look at properties, but what do their moms, clients and the rest of the world think they do? “What is a Home Inspector?” is a funny video that answers that question from a variety of perspectives.

People often have different ideas about how a home inspector’s job gets done. Whether helping keep people safe from electrical fires, pointing out signs of water damage or confirming that a certain home is a wise investment, this profession is full of hard-working professionals. This entertaining, meme-inspired video takes a comedic look at what they do and don’t do!   

McKissock, the creator of the video series, is a trusted resource for state-specific, state-approved, engineering, land surveying and home inspection courses, regulation information and compliance. This video is aimed at home inspection professionals who can laugh at the different perceptions of their career; check it out at http://youtu.be/JTS4X-k94Ds.

“Home inspectors deserve a lot of respect for the hard work they do every day to help us stay safe and warm. But they also deserve a good laugh,” says Annie Creek, Business Development Manager for McKissock. “We love this series of videos because, no matter the career, we all have inside jokes about what we do – and won’t ever do!”

4359178290?profile=originalIn many states, home inspectors are required to hold a state license and keep up their continuing education. Because rules and regulations vary across the country, it can be confusing to know what the home inspector requirements are for license renewal, including how long it will take, what forms are needed and the related fees. McKissock serves as a comprehensive resource about continuing education requirements and more. For license- and education-related questions, contact 1-800-328-2008.

For busy home inspectors who need a reminder for license renewal (because they are too busy saving cats and babies or inspecting cellars as you will see in the video), McKissock offers a free reminder service that will notify you when your license renewal date is approaching. Visit http://reminder.mckedu.com to sign up.

“Professionals have enough on their plate, so we provide reminders, coursework and compliance information and serve as an ally,” adds Creek. “We have a deep understanding of the lives of people who spend a lot of time in the field and don’t want to be concerned about license deadlines and paperwork.”

McKissock has affiliations directly with many associations to better assist professionals in receiving their continuing education credits. For those with a home inspector job, McKissock has met the standards and requirements of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) and the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA).

From the McKissock website, state-licensed professionals have access to all they need to fulfill state requirements. We offer governing agency information and mandatory topics needed for license renewal; visit today and you can begin taking required coursework immediately. McKissock offers customizable packages or individual professional engineer, land surveying and home inspector courses. For more information, visit www.mckissock.com and search for your specific profession and location.

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4359173580?profile=originalMcKissock, a leader in continuing education, reveals its top-ranking land surveyor and home inspector courses, with ethics/standards and water rights coming out on top. McKissock determined these rankings by looking at its five-star rating system, which allows all class attendees to provide feedback on the courses. Read the most recent course reviews and rankings at www.mckissock.com.

McKissock is a trusted resource for the most up-to-date regulation and compliance information. An approved education provider in almost every state, McKissock offers required state-specific courses that home inspection and land surveying professionals need to keep their licenses current.


“We take student input seriously and actively use our rating system and comments sections to improve course material or make other changes,” says Annie Creek, Business Development Manager at McKissock. “Customer satisfaction is a hallmark of our business and we appreciate the feedback. We are proud of how many courses rank highly and strive for five stars every time.”

These results are purely based on user-generated star ratings, not taking into consideration the number of people who have taken the course or their availability.

Top home inspection courses include:

  1. American Society of Home Inspectors  (ASHI) Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice – 4.60 stars
  2. Home Inspection Safety – 4.54 stars 
  3. Attic Ventilation – 4.54 stars
  4. Residential Cooling Systems and Heating Pump Inspections – 4.43 stars
  5. Basic Principles of a Residential Electrical Inspection – 4.37 stars

Top land surveying courses include:

  1. Water Rights – 4.51 stars
  2. Utilities - Public and Otherwise – 4.42 stars
  3. Disputes Between Adjoining Landowners – 4.41 stars
  4. National Flood Insurance Program: Regulatory Basics for Land Development – 4.41 stars
  5. Boundaries and Monuments – 4.40 stars

 

In order to stay compliant with each state board, not all courses are available in every state. However, people who would like to take courses purely for informational purposes may still do so. Feel free to contact Annie Creek at McKissock at annie.creek@mckissock.com if you have any requests or questions.

To highlight the land surveying profession in an entertaining way, McKissock also recently released a meme-inspired video called “What is a Land Surveyor?”. The video takes a humorous look at what people think land surveyors do versus what they actually do on a daily basis.

