The economy isn’t just tough on our REALTOR friends. I too have seen my work as home inspector and Mr. Fixit decline. And as some of you might know I now work the AM shift at KCI Airport as a security screener. On several occasions clients/friends have found me dressed better than they ever imagined and doing my best to see that nothing of a threatening nature makes it aboard their plane. I suppose when it comes right down to it, my job as a security screener is much like inspecting homes. My skills at noticing things that aren’t right with the home you’re about to plop a hundred or so grand down on, help me to notice things in luggage and in a person’s behavior that might prove troublesome on your flight.  

  Recently the media referred to security screening in airports as theater, just for show, going through the motions for effect. When there are no threats to detect then in a way that might be so, and the argument could be made that it was a waste of time and money. Trouble is the threats are there and we encounter them daily. I’ve inspected homes that I was hard pressed to find a smudge in the paint never mind any serious concerns. Did that mean you wasted your money hiring me? Ask those folks I handed a 2 page list of items of concern with the property they were purchasing if they feel they wasted their money and my time or if they were glad to have been informed and thus protected by the inspection process. 

  Homeowners often aggravated when I note seemingly minor items in an inspection as needing repair. The trouble is that minor concerns can be hiding or contributing factors to larger issues. Bad caulking and grout can lead to loose tile or even mold issues. It’s like explaining to Malibu Barbie why she can’t take an entire suitcase of creams, lotions, liquids, aerosols and pastes as a carry on, or telling Grand Pa that his pocket knife has to be in his checked luggage and not his pocket. Items most consider innocent are unfortunately quite similar in nature and consistency to items more sinister. Grand Pa’s pocket knife might be great for cleaning his nails or slicing an apple, but in the hands of the bad guys it’s another story, so many are inconvenienced for the safety of all.

  My new job isn’t all serious and bleak though. My days at the gate are often accented with situations hilarious and interesting folks. I have screened a Ms. Longbottom, and even James Bond has crossed my path. Then there was the gentleman that alarmed at the walk through metal detector and when asked to empty his pockets exclaimed, “Can’t you see what’s in them? What kind of x-ray is this? I won’t even go into the kinds of things people put in their luggage, suffice it to say I believe I have seen it all. Not that I ever wanted to. I mean who travels with frozen fish or meatballs in their carry on? Actually lots of folks it seems.  

  I enjoy both of my jobs and intend to continue doing them both for the foreseeable future. So wherever we may cross paths whether it’s at KCI or in front of the home you’re about to buy I promise to do my best to see to your safety and well being and I wish everyone a prosperous and happy 2009

                       Chris Madonia, World of Service,  tel. 816-686-2102