Thread: new to the field

i appreciate the opportunity to correspond with other inspectors. well i just found this site and i looks like it may be for me. im just getting started in the home inspection industry. i will be aiming to get started this spring. i have a background as an automotive technician for past fifteen years. i am trying to flee this trade and move on to a successful private home inspection service. i was not able to come by classroom training in the st louis area so i bought the carson/dunlop program. i also have a friend who is an inspector and he will take me along on his inspections sometimes. well thats my story. i guess my first question would be whats one very important thing that all newcomers should realize/do to begin on the right foot? im not real sure what the proper etiquette is about asking questions and posting numerous threads. but i have a ton of questions. anyway thanks alot for your time.

Similar Threads:

• New to field service inspections-insurance loss ?
• Field fabricated firestops for b-vent?
• re; fis field services
• New Member & New to the Field
• Field repairs/modifications of trusses

Hope you have a spouse with a job that pays enough to cover all your household bills and expenses for the next 3 years without any input from you.

You don't know what you don't know. Go on as many inspection ride alongs as you can. Have your friend introduce you to other inspectors. If he doesn't know anyone, he may not be the best person to observe.

Join the local home inspector assoication. You will meet other inspectors who may be willing to allow you to ride along on at least one inspection. You will begin to learn which inspectors are worth their fee and which need more training. You will also see that everyone does it a little bit differently.

If you are not a good writer, start taking writing classes. Write a report for every ride along you go on. Ask that inspector to review your report and make suggestions. It takes writing a couple hundred reports to get to the point you feel comfortable. Really, it does. I am not just saying that. Ask any HI if the report he writes today is better or worse than the report he wrote 1 year ago. Every report is always better than the last.

Inspect your home, your family members homes, your friends homes just for the practice. You will be surprised at how quickly you will figure out how much you don't know.

Never stop studying or learning more about home systems and components. Read every reply to every topic in this forum. Then read all the archived stuff. Really. You will be surprised at how much you learn and how much you don't know.

Buy a copy of the International Residential Code. Read it learn it, internalize it. It will be really boring but you need to know that stuff.

Keep the day job as long as you can. In the current market, you will need it. Many inspectors who have established referreal bases, years of experience, and wonderful marketing programs are out of work. How do you plan to succeed where they are failing?

Originally Posted by keith stumphf

i have a background as an automotive technician for past fifteen years.

Hmmmmm.........

i am trying to flee this trade and move on to a successful private home inspection service.

Keith,
You do realize this is not the best time to get into the construction industry.

i guess my first question would be whats one very important thing that all newcomers should realize/do to begin on the right foot? im not real sure what the proper etiquette is about asking questions and posting numerous threads. but i have a ton of questions.

Feel free to jump right in but......
I think it helps if you do some reading first, for several reasons.
1)There are a lot of threads that cover a lot of subjects, almost all are educational and will cover whatever the topic is in detail, and usually from several different perspectives. You can learn a lot from going through the older threads.
2)It will give you a chance to get familiar with the message board (did you know there is an "introduction by new members section" )
3) Also you will learn that are some incredibly knowledgeable folks here, that very willing to share what they know, but there are not a lot of sugar coated answers, so don't take it personally.

I have been in construction all my life and I learn something every day here, so you are at the right place to learn. I am not a home inspector so I can't help you with the other questions.

i dont want to offend anyone about spouses, but you did bring it up. well i dont have a spouse to muss up the works. no offense intended to the ones with spouses. anyway i am reading as much as i can. and trying to get out as much as possible to properties that are vacant and for sale. just so i can get used to approaching houses and getting the overall view of the property as a whole things like that. anyway right i could try to answer you about how am i going to make it when the other guy isnt. but thatd just be words. it really just has to work. wild horses couldnt drag me to working on cars again. so it has to work and thats the only real way ive looked at it. maybe it will maybe it wont. cant say for sure but its now or never. got to get out from under the man. i suppose i could wait till the market says its good time to be an inspector. but i dont think anyones ever said it was a good time so it seems as good a time as any. does anyone have any ideas about software for the reporting? has anyone heard of WIN i think it is? anyway thanks for responding and i dont mean to be controversial about spouses.

Much has been written about reporting software. Go check out what has been written already. Then ask specific questions.

Don't forget to use capitalization and punctuation in your posts. Home Inspectors are judged upon their written reports. The better you write, the better inspector you are. Always try to write the best you can to develop good habits.

