Thread: need some info

I am 30 years old and have been doing cons. for about 12 years.I was thinking of getting into home inspection. how demanding is it? and is it difficult?

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Marco,
You did not mention what your background was in construction; masonry, concrete, framing, electric, etc. You need to know everything in a house and if you have had hands on experience so much the better. You can't learn it from a book and you can never have enough knowledge. After 40+ years in the building and inspection fields I still learn something new on just about every job I look at. Usually something you would never dream anyone would do but they did. Hope this helps.

Keith

Mental demands: good learner, good communications skills (both verbal and written), good marketing or have someone (spouse) that is skilled and willing to promote you and the business, a good basic foundation of all the systems of a house or at least most systems and be willing to learn the rest.

Physical demands are pretty light but you still need to be able to: walk and stand most of the day, spend a considerable amount of time at the computer writing reports and researching, bend, stoop, crawl, walk roofs, not be afraid of heights or ladders, and be ready to be exposed to temperature extremes.
This list seems pretty basic but I have talked to more than one person that figured out after getting the training that they really did not want to be on roofs or go in crawl spaces.

Financial demands: basic tools, insurance, computer, software, etc. will set you back from $5K to 10K depending on your taste.
suitable vehicle ??
enough money in the bank or a spouse with a good job to keep you going for 2-5 years until you get enough business to be profitable.

Licensing varies according to your location as does education requirements but plan on a good bit of education unless you are a qualified electrician, plumber, HVAC tech, carpenter, mason, roofer, etc.

Working in construction and KNOWing construction are two different animals.

Nothing is difficult if you have the drive and desire.

Originally Posted by Bob R

Working in construction and KNOWing construction are two different animals.

Thats for sure. After building a 450 sq ft deck on my house this summer by myself, I certainly KNOW why I am an inspector rather than a carpenter.

Originally Posted by marco soares

I am 30 years old and have been doing cons. for about 12 years.I was thinking of getting into home inspection. how demanding is it? and is it difficult?

Keep your day job!!!

Wouldn't recommend jumping in at this time with the current market. Unless of course there is no other HIs in your specific area. Some great advise about having some money set aside or another primary source of income to start.

If you are ok with not getting a job in 3 weeks sometimes, having your wife kick your ars occasionally, speaking with realtors who look right through you, and seeing the jobs go to the 1hr inspectors, then it is a perfect time to get into it.

The previous answers are all great; but in this economic climate it is really tough, as that idea has occurred to many laid-off construction guys. We've had 6-7 new inspectors jump in this year in an area where we normally have about 3. So suddenly we are looking at 10 (though by next year at least half of those will likely be gone; it's extremely high turnover anyway. I've been here 13 years, and only one other local inspector has lasted over about 3 in normal times. The Realtors in our county sell around 600 homes a year.) But my husband's job carries our health insurance, which is a BIG deal. And we don't starve when my business falls off--things are simply less convenient. A startup to provide a primary (or only) income would be extremely risky at present, even though the work is absolutely wonderful. It's interesting and enjoyable, and I still see new things after all this time.