Becoming a home inspector?

[Jared Drake]

I'd really like to do something with houses for the rest of my life. The more time I spend here and I spend reading my books, the more I fall in love with this stuff. The idea of becoming a carpenter is out, because right now I can't afford to leave my job. Carpenters around here don't make the 16 dollars an hour that I make. But, Home Inspector is a job that I could start part time here in town before work. (I go to work at 2pm) What do you think of someone with no construction experience becoming a home inspector?
Jared

[JRR]

Is it OK for someone who's never been sick ... to be a doctor?

[John_M]

I've look into it for my father.  He is looking to make a career change.  In NY, there is a test to take to be certified along with 40 hours of supervised inspections, plus a whole bunch of other loops to jump through.

Would need to take a course...talk to your state government.

[John Raabe]

While you do need to get certified to be a professional building inspector, there are other options as long as you don't claim to be a professional inspector.

When I first started my design business in Seattle I did home inspections for people buying homes and wondering what options they might have for remodeling and upgrading. This wasn't an engineering review (I made this clear in the ads and information I sent out). I looked at the general condition of the place and often caught problems the buyers (and sometimes the owners) didn't know about. I would write up a report with suggestions on possible inexpensive upgrades and options for additions and remodels.

When there were serious issues or questions I couldn't evaluate I would suggest an engineering inspection.

Many times this gave folks a reality check and helped them decide to pass or buy the home. Sometimes these led to a design project.

Admittedly, I wasn't starting from scratch. This was after 5 years of Architectural school, a couple of years of construction experience, the Peace Corps, etc. However, it was a nice sideline business that I ran for several years. I bought small classified ads and sent out a one page brochure. As usual, I probably undercharged ($75!) but the payoff was the possible design work after folks were comfortable working with me. Perhaps you can find a similar tie-in.

[jb52761]

Not sure about any involved costs, but there has been an ad in the local classifieds here for a few months now on taking a home inspector class here in town. I'll see what I can find out (future cost,etc), and if I gather any info I'll pass it along...

[glenn kangiser]

I remember talking to someone who quit home inspecting because a lawsuit got filed against him - seems there could be a good possibility of this happening in this field if you cost somebody money on either side -

[bartholomew]

I don't think you necessarily need construction experience per se, but you do have to pick up the knowledge somehow. To get an idea of what's involved, you could hang out here... http://www.nachi.org/forum/... and check out their very good online resources here... http://www.nachi.org/education.htm

[keyholefarmhouse]

Getting the license or status now would be a good idea.  Even if you never use it as a career.  This is a new and growing field that is simple to get involved with, now that is.  The citeria for inspecters will undoubtedly go way high.

Kinda like, "Buy now while land is cheap."