ASHI Strategizes with Policy-Makers in Washington, D.C.

On May 11, an ASHI delegation comprised of Rob Paterkiewicz, ASHI executive director; Don Norman, ASHI president, and Joe Corsetto, ASHI president-elect, joined ASHI’s lobbyist, Randall Pence of Capitol Hill Advocates, for a rapid-fire series of meetings on Capitol Hill, at the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) and the Veterans Administration.

The purpose of the meetings was to continue ASHI’s dialogue with Congress and the administration to promote the expanded use of voluntary home inspections, and to explore a multitude of ways in which the federal government can make that happen.

ASHI is capitalizing on the 2004 Government Accounting Office (GAO) report on home inspections that it requested. The report affirmed that homebuyers who use home inspections find them very valuable. But it also proved there is vast misunderstanding that is causing many homebuyers to
not seek home inspections.

The ASHI delegation met with principals and staff of Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), Sen. John Corzine (D-NJ), Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO), Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), Cong. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Veterans Administration.

Staff for Sen. Bond indicated strong interest in including pro-home inspection language in the committee report accompanying HUD’s annual appropriation bill. Bond chairs the Senate subcommittee that controls HUD funding. Bond’s staff asked ASHI to submit draft language for the subcommittee to consider directing HUD to further improve its messages on home inspection.

In acceding to this request, ASHI also will suggest that modernizing the means for delivering the HUD message is nearly as important as the pro-home inspection message itself. GAO found that only 36 percent of recent homebuyers affirmatively understood the difference between appraisals and home inspections.

ASHI informed Bond’s staff that ASHI has enjoyed good relations with HUD in the last few years, that HUD was taking positive steps to improve its home
inspection documents, and that HUD staff deserve praise for listening to ASHI’s concerns and working with ASHI to address them.            

On the House side of Capitol Hill, ASHI met personally with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Ms. Velazquez holds a pivotal position in Congress and is of great political interest to ASHI. Ms. Velazquez serves on the House Subcommittee on Housing. She is the Ranking Member on the House Small Business Committee. And she is a leader on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

ASHI thanked her for her support on the Housing Subcommittee and for supporting Association Health Plans for small business owners on the Small Business Committee. But perhaps the most interesting highlight was her suggestion that the Hispanic Caucus could help promote home inspection through its network in the Hispanic community, where the dream of home ownership is flourishing.

ASHI’s program to redraft its materials for the growing Hispanic market is attractive to Ms. Velazquez and her staff. ASHI expects a future invitation to personally present to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at Cong. Velazquez’ request. The Caucus can communicate directly and with great credibility to Hispanic homebuyers across the country, hopefully with a strong pro-home inspection message.

As an aside, Ms. Velazquez had altered her schedule to meet with ASHI earlier than planned. This turned out to be especially fortuitous. News enthusiasts will recall that May 11 was the day that a small private airplane ventured into forbidden airspace over Washington, D.C., headed for the White House. Fighter planes came within seconds of shooting it down over Washington.

Within five minutes after ASHI completed its meeting with Congresswoman Velazquez, her office and all the Capitol Hill office buildings were completely evacuated.

Part two of this article, meetings with the federal agencies, will appear next month.