Shortly after the successful “kick-off” meetings for the NACHI Idaho chapter, Bruce Kirby, NACHI's Western States Director, together with his wife and fellow Inspector, Judy, agreed to represent NACHI at the Idaho/Montana real estate convention on September 14^th-17^th. The event, which will take place in Sun Valley Idaho is sure to be one of the biggest real estate events in the Western United States.

NACHI will add its presence with a booth for the multi-day event. Hosting the booth will be Bruce and Judy Kirby of BJCC Inspections. They are also the founders of the Northwest Montana NACHI chapter. Information will be dissimulated to promote NACHI with the Idaho/Montana real estate community. As always, Bruce and Judy will be sharing ideas with real estate professionals about Home Inspections. Raising standards and ethical practices will be emphasized along with “quality inspections cost more” and “don't be coerced into a cheap inspection”.

When asked, Bruce said, “This is a great opportunity to mingle with real estate professionals and inform them how a quality inspection is worth more than its cost.”

Bruce and Judy own BJCC Inspections in Montana, which is one of the highest-priced inspection companies in the country. Judy is often heard to say “We charge more and give you more.”

New NACHI Chapter erupts in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 8^th, 2005, with Alan C. Kanngieser of ACK & Associates Home Inspections, taking the helm as its new president. Congratulations Alan! Bruce Kirby, NACHI's Western States Director, was the key speaker at the first Nebraska NACHI Chapter meeting. The attendees engaged in lively discussion about marketing, ethics, litigation, raising standards, raising prices, and demanding more of ourselves as NACHI Home Inspectors. Everyone is looking forward to a “kick-off” Chapter Meeting in the near future. Go! Big! Red!

Al is a man of character and strives to do the right thing. He said, “My client comes first and, of course, I am biased toward my client.”

 At closing, Bruce was quoted as saying, “I am impressed with the character of the individuals in Nebraska and am excited to have people like Al as leaders in NACHI. With people like this working to better NACHI we can become even more solid and stronger than we are at present. I look forward to working with Al.”

If anyone is interested in joining the Nebraska NACHI Chapter and working with AL to build NACHI email AL at; alkanngieser@cox.net
 

NACHI's Western States Director, Bruce Kirby, took time off from inspecting in August, 2005, to start another new NACHI chapter – the Eastern Montana chapter. Bruce and his wife Judy had a, quick and casual, yet intense and informative meeting with Steve Smith of Homefront Property Inspections. Bruce positioned Steve as president of the Eastern Montana chapter of NACHI. Much discussion was given to raising standards and increasing NACHI's presence and clout in the community.

Steve is working diligently to help draft legislation for a Montana Home Inspector's bill. This will take time and effort, but after much discussion, Steve and Bruce agreed it is necessary to work with the legislators and set some standards in Montana.  Other topics of discussion included marketing, ethics, litigation, raising prices, and demanding more of ourselves as NACHI Home Inspectors. Everyone is looking forward to a “kick-off” Chapter Meeting in the near future.

Bruce was quoted as saying, “I am impressed with the character of Steve and am excited to have people like Steve as leaders in NACHI. I am confident Steve will help to better NACHI in Montana. I look forward to working with Steve more in the future."

If anyone is interested in joining the Eastern Montana's NACHI Chapter and working with Steve to build NACHI email Steve at; homefront@bresnan.net.

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With the lack of snowfall this winter, Forest Service officials and layman alike are expressing much concern over the upcoming fire season.  When was the last time you had a Home Fire Safety Evaluation?  The Montana Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service recommends one for all residences in or near forestlands.

Sharing in their concern, a local Home Inspection company, BJCC Inspections is now providing Home Fire Safety Evaluations as part of their Home Inspection.  US Forest Service representative, Marcy Goheen, says, “I am pleased to see a Home Inspection company take an interest and offer this much needed community service.”  This Safety Evaluation is offered as part of the standard Home Inspection, or Home Checkup and also as a stand alone service.

Bruce and Judy Kirby both commented, “We live in the forest and we want, not only our new customers, but all our friends and neighbors to be well informed of the possibility of fires.  Our goal is to help people to have a safe comfortable home to live in.”  Both Bruce and Judy are Certified Home Inspectors through the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors and Certified Mold Inspectors through Environmental Solutions Associates.  Bruce and Judy are currently involved with fire safety training.