If you cant work for the man, then why not open your own auto repair? Due to the economy, people are holding on to their used vehicles longer and they need repair. People are not buying houses. If you want to leave the auto repair industry, that is fine. Choosing an industry in the worst slump in decades does not seem like the best choice.

You have to be able to convince the rest of the world that they should pick you over an experienced home inspector. You will need a definitive plan written down that maps how you will accomplish your triumphant climb to success in a field that is already overstaffed and in decline. You need a business plan. No plan is a just a plan to fail.

consider that the overhead needed to open an automotive would be massive compared to home inspections. plus i dont want to work on cars anymore. ivehad enough. my posts will probably remain thisa way. its how i like it. if its offensive or against the rules then i will make an adjustment. anyway have you proof-read your post? dont mistake me for being arrogant or anything, but you brought it up. again, though, thanks for the advice i do appreciate it. do you invite your clients to accompany you during the inspection? i was thinking it might not be a bad idea to complete the entire inspection then take the clients through and summarize. rather then having them tag along through the entire inspection. i dont know, how do you do it? just seems like it would be simpler to do the inspection alone, re-organize then take the client through. what do you think?

Keith
I've heard that many inspectors like yourself (new) belong to an organization called INACHI. They have a lot of information that might help you.

are you a christian? is that organization for real or are you just giving me a hard time?

Keith,
Here is a thread on reporting software.

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...-software.html

Here is a thread that might answer some more of your questions.

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...hadow-you.html

But like Bruce and I have said just look around, you will be amazed at what you will learn.

Originally Posted by keith stumphf

are you a christian? is that organization for real or are you just giving me a hard time?

Just ask them, they will tell you they are for real.
According to INACHIs owner, who is funded by his on-line Certified Inspectors, Home Inspectors that don't pay him to be certified inspectors are dumb, stupid scumbags that should be killed.

thanks Chris, sometimes i just need pointed in the right direction

www.nachi.org/

if there were no such thing as god, man would find it necessary to create him. sorry i wont stray from the subject matter again, sorry.

well it looks like various organizations really get their cut of the business. going to cost, what 250 dollars or so a year to join ashi, etc. etc. how many organizations does one have to subscribe to?

Originally Posted by keith stumphf

well it looks like various organizations really get their cut of the business. going to cost, what 250 dollars or so a year to join ashi, etc. etc. how many organizations does one have to subscribe to?

You really don't have to join any org.
If you are just starting out, this free site, and attending local HI org seminars in your area, will give you all the info you need for a while.

Don't forget to check out all the advertizers here to help keep this site free.

Membership fees to join HI orgs are like pricing your inspections, you get what you pay for.
You will find the more you pay to be a member of an org, the more you will get.

Welcome to the board Keith. Check out all of the board archive comments on HI biz start up. There has been many issues covered there.

You might also want to get you a "caps lock" key on that computer.

RICK

Originally Posted by keith stumphf

i appreciate the opportunity to correspond with other inspectors. well i just found this site and i looks like it may be for me. im just getting started in the home inspection industry. i will be aiming to get started this spring. i have a background as an automotive technician for past fifteen years. i am trying to flee this trade and move on to a successful private home inspection service. i was not able to come by classroom training in the st louis area so i bought the carson/dunlop program. i also have a friend who is an inspector and he will take me along on his inspections sometimes. well thats my story. i guess my first question would be whats one very important thing that all newcomers should realize/do to begin on the right foot? im not real sure what the proper etiquette is about asking questions and posting numerous threads. but i have a ton of questions. anyway thanks alot for your time.

Welcome Keith... OK Send me a check for $ 100.00 thats a good place for you to start. then we can get to work on your next lesson Lesson 3 has a lot of good info for you... Your going to be great at you new Home Inspection Job. One of the best...

Best

Ron
Santa Rosa California Home Inspection - Exterminating & Thermal Imaging

what bike is that you have Ron? looks like e/o insurance is pretty expensive as well. everyone has got their hands out for a piece of the inspection. well i dont mean to be cynical but..... anyway. what exactly does the e/o insurance do or is there a thread or something that would tell me exactly what that insurance does. the other thing i dont understand is im always hearing what a liability an inspector bears. what i mean to say is wouldnt the contract have wordage enough to describe that the inspector is not to blame and assumes no responsibility for anything that might be accidentally overlooked or if the inspector says the roof is slate when it is really concrete. wouldnt the contract basically release the inspector of any liability and by signing, the client would understand this? again, i have not seen an example of a contract and my understanding thus far is naive i am sure. maybe someone could post a copy of a contract so i can see basically what they say.