To learn more about McKissock, visit www.mckissock.com. On the site, you can select a state for information on approved land surveying, engineering and home inspection courses. McKissock offers customizable packages, individual courses, correspondence books (for states that accept them), and a free license renewal reminder service.

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What is a Land Surveyor?

What does a land surveyor actually do? It depends who you ask. “What is a Land Surveyor” is an entertaining video which answers that question from different perspectives: our moms, clients and the world often have different ideas about how we get our job done every day. Whether mapping floodplains, clarifying boundaries for property disputes or advising land developers, land surveyors play an important role. But do people really know what they do? This entertaining, meme-inspired video takes a comedic look at the profession.

McKissock, the creator of the video, is a trusted resource for state-specific, state-approved land surveying, engineering and home inspection courses, regulation information and compliance. This video is aimed at land surveying professionals who can laugh at the different perceptions of their career; check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoAF5sLn-Ys.

“This video is a fun way to look at an important profession that is often behind the scenes,” says Annie Creek, Business Development Manager. “No matter the career, parents and clients see us with different sets of eyes, but only people in our own area of expertise know the truth.”

For people less familiar with land surveying, it is a diverse career that requires a lot of knowledge and skills. A day in the life may look like:

- Measuring properties and pieces of land to determine boundaries;
- creating maps, land descriptions and reports;
- presenting information for legal matters, maybe even in a courtroom;
- using and understanding GPS equipment and programs;
- and much more.

4359176022?profile=originalLand surveyors are required to hold a state land surveyor license and keep up their continuing education. Because rules and regulations vary across the country, it can be confusing to know what is required for license renewal, including how long it will take, what forms are needed and the related fees. McKissock serves as a comprehensive resource about continuing education requirements and more. For license- and education-related questions, contact 1-800-328-2008.

For busy land surveying professionals who need a reminder for license renewal (because they are too busy climbing a mountain with heavy gear or whistling in convertibles, as you will see in the video), McKissock offers a free reminder service that will notify you when your license renewal date is approaching. Visit http://reminder.mckedu.com to sign up.

“We provide reminders, coursework and compliance information so over-burdened professionals don’t have to worry,” adds Creek. “We have a deep understanding of the lives of people who spend a lot of time in the field and don’t want to be concerned about license deadlines and paperwork.”

McKissock has affiliations directly with many associations to better assist professionals in receiving their continuing education credits.  For land surveyors, McKissock has met the standards and requirements of Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP), provider number 127505.

From the McKissock website, state-licensed professionals have access to all they need to fulfill state requirements, including governing agency information, any mandatory topic needed for license renewal and they can begin taking required coursework immediately. McKissock offers customizable packages or individual land surveyor, professional engineer and home inspector courses. For more information, visit www.mckissock.com and search for your specific profession.

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McKissock, a leader in continuing education, has compiled the top criteria that land surveying, home inspection and engineer professionals consider when selecting continuing education courses required by states and industry associations.

“We invite everyone to use these criteria to scrutinize their education choices,” says Annie Creek, Market Research and Compliance Specialist at McKissock. “The licensed professionals we work with are required to take courses, but have the freedom to select their education partners. Hopefully we can help shed some light on how continuing education can be enjoyable.”

According to ongoing research among licensed professionals, the following criteria top the list.

  1. Price – The cost of courses is clearly a top priority. Take the time to compare courses, look into discounted course packages and ask about price matching.
  2. Relevance – Review home inspection, engineering and land surveying courses with a lens of relevancy. In addition to what’s required, select courses that will make your job easier or better. Education providers should strive to offer classes, webinars and resources that apply directly to your daily tasks.
  3. Acceptance – Most of the time, professionals seeking continuing education need to meet strict requirements for their state or industry associations. It’s critical to ensure that the courses you take meet their standards and requirements.
  4. Access – Busy professionals require extra coursework to be quick and easy to find and complete. Consider courses that can be taken on-the-fly at any time.
  5. Expertise – Don’t be afraid to ask about instructors’ and course authors’ experience in their respective industries. The best courses are almost always written and taught by subject matter experts who have real-world experience.


McKissock is a trusted resource for state-specific, state-approved home inspector, engineer and land surveying courses, regulation information and compliance. McKissock also serves as a resource to stay on top of license renewals. To help remove the potential of license lapse or expiration, McKissock offers a free reminder service that will notify you when your license renewal date is pending. Visit http://reminder.mckedu.com to sign up.

Visit www.mckissock.com and select a state for information on approved land surveying, engineering and home inspection courses. McKissock offers customizable packages, individual courses and affordable webinars.

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The end of the year is sneaking up and McKissock, a leader in continuing education for state-licensed professionals, is issuing a reminder to home inspectors, land surveyors and professional engineers to renew their licenses. While renewal dates differ by state and association, a large portion of licenses expire at the end of the calendar year. McKissock is a trusted resource for state-specific, state-approved land surveying, engineering and home inspection courses, regulation information and compliance.

 

4359173580?profile=originalLicense lapses and expirations are more than just a hassle – they can be a costly mistake. To help remove the potential of license lapse or expiration, McKissock recently set up a free reminder service that will notify you when your license renewal date is pending. Visit http://reminder.mckedu.com to sign up. 

 

“When professionals are out and about, they aren’t always focused on deadlines and licenses,” says Annie Creek, Market Research and Compliance Specialist at McKissock. “We are the go-to resource for reminders, coursework and compliance information so home inspectors, land surveyors, and engineers don’t miss a beat.”

 

Rules and regulations vary by state and industry, so it can be confusing to know what is required for license renewal, such as processing time, applicable forms and related fees. However, McKissock serves as a comprehensive resource about continuing education requirements and more. If you have any questions, contact 1-800-328-2008.

 

“It’s important to plan ahead and ensure you have the time to meet state and association renewal requirements,” adds Creek. “However, McKissock offers a wide variety of home inspection, land surveying and engineering courses that can be taken immediately so you can get back to work.”

McKissock also has affiliations directly with associations to help professionals understand requirements and receive continuing education credits, including: the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. (NAHI), and California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA).

 

From the McKissock website, state-licensed professionals have access to all they need to fulfill state requirements, including governing agency information, and can begin taking required coursework immediately. McKissock offers customizable packages, individual courses and affordable webinars.  For more information, visit http://www.mckissock.com.

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Five Things Home Inspectors Must do to Stay Working


McKissock, a leader in continuing education for real estate-related professionals, has outlined five ways to keep home inspectors on the job. Rookies and veterans alike have the same things to consider as the industry changes; this list is applicable for anyone who needs to keep their income flowing. McKissock is a trusted resource for state-specific, state-approved home inspection courses, regulation information and compliance.

 

The following tips are important home inspector requirements:

 

4359173344?profile=original1. Don’t Compromise Safety. Although obvious, there are safety precautions that every home inspector should never ignore. It may be as simple as ensuring that you have the correct safety clothing and equipment, but this is the foundation of the home inspection profession. 

2. Make sure your license and insurances are up to date. It’s absolutely critical to have a current license and insurance. Even if your state does not require licensing, insurance should be a “must have.” Know your renewal date and schedule continuing education classes early enough so you are not in fear of a license lapse. 

3. Know Local Laws and Legislation. Each state and local jurisdiction has their own laws that pertain to the home inspection industry and they do tend to change. Make it your responsibility to understand local laws and ensure you are not putting your license and career in jeopardy.  

 

4. Practice Practical and Successful Reporting. How home inspectors take notes, document findings and present results to clients is of paramount importance. There are always ways to improve these reports and increase the potential for repeat business. In addition, all records need to be maintained as required by state regulations.

5. Stay on Top of New Trends.  Whether it is the increase in green building practices, the usage of dangerous construction practices or materials, or any other new construction trends, it’s a home inspector’s duty to know about the latest-and-greatest materials and techniques.


“Home inspectors are busy professionals who provide an important service,” says Annie Creek, New Market and Compliance Specialist at McKissock. “We are committed to helping home inspectors deliver up-to-date knowledge to their customers and have the confidence that they are complying with their state or association’s regulations.”

 

Some areas that McKissock’s Home Inspection courses cover include:

  • Attic Ventilation
  • Codes of Ethics and Standards of Practice
  • Construction Details and Trends
  • Electrical Systems
  • Exterior: Walls, Windows, Roof and Foundation
  • FHA 203K Inspections
  • Foundation and Footing
  • Home Energy Inspection
  • Home Inspection Safety
  • HVAC Ductwork
  • Plumbing Cross Connections
  • Pools and Spas
  • Pre-Drywall and Drywall
  • Radon Detection and Mitigation
  • Reactive Chinese Drywall
  • Reporting
  • Residential Cooling Systems and Heating Pumps

From the McKissock website, home inspectors have access to all they need to fulfill state requirements, including governing agency information, and can begin taking required coursework immediately. McKissock offers customizable packages, individual courses and affordable webinars.  For more information, visit http://www.mckissock.com.

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McKissock, a leader in continuing education for real estate-related professionals, now has more state-specific, state-approved home inspector courses and land surveyor education. From the McKissock website, they have access to all they need to fulfill state requirements, including governing agency information, and can begin taking required coursework immediately. McKissock offers customizable packages, individual courses and webinars that are easy to access and affordable.

 

In addition to understanding the requirements of state regulatory boards, McKissock has affiliations or communicates directly with associations to help professionals receive continuing education credits. Those associations include: the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. (NAHI), International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) and California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA).

 

“McKissock’s courses are dependable, accessible, low-cost and compliant, which is the formula for success for busy professionals,” says Annie Creek, New Market and Compliance Specialist at McKissock. “Since each state has different requirements, it’s reassuring to know that McKissock can verify what’s necessary to keep your license from lapsing.”

 

The state-specific core Home Inspection courses include:

 

  • Connecticut
    • Connecticut Home Inspection Laws and Legislation

  • Illinois
    • Electrical Service Inspections
    • Exterior Pre-Drywall Inspection
    • Foundation and Footing Construction Inspection
    • Interior Pre-Drywall Inspection
    • Plumbing Cross Connections
  • New Jersey
    • Obey the Law: Standards of Practice for New Jersey Home Inspectors
  • Nevada
    • Nevada Home Inspection Safety for IOS (Inspector of Structures)
    • Nevada Home Inspector Law

 

(Note to Nevada professionals: To renew an active certificate, a certified inspector must complete 20 hours of approved education, including, without limitation: (a) At least 3 hours of instruction on issues relating to the safety of any inhabitants of a structure being inspected and the inspector conducting the inspection; AND (b) At least 2 hours of instruction on the provisions of this chapter (laws) and chapter 645D or NRS.)

 

The state-specific core Land Surveying courses include:

  • Alabama
    • Alabama Standards of Practice
  • Arkansas
    • Standards of Practice for Arkansas Land Surveyors
  • Florida
    • Florida Minimum Technical Standards and Ethics
  • Idaho
    •  Idaho Minimum Standards of Practice
  • Illinois
    • Standards of Professional Conduct for Illinois Land Surveyors
  • Louisiana
    • Minimum Standards for Property Boundary Surveys in Louisiana
    • Professional Ethics for Louisiana Land Surveyors and Engineers
  • Missouri
    • Missouri Minimum Standards
  • Mississippi
    • Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Mississippi Land Surveyors and Engineers
  • Montana
    • Montana Ethics for Land Surveyors
  • North Carolina
    • Standards of Conduct for Land Surveyors and Professional Engineers in North Carolina
  • North Dakota
    • Rules of Professional Conduct for North Dakota Land Surveyors and Engineers
  • Nebraska
    • Standards for Nebraska Land Surveyors
  • New Mexico
    • New Mexico Ethics and Professional Conduct for Land Surveyors and Engineers
  • Ohio
    • Standards and Code of Ethics for Ohio Land Surveyors 
  • Oregon
    • Rules of Professional Conduct for Land Surveyors and Engineers in Oregon
  • South Carolina
    • Rules of Professional Conduct for South Carolina Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
  • Wyoming
    • Code of Ethics for Wyoming Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors  

 

McKissock is an education company that educates, empowers and enriches professionals in real estate, appraisal, home inspection, land surveying and engineering. McKissock gives specialists a place to go to access relevant, easy-to-use and high-quality courses that provide the hours and information necessary to meet state compliance and regulation requirements. Founded in 1990, McKissock offers more than 100 courses and serves thousands of professionals daily. The company is focused on providing a superior customer experience that will help professionals move their career forward. To learn more, visit www.mckissock.com

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Due to recent developments in the default real estate industry, we (as default professionals) have seen an explosion of real estate schools offering default courses in specific niches like, Short Sale, REO and Loan Modification.

Of course, I am sure we all can agree, a quality education can be expensive but, well worth it however, why would someone pay a premium for a quality education? For many of us, this question is mute simply because know the benefits of such an education.

The problem I see in the default industry with these real estate schools is that many of them are over promising, under delivering or plain negligent and in some cases, possibly even fraudulent with their claims. We know this to be the case due to the increased number of professionals adding their voice to the chorus of complaints, negative blogs and outright hostility towards many of these real estate schools.

So, if I was in the market looking for an education, what would I look for to make sure, I am getting a quality education. Below is my list of requirements any school would have to offer to get me to write them a check.

  1. Books: If I am going to pay for a class, I want more than just a handout or screen shots of the slide presentation, I want a book. I want a book because, this lets me know that someone within in the school’s organization sat down and committed his knowledge and experience to paper. This is important to me because it commits the writer and instructor to a process of improvement and refinement. To be more specific, when students have a book, they are likely to go through, read it, question it and pose those question to their instructors and get answers. This Q & A process allows the instructor to refine the material, make changes to improve the material and becomes the single authority the class is built around. A book is very important.
  2. Experienced Instructors: An experienced instructor is invaluable and very well worth their weight in gold. The experience of the instructor, coupled with the knowledgebase of an actual training manual / book, creates an environment where learning is maximized. Experienced instructors give the book and class a level of integrity that can’t be and shouldn’t be discounted. As a student, I expect that if I were to ask a question about a particular subject matter being taught in class, my instructor should be able to answer my question or, at the very least, have a resource from his experience to get that answer with no difficulty.
  3. Uncompromised Integrity: The days of testing a students’ knowledgebase with an open book test are gone! If I am going to pay good money for a course, I expect that when I am done and it’s time to test my retained knowledge that I can’t just go and grab my book, open it up and look up the answer. I have never understood the purpose of these types of test. As a student, I took the course not to just get the “certification or designation” but, to actually better myself and increase my knowledgebase and likewise, I expect to be tested in such a way that evaluates my level of retention honestly so I may strive for success. Too many times I have seen agents walk into a training class with computers, IPads, mobile devices and the such because, the class was secondary to whatever else was going on. The class expectation was lowered because they knew the test was open book and all they had to do was be a warm body in a seat for a couple of days. This isn’t a class I want to be a part of.
  4. Certification / Designation: If I spend the time, money and energy to truly learn and become a subject matter expert in my niche, I better get a designation or at least a certification. For many of you, this may not be important because, many of you carry certification and designations that came from open book test. I am looking for a certification or designation that isn’t achieved by just paying my $499.99 onetime fee and my annual $99.99. Give us a certification, designation that means something, that was something I worked hard for and people know I worked hard for.
  5. Open Doors: People go to Harvard or Stanford not simply because they are good schools but, because they also know that those names on a resume will open a door. In other words, students know that paying $100,000.00(+) for a education will pay off as a long term investment, 10 (+) fold. Too many real estate schools are charging premiums for education yet, not a single door is ever opened with that education. Granted, I am sure that the majority of the time, the student can hold a good portion of the blame, when it comes to not making their education work for themselves but, I have never met a poor Harvard graduate. My point is, students expect that if they are going to pay a premium, it better be returned in business. I don’t think this is too much to ask, hell….I would expect it myself if I were looking for a default course to take. The reason many of these real estate courses out there today don’t open doors is because, they aren’t built around traditional education philosophies and instead are nothing more than money grabbers who make empty promises but, what is worse, the industry knows it and therefore, they do not open doors.
  6. Mentoring: After I pay my premium, take my test, graduate the program, I want to know that I have a forum, a site, somewhere to go to find advice or provide advice to others who follow. Mentoring is key to a quality education because it’s a part of the process to open doors. People who have made it and can contribute a portion of their success to their education can then turn around and bring others up behind them through a quality mentoring program. Granted, I don’t necessarily need a one on one mentor but, at the very least, I need a library of sorts that I can go to, look things up, chat with other members and further my learning by staying on the cutting edge of what is happening real time in the real world.
  7. No Annual Fees: I shouldn’t have to continually pay for my education, certification or designation. A education isn’t a service, it’s a product and therefore, should be priced around the idea that I will only pay once. I don’t got to the grocery store, buy a box of Macaroni and Cheese and then pay for it every week so, why would I do that with an education, I wouldn’t! Annual fees are nothing more than a education provider to milk his current students out of their hard earned cash because that provider knows it’s harder to obtain new students than it is to simply get current students to agree to give you annual fees when they sign up for your course in the first place. Annual fees allows education providers to become stagnate and lazy and I don’t want to pay them.

My point is, these 7 bullets are my concerns about what is happening in the real estate education industry. If I can’t get a majority of these 7 items filled, I don’t buy the class. Sad to say, really because, why can’t we have a choice where we aren’t looking to purchase based on these 7 points so much we are looking at the actual quality of education.

REOPro is launching our certification, designation for short sales this year and let me assure you, every single one of these points will be met. Granted, it won’t be cheap and many people may see the REOPro Short Sale Designation as cost prohibitive however, I promise I won’t ever offer a educational course unless we can meet every single one of the points I mentioned above.
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