To obtain more information on fire safety contact the US Forest Service at www.fs.fed.us, the Montana  Department of Natural Resources at www.dnrc.state.mt.us, or the Firewise program at http://firewise.org.  For more information on getting a Home Fire Safety Evaluation or other Home Inspection issues contact BJCC Inspections at www.bjccinspections.com , 406-882-4825 or toll free at 1-877-248-6006. 

The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors booth operated by Bruce and Judy Kirby of BJCC Inspections was a busy place on Saturday. Between handing out brochures, air fresheners, pens and NACHI bags (“the bag” as it came to be known) it is amazing there was time to talk. Some topics of discussion were: the importance of home inspections, what makes a good Home Inspector, pre-listing inspections, home checkups, becoming a Home Inspector, and most of all raising standards in the home inspection industry.

According to Deb Mills, the fair's coordinator, the fair had a much larger turnout than last year and was a great success. The main thrust of the event was to educate consumers so they could make wise decisions in home buying. The Northwest Montana Association of Realtors in partnership with the newly formed Residential Ownership Opportunities Foundation held homeowner education classes throughout the day. A local Northwest Montana NACHI chapter member Kelly Bernard taught a class called “Why do You Need a Home Inspection”. Professionals from all aspects of the real estate process were on hand to help consumers.

Mold and mold remediation turned into an ongoing discussion at the NACHI/BJCC booth. Western Mountains LLC, a local mold remediation company, had their booth right behind the NACHI/BJCC booth so this was no surprise. There is a lot a fear about mold right now and BJCC Inspections is proud to have two Certified Mold Inspectors on staff. Training is important to understand protocol and limitations in mold inspecting.

For more information on Home Inspections contact BJCC Inspections at www.bjccinspections.com or the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors at www.nachi.org.

BJCC Inspections, the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) representative in Montana, will have a booth at the Housing Fair in the Kalispell Center Mall on February 19^th from 9 am – 6 pm. The Housing Fair is to educate the future home owner so they can make good choices when purchasing their home.

NACHI is the world's largest Home Inspectors association. Bruce Kirby (BJCC Inspections), NACHI's Western States Director, will be on hand to answer questions about NACHI and Home Inspections. Mr. Kirby is quoted as saying, “NACHI is proud to be a sponsor of this event. An informed educated buyer is one of the goals of NACHI. Another is to raise the standards for the Home Inspection industry throughout the world.”

This is the second annual Housing Fair and a much larger turnout is expected than last year. Cal Scott the Fair's Director says, “This is the largest event of its kind in the state.” NMAR (Northwest Montana Association of Realtors) hopes this event will assist home buyer's in their quest for the perfect home.

The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) is pleased to announce that Bruce Kirby of BJCC Inspections, a Montana based Home Inspection company, and founder of the Northwest Montana NACHI chapter, has agreed to take the position of NACHI's Western States Director.

Both Nick Gromicko, Executive Director of NACHI, and Lorne Steiner, Director at Large of NACHI, have often expressed that communication is the key to successful relationships, not only in the inspection industry, but in business in general. They have noticed this to be one of Kirby's strong points. Bruce Kirby embraces this concept and intends to help facilitate improved communication between NACHI members, Realtors, Legislators, and Consumers.

Mr. Gromicko has been quoted as saying, “I have had the privilege of watching Mr. Kirby bring NACHI to Montana with exuberance and innovative thinking. I look forward to his increased input and desire to help NACHI grow.”

“I am thrilled to pick up the mantle, and be challenged by further involvement in NACHI, helping to raise industry standards, ethics, and communication,” said Bruce Kirby.

As Western States Director, Kirby's goal is to make himself available to NACHI for speaking engagements and classes. He looks forward to assisting Gromicko, thereby taking some of the workload off of Gromicko and Steiner. He intends to work with Realtors and Legislators as NACHI's representative to emphasize the importance of qualified Home Inspectors.

Bruce Kirby of BJCC Inspections has been asked by Nick Gromicko (Executive Director of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors) to give a talk on “Ethics in Home Inspections” at the upcoming NACHI Home Inspector Convention later this month.  NMAR (Northwest Montana Association of Realtors) Realtors, along with Realtors in other professional associations, are excited to see NACHI's upward movement in ethical real estate practices.

