Becoming Licensed... - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

**Cole** · 01-10-2007, 10:31 PM

I have decided to take a online course and become licensed.

It seems like everytime I get a call from a home vestor, they are always asking if I know any good home inspectors.

I will update this thread and let everyone know how it goes, if anyone cares.

ruskent · 01-10-2007, 11:42 PM

Just remember, that the more things you try to do, the less you get done.

Have you given any thought of hireing a licensed inspector to work for you instead of committing youself to it?

Matt

**Cole** · 01-11-2007, 12:26 AM

I have thought about that and it will eventually happen but I want to know first hand what to expect when i do hire one.

Plus I like to learn new stuff all the time.

Hvacman4god · 03-04-2007, 04:09 PM

Cole,

Sounds like a great idea to me I am certified through nachi.org, but you will have to check your state laws to see if state certification is required.

mdshunk · 03-04-2007, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hvacman4god

Cole,

Sounds like a great idea to me I am certified through nachi.org, but you will have to check your state laws to see if state certification is required.

NACHI is a good one to go through if you want instant artificial credibility. Pass a 125 question online test that anyone who's been in the trades for any period of time can pass, and viola... you're a home inspector. There's a little more to it in terms of other stuff you need to do, but that's the crux process. Seems like a fine retirement job for a guy.

concretemasonry · 03-04-2007, 05:18 PM

The NACHI is certainly a cheap, easy and fast way of getting some sort of a certification.

It is not a license and falls far short of qualifying as "certification" where a certification is legally required. The real, recognized tests that are used by states are certainly much more of a test of knowledge. Also state certifications require a certain amount of experience.

You can also buy a college degree on line, but it may not be recognizied by anyone.

**Cole** · 03-06-2007, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hvacman4god

Cole,

Sounds like a great idea to me I am certified through nachi.org, but you will have to check your state laws to see if state certification is required.

I will have to take a state exam as well.

How is it paying off for you?

Is it bringing in more money?

ruskent · 03-16-2007, 06:37 PM

Any update on your progress cole?

concretemasonry · 03-21-2007, 11:17 AM

Keep in mind that a certified home inspector is not like a building inspector.

Although building codes are a part of a home inspection (pre-sale or pre-purchase), a home inspector is more of a generalist concerned with systems operation, equipment life, eminent replacement expenses and safety. Any major concerns that an inspector is not qualified to offer a detailed opinion on are "red flagged" and the inspector's customer (seller or buyer) has the option of contacting a professional (typically electrical, heating and structural). Some code infractions are knowingly overlooked because they are not major safety or cost issues.

Even if a situation meets code, but is unsafe in the course of normal activites, an inspector is required to write up the issue for the customer to do as he/she sees fit. This is because a code is a minimum standard and cannot be written to cover all possibilities where people are involved.

In most areas, a home inspector cannot do work on any home inspected and cannot refer a specific contractor, but can offer a list of established contractors (minimum of 3) for different specialties.

Some "certifying" groups allow participation in repairs and corrections, which can decrease reliability and impartiality.

ron schenker · 06-17-2007, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruskent

Any update on your progress cole?

Ya Cole what's new?

works4me · 10-20-2007, 01:21 PM

Hey Cole,
My father talked me into becoming a licensed home inspector about 5 years ago (we are both full time contractors). He actually has been doing them for almost 20 years now - he just had such a good reputation as being knowledgable and honest that people would call him and pay him to look at houses for them before anyone even called them home inspections. Drove him nuts when the state said a few years back that he now needed a license to do it legally. But now he sees the wisdom of it keeping most of the "dangerous" guys out of the business.
Anyway, I of course didn't use mine much the first few years - it's somewhat intimadating to be almost 30 and have people look at you as the authority on something as big as a whole house (even though I had already been hands on in the business for almost 10 years). It's a learning/experience curve thing, I (now 37) can pretty quickly earn confidence and trust with the buyers at the start of the inspection (even with the ones who know - at least they think they do - their stuff).
As a full time contractor it is kind of a pain to pull off and leave a jobsite in the middle of the day to do one (I have to make sure the workers have stuff to due for the 2 hours i'm gone). I only do about 2 a week (my dad does about 6 - 12), but at $250.00 - not bad for 2 hours of walking and talking and 30-40 minutes of typing a report. I'm thinking about spending the money to upgrade and get more "computerized" and give reports on-site at completion of inspection. Maybe a question I'll throw out there later.
the licensing and continueing education total about 600 - 800.00 a year in fees. And E & O insurance fees.
The best side I have found also to being a licensed inspector is the credability it gives me on my job proposals. I somehow always work it in with the customer during the proposal and they always smile and say "really, that's good!". So, it has helped me in more ways than I thought. Not to mention you will actually learn some good things going through the education and continueing education process. Especially areas I thought I was "weaker" in.

Good Luck, hope this helps

concretemasonry · 10-20-2007, 02:45 PM

Using being a home inspector may help getting some construction work. It certainly is a selling point to some customers.

