ASTM Meeting details

 This is a breakdown of what happened at the ASTM meeting. 

Well, the motion to initiate an ASTM standard for home inspectors was defeated by a vote of about 109 to 53 (it was hard to hear the exact vote results through the applause).   There were three abstentions, one was the NAR representative.  The meeting started on time with a little over 160 persons present. It began with Pat Picariello ( pronounced: "Pick-Ah-Rello") first running through ASTM's history, similar standards and the standard-creating procedures at ASTM.  There was an hour+ long Q&A session led by Mr. Picariello.  This began the sharing of positions which, as was expected, all of NAHI was in favor of ASTM standards and everyone else was against. A few sarcastic jabs were exchanged amongst the attendees but mostly, the majority just wanted to get the vote over with.

The most damaging points that were voiced were that Mr. Picariello admitted that the "Producers" (home inspectors) would make up a minority of the persons populating the committees and the voting members; Real Estate Agents, Architects, Engineers, Lenders, HVAC Contractors, Plumbers, etc would outnumber the inspectors. Second, adoption of these standards by state legislatures or real estate organizations' contracts would create an opening for poor/inexperienced inspectors to enter the marketplace doing home inspections to ASTM standards.  Also, ASTM would charge inspectors for the use of these standards and all associated forms; forms that could be specialized to various areas/subjects.

    Lunch went from Noon to 1:20 PM. 

Further explanation of the hierarchy of committees within the proposed standards-creating groups was explained by Mr. Picariello. At 1:50 PM, a motion was taken from the floor to proceed with the ASTM standard process which was seconded and initiated a comment period from the attendees.  This is where the impassioned arguments commenced. By a margin greater than 2 to 1, speakers, including Frank Lesch, Don Norman, Marv Goldstein, and Nick Gromicko, argued that the standards that each of the national organizations maintain are well honed and serve the public  much more positively than could an ASTM standard.

There was a couple of "kum bay yah" speeches from the NAHI members; one of which was surreptitiously stifled by the attendees shouts and moans. FYI:  Nick Gromicko actually received the loudest applause for his speech on voting against the standard. The vote was taken by paper ballot.  Several members asked repeatedly to have association rep's observe the ballot counting which was dismissed with a disgusted look by Mr. Picariello but I noticed that there were members watching the counting. The results were announced after Mr. Picariello thanked the attendees for coming and participating in this "emotional" vote. The meeting dissolved immediately. 

This is as reported to me by a close friend who was in attendance and took copious notes.