It's hard to imagine that one could not be successful in an auto repair business. That business should be one of the more steady ones these days.

As for adjusting to be a good inspector is concerned, communication is very important. Specifically, doing so in writing and doing it well is paramount.

Not to be pushy or a prick but, you need to capitalize the first word of each sentence. Then, try and break the message up into a few parts and put some space between things.

When you're writing a home inspection report, imagine that one day you might be sitting in the defendants chair while a jury is reading that very report.

Some day a lawyer might be reading your report. His goal will be to find out how it confuses him. Not only do you need to write so the message can be understood, you need to do it so it can't be misunderstood.

thanks mr dirks. and as i always say....i appreciate the input and the advice. thats a fact. i do. with all due respect. i think your missing the point. there is a lot of money to be made in the automotive repair business, to be sure. and everyone has a car and those cars need maintained and they break down. right. they are always coming in. always work to be done. hard not to be a success. you are right. want to make it clear that i am not new to the world. i am only new to the inspection industry. john dirks jr., you are acting as if i just arrived here on earth and never had an education. i want to say that you cant judge ones professional abilities on the way the text looks on a thread at the big home inspection factory. sometimes, that is. sometimes its REAL easy to discern people with problems of communication from the ones that dont really have a problem communicating. in any event, id r ea lly j u st li ket to k now wh at y ou th i nk of t he li tt le gi an t la d d e rs? how s tha t for spa cing? ? by and by it helps if you move away from the monitor to read my special s p a ci ng.

Keith,

You are asking many good questions. Most have already been answered in depth in other parts of Inspections News. You will find the regular posters here to be a well informed and helpful lot if you make an effort to follow common courtesies.

There are numerous forums divided by topic so people can find information. Asking electrical questions in the plumbing forum is frowned upon. Asking mulitple questions of many different topics in a single topic is frowned upon. You are encouraged to ask as many questions as you like but please ask each question seperately in the appropriate forum.

Please make an effort to read the business operations forum. Many of your questions have already been asked and answered in great detail. If you need clairification on specific topics, just post a reply to that topic.

Using all uppercase is considered shouting. Using all lower case is generally considered lazy. If you follow standard writing practices by using mixed case, proper puncation, and spacing, you will likely be given more respect. Occasional misspellings are generally overlooked by most.

Keith,

You came here asking for help. I simply offered my opinion. I offered it in an area that you displayed.

Writing composure, punctuation, ect.... You need to improve it.

I don't need to get specific. You're speaking for yourself my friend.

alot of rules and regulations that seem to miss the mark. respect should be gained from the content of the medium. Ive seen a lot of so-called good text that misses all together. is this about control? or does the text really get to you?? Im just here to learn more about the inspection industry. I guess by reading other threads I can get the info I am looking for. Im not looking for advice on how to type correctly. but it seems some of you, and Ill bet your REAL important types too, cannot help but fixate on whether or not my CAPS are on. any way no disrespect intended and I know you have tons of millions of years experience and all that. I really dont want to be the root of controversy. it is what it is.

Welcome to the industry

You will find more conflict and difference of opinion is this industry than the automotive industry.

Fact is used to justifiy fiction and vice versa.

But stay and read and digest what you read BUT, with a grainS of salt

I would only put the advice found here if you have a second source stating the same opin. (including my own advice)

Good Luck

Dude, your posts suck to read with all the words endlessly going on. Try caps, spacing and return. That's the issue. No one is trying to control you or any other nonsense.
Part of Johns' concern and probably others, is that if your posts look like that, what do your reports look like. If you can't show courtesy to other inspectors by making your posts legible, how much respect or lack thereof do you have for your clients. Ask yourself why others should answer your posts when you don't care enough not to make them a pain to read.

Keith, Like you say no disrespect, but save your money and get into a field that you have a history in. I had been in construction for 33 years when I got into this. Formal training in Carpentry and Electricity. Every day reading this and doing inspections I learn something. School is great, but it is no substitute for experience. From reading your post you are headed for a law suite and failure quick. Take some friendly advice and find a field you are better suited for.

did you really call me "dude"? i s that what you call your clients? how much respect could you possibly have for your clients when you call em dude? how must your reports look? g's us . you need to relax . if you dont like my posting then dont reply. that simple. but some of you just gotta impose your wills. to make it look like you are something else. and your getting away on a tangent to my original post. is that how you treat your clients, when they have a topic you just go off on your own tangent. stick to the original posting save for your ideas on how I should write a report. again no disrespect is intended. but some want to make me into the controversial type. no other forum has ever had a problem with my text and it is funny to me is all.

Mr. Stumphf,
I appreciate the fact that you are new and thinking of getting into the profession that most of us here are in. I also understand that it is your choice to write your posts anyway you feel like.

I have to say however, that for someone that is coming here hat in hand asking for help, you seemed to have copped an "attitude". That's your choice, clearly.

However, I have to say, that I lost interest in adding my bits of advice after reading your responses (and trying to read your posts without Capitals and with your wacky spacing).

I will say good luck to you in your quest to change vocations.

im not here "hat in hand" asking for help

thats fine then Ill just peruse the threads. if I find I have to post then I will. If its not responded to thats fine. this is just a source for me. I never wanted to be adopted or married to this site. If you have an open mind and are not a grammar instuctor wanna be then well get along fine. If you want to sit on your high-horses and bring on judgement, then dont reply. Is that what you do at conventions and other inspector get togethers- look around and judge who you think will make it based on whether you like what they are wearing? Its real easy to sit in judgement behind a computer and impose all sorts of idiocy on somebody when its not face to face. Now, come on. I know for a fact that the inspector industry cant be largely close-minded, self-righteous, too-good-for-you types... I want to hear from reasonable minded folks, and thats it. The content of my posts has been reasonable and I have not ever instigated disrespect. All you have to do is read my posts. I will not respond to this tedious thread again. All reasonable people may contact me. Reasonable people will find Im easy to deal with. And that I have information to share as well.

Keith,

What we do here is try to help each other. We're trying to help you. If you stick around and participate, you can help us too.

If I'm going to make a mistake (and I will from time to time), I would much rather do it here among my brethren, then out there while serving a client. When I misstep in here I expect to hear it from the forum members. It helps me and I want nothing less.

Nobody here is holding anything against you. Relax and join in.

Dude... You need to go to work for a framing contractor or a foundation form setting crew for a month or so... Thats the best advise we have at this point. A framing crew or foundation crew will help you with your punctuation, ect... and any other issue you may need help with.

Best

Ron

P.S. Nice Bike...

I would recommend any new Home Inspector to take the Fema Housing Inspector training through parr or pb disasters services. I have been in business 2 years as a Home Inspector but made more money with Fema Inspections when the Hurricanes hit Houston and New Orleans , I worked practically night and day , 7 days a week but the money is great. The economy is so slow right now it's hard to compete the Experienced people unless you work for one half the price.

Sorry I misunderstood your first post "i guess my first question would be whats one very important thing that all newcomers should realize/do to begin on the right foot? im not real sure what the proper etiquette is about asking questions and posting numerous threads. but i have a ton of questions. anyway thanks alot for your time."

Sounded to me like someone asking for help. My mistake.

Re FEMA inspections/training? Just my opinion, but would be a huge waste of time, since its' not going to teach you much at all about conventional home inspections. It takes you away from your home for long periods of time, and the money, after expenses, is not all it's cut out to be.

Keith,

I don't know why I am replying, but here it goes, I suck at writing/typing but I try and better myself daily. The advise on this forum is priceless and your getting off on the wrong foot. Nobody wants to read something that looks like you txt to your grade school friend.

Now lets start over, read above post, take there advise, and your on your way to be a better Inspector.

Good Luck!

SICK MY DUCK!!!!!!!!!! i said i wasnt gonna reply any more to this tedious thread but i couldnt resist.

Keith.
I believe Rick C figured you out before the rest of us.
You WILL fit in Ole Nickos wanta be inspectors club with out trying
OBTW .. With your attitude, your an other perfect example why Missouri home inspectors should be lic.

Can't believe everyone played along to an idiot or someone who who is just F'n with you. Keith is either a comedian or an idiot.

He sure did make me laugh. Everyone went along with him. No disrespect to anyone lol

Originally Posted by Ernie Schreiber

Can't believe everyone played along to an idiot or someone who who is just F'n with you. Keith is either a comedian or an idiot.

He sure did make me laugh. Everyone