None of the real certifying and accrediting organizations allow a certified home inspector to do any work or give proposals on the homes they inspect. That is a major breach of ethics that is policed quite efficiently and heavily by the professional inspectors. The same applies to most state certifications, no matter how many classes you take.

works4me · 10-20-2007, 03:33 PM

Correct, we do not perform work on homes we inspect (conflict of interest). I was referring to proposals I give through my construction company - I let these customers know I am a licensed home inspector. We do have other companies we recommend to do certain repairs for some projects to potential buyers, but there is never any kind of referral fee or payment to us from the companies were recommend (most probably don't even know we recommend them). We do get about 20-30% of our work from other home inspectors recommending us to repair some of the problems they find (but that has nothing to do with me being an inspector). Just that our company name became known as someone who will fix most of the trivial or important things on a repair amendment quick, good and fair priced.

works4me · 10-20-2007, 03:37 PM

Just noticed this thread was older. By the way Cole did you ever get your inspector license?

vestaviascott · 03-04-2009, 05:47 PM

Regarding the conflict of interest issues. I can certainly see the need for it to be regulated, but I wonder how its different from energy auditing companies (and industry of which i'm a part of).

Any thoughts or comments? It would seem that if you are honest and above board, and rely on the satisfaction of your customers and word-of-mouth (which is certainly essential in these hard economic times), you would be in the best position to do the repairs - provided you have the skilled crews to do it.

matthewcims · 03-30-2009, 07:40 PM

My father has been doing home inspections for 20+ years now and ive been doing work under him for a few years. I got my home inspection licenses in MD and my insurance with his company. Like the guy above said being 30 and having to tell people about there homes is tuff. Try being 20 Years old people have looked at me and said this cant be right. Ive seriously said give me a try I bet youll thank me after the inspection. Sure enought 3-5 times real estate agents/ buyers have pulled me a side and appoligized.

Now i know your saying 20 and own business blah blah. No I work under my father company and have done 50-100 Rental/Home inspection in Baltimore MD/Surronding area's.

Just a few words lil off topic but i had to let it out

Kenton · 03-31-2009, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdshunk

NACHI is a good one to go through if you want instant artificial credibility. Pass a 125 question online test that anyone who's been in the trades for any period of time can pass, and viola... you're a home inspector. There's a little more to it in terms of other stuff you need to do, but that's the crux process. Seems like a fine retirement job for a guy.

Incorrect.

Our entrance exam has a 60% failure rate.
Go to nachi.org/aboutexam and click on national statistics and see what you find.

I'm head trainer and course writer for InterNACHI. I'm also Director of Green Building and Director of International Development.
My courses and I are approved for continuing home inspector education in about 16 states.

If you're interested in becoming a home inspector start by taking one of our many free inspection courses and watching one of our 60 free online inspection-related videos. You won't find this type or quality of inspection education anywhere else and certainly not for free.

WE offer many, many benefits to our members including a huge amount of marketing help in a tough economy. I think it was January, we gave away 100 sets of homegauge software to the first 100 inspectors who asked. Homegauge sells for about $1000.

All through February we sent box after box of 80 page glossy homeowners guides to inspectors who were ordering them 50 to 100 at a time. The usually sell to inspectors for $2.00 each. We sent them all out for free for inspectors to give customers.

We were filming free commercials which we'd put online and them give the inspector a link for his website. Our website has 235,000 pages and gets 260 million hits a year. Great SEO. It was a shame... hardly anyone took advantage of it.

Go to nachi.org and look through the site and then compare it to other inspection trade organizations. See how many free, online comprehensive inspection courses you find on their sites, see how much free marketing help you get from them, then look to see what the InterNACHI educational requirements are for the first 2 years.

I know this business and this organization and I know what I'm talkng about.

Kenton · 03-31-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by concretemasonry

Keep in mind that a certified home inspector is not like a building inspector.

Although building codes are a part of a home inspection (pre-sale or pre-purchase), a home inspector is more of a generalist concerned with systems operation, equipment life, eminent replacement expenses and safety. Any major concerns that an inspector is not qualified to offer a detailed opinion on are "red flagged" and the inspector's customer (seller or buyer) has the option of contacting a professional (typically electrical, heating and structural). Some code infractions are knowingly overlooked because they are not major safety or cost issues.

Even if a situation meets code, but is unsafe in the course of normal activites, an inspector is required to write up the issue for the customer to do as he/she sees fit. This is because a code is a minimum standard and cannot be written to cover all possibilities where people are involved.

Home Inspections are not code inspections although inspectors can offer code inspections as ancillary inspections if they choose. All the major inspection trade associations have Standards of Practice, none of which require inspectors to identify code violations. We specifically warn inspectors against quoting code in their reports, thereby potentially exposing themselves to legal libility for any code violations missed (at least according to a plaintiff's attorney).
To maintain membership in most organizations, members must abide by (often may exceed) the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.

Home inspections are inspections for safety and system defects, so they often parallel codes in concern.

**Ed the Roofer** · 03-31-2009, 10:39 PM

Hi Kenton.

I replied to Paige regarding your e-mail earlier today. I hope that works out soon.

Cole,

You should check out the Nachi.org forum site. The guys have an incredible amount of knowledge about all sorts of things, or at least the ones that take the time to post frequently.

Other inspector organizations defame the Nachi requirements, but from what I have seen from members in other organizations, it really is all about the man earning the credentials, not the test that he took.

There are other sources I could refer you to, but for a quick start, I would definitely recommend those guys just to check out.

The main complaint that I have about the organization, is the thin skinned nature that the leadership has regarding anyone who posts on their forum who is certified by another organization.

If they debate ones merits compared to each other, rather than just moderate the offending posters, they censored the entire forum on non-members at one stroke.

Most of the members there thought that was an act of sheer idiocy, but the leadership felt that it was necessary.

Ed

**Ed the Roofer** · 03-31-2009, 10:43 PM

GEEZ!!!

I didn't realize this was from 2007 when I responded.

Ed