What You Should Know About CREIA

CREIA is not a new player in the home inspection association arena. As you can see by their logo here, they have actually been around for over 40 years. That makes it older than InterNACHI (the world’s largest home inspector association) and almost as old as ASHI (the world’s oldest home inspector association). That is actually a pretty substantial claim to be able to make.

For 40 years they have been certifying and watching over home inspectors in California. So what does that mean that they are an association just for California?

First of all, remember that as of the writing of this blog post, California is still an unlicensed State, which means there is no such thing as a “licensed” home inspector in California. That also means that being part of CREIA is also not a requirement to be a home inspector there either.

But just because it is not “required” does not mean that it is not expected. For instance, in some parts of California, some of our clients just about refuse to join. Instead, they choose to join InterNACHI or ASHI. According to them, their market doesn’t really care if they are CREIA Certified or not.

But for other inspectors we work with in California – they would not have much work unless they are certified by CREIA. In fact, several of the inspectors that we work with in California will ONLY belong to CREIA because of agents and other inspectors pushing CREIA. So if you are not a member and all the agents, attorneys, mortgage brokers, and inspectors in the area tell clients that your home inspector should be – then you will likely be out of a lot of work.

We can’t really tell you which area is which, but it is worth the effort to look around. Check out your competitors’ websites. Which association logos are on their site? Which association do they mention more often (or at all). Also, ask some local agents and inspectors what the market expects. 

Either way, you may want to join whether your market “requires” it or not. What are the benefits to joining CREIA?

Benefits of Being a Member of CREIA

Besides the obvious “I am a full member of CREIA” bragging rights, there are other benefits to joining. They list their member benefits right on their website. Aomg the most notable benefits in our opinion are the following:

• Chapter Meetings (this is great for new inspectors trying to get on their feet)
• Ride along programs (again, this is a great benefit for new inspectors)
• Inspection legal docs that are California specific and available to members
• Continuing education (very California specific, so it is helpful information)

What is Required to Be a Member

They appear to have to levels of membership (what they call a CCI). The first level appears to be an associate member for newer inspectors who have not completed 250 inspections yet. The top tier appears to be a full member.

They have this helpful little image that you see here that shows you all of the steps to becoming a CCI. They also outline it on their requirements page on their website.

So here is the big question – how much does it cost? According to their website: “Membership Fee: First year Associate membership is $495 due to cost of new member materials. Subsequent years are $395“. So it is right around the cost of other associations in a lot of ways.

Conclusion

So in conclusion, CREIA seems to be a legitimate and reputable home inspection association. They offer continuing education, member benefits, and a basis to go off of in a State without licensing. All-in-all, I think CREIA is a good choice for a home inspector in California to choose.

Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments below!