Roughly a month ago, a large shakeup began at the International Association of Field Service Technicians (IAFST) when it came to Leadership and Policy Implementation. The focus has become a back-to-basics model focusing on education coupled with the establishment of policy and procedure. As IAFST Field Service Technicians and Inspectors alike have already begun embarking on their journey from the mortgage field services industry into affiliated fields such as facilities and property management, developing SAM and Unison accounts has become mission critical. And while many folks are simply comfortable working for say six dollars an inspection or $25 a grass cut, most of the IAFST Membership are professionals in their fields and comfortable bidding on contracts ranging from $125,000 to well over One Million Dollars. If you are interested in joining, this is their link for Membership.
During discussions with Senior IAFST Officials, one Policy stood out pertaining to the security of all Labor rendering services on Industry assets which was the right to carry a firearm. When Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was questioned about the legality, this was their response,
I spoke with Elissa Saunders in HQ SFAM, and she confirmed that there is no HUD prohibition on legally carrying a firearm when servicing FHA inventory (pre or post-conveyance). Any of the servicers would just be required to follow state and local laws regarding registration and carrying of the firearm.
This was not only welcomed by the IAFST Membership, but by Realtors, themselves, whom perform services upon the HUD M&M AM contract. The reality is that, for far too long, the safety of Labor, including Realtors, has been secondary to profit. In fact, it is rare that anyone is able to reach a Vendor Manager, while onsite, even during evictions, themselves. Similarly, those firms brewing their own secret sauce of data and then purposefully obfuscates asset information — meth contamination, mold contamination, multiple transient reports — opens themselves up to litigation. More on point, though, refusing to educate Labor about health and safety issues, or attempting to circumvent HUD regulations allowing Labor to protect themselves, will be a true indicator of a Profits First strategy.
If you are interested in some of the bids like those appearing at the top and provided by a Client of ours, feel free to reach out today and Retain us to get you working now!