The convention is open to all Home Inspectors. It is the first of its kind, drawing people from throughout the world. A long list of vendors will be showing off their wares. Classes and information for Home Inspectors will top the list of activities. This multi-day event will include continuing education credits for Inspectors. All activities will take place at the DisneyWorld Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Bruce has been quoted as saying “This is a great opportunity for inspectors to share ideas and information about the inspection industry. There will be a lot of learning going on. I am glad I can contribute in some small way to help elevate industry standards.”
For more information about the convention visit the convention webpage at http://www.nachiconvention.com/orlando/pages/index.php. For more information about the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors visit their website at http://www.nachi.org/ . For more information about BJCC Inspections visit http://bjccinspections.com or contact Bruce or Judy at 1-877-248-6006.

National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) representatives Bruce and Judy Kirby of BJCC Inspections met Wednesday, October 6th with the Lincoln County Board of Realtors, at the Venture Inn in Libby.  A short introduction by Bruce Kirby was followed by a informative exchange of ideas between Inspectors and Realtors.  Realtors and Inspectors realized they were on the same page about issues of having the clients interests being number one, keeping Realtors informed of the inspection process, and being realistic with inspections.  The value of Pre-listing inspections made for lively discussion.  Having qualified Home Inspectors available was another topic of concern.  The meeting helped to form a better working relationship between Inspectors and Realtors.

This meeting was set up as a direct result of the overwhelmingly successful Northwest Montana NACHI Chapter meeting, hosted by BJCC Inspections, in Kalispell on September 18th at West Coast Kalispell Center hotel.  The Executive Director of NACHI, Nick Gromicko, indicated the per capita turnout was quite possibly the highest of any chapter meeting so far. Attendance of close to fifty surprised all involved.  Peopled traveled from both coasts to be present for the speakers and discussions.

The meeting and dinner were proceeded by a piercing prayer, in which Pastor Curtis McDuffie told the group “God wants your businesses to be successful.”

After the dinner a short introduction was given by Northwest Montana NACHI Chapter President Bruce Kirby of BJCC Inspections.  Kirby stressed doing the right thing and making sure the buyer gets the kind of house they want, at a fair price.   

Richard Doran, from the Northwest Montana Realtors Association, praised Home Inspectors saying “I can absolutely assure you, you keep us out of hot water.”  Doran talked of being pleased with the increased professionalism, education, and ethics of Home Inspectors.  He looked forward to a stronger working relationship between Realtors and Inspectors.

John Podolinsky, from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, also supported Inspectors and was impressed with the professionalism, being happy to have increased communications between the State and Inspectors.  Podolinsky gave an explanation of the reality of asbestos and the proper steps to take when asbestos is encountered.

Lorne Steiner, of Porter Valley Software, opened more than one eye about the seriousness of good communication in real estate transactions.

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DAILY INTER LAKE                                                                                   Sunday September 12, 2004

BUSINESS/POLITICS

Home inspectors to meet Saturday

The Northwest Montana chapter of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors will have its first meeting at 6 p.m. Saturday in the WestCoast Kalispell Center Hotel.

The new trade group formed to pursue two goals. In the short term, they want to find out how many people are doing home inspections in the area. In the longer term, they want to push legislation that would require home inspections, ideally before the house is put on the market.

"Many states require them, but not here," said Judy Kirby, who runs an inspection service and is organizing the local NACHI chapter with her husband, Bruce.
 
"We're not sure if they're even suggested," added Bruce Kirby.

A home inspection can identify problems before a buyer is stuck with them everything from tilted counters and improperly hung doors to outdated wiring and expiring hot water heaters.

"It’s just to make sure everything's right," Bruce Kirby said. "It's all right to buy a lemon, if you know you're getting a lemon."
 
The meeting is free and open to anyone interested in home inspections, including real estate agents, mortgage lenders and appraisers.  An optional dinner will be served for $25 a person.

Speaking at the meeting will be Richard F. Doran, past president of the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors; John Podolinksy of the state Department of Environmental Quality; Nick Gromicko, Realtor, ad agency owner and executive director of NACHI; Lorne Steiner of Porter Valley Software; and Bruce Kirby.

The topics to be addressed include home inspections in the Montana market, asbestos, marketing home inspections, avoiding litigation and home inspection ethics.

For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Gromicko at nick.gromicko@nachi.org.

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Westshore News                                                                 September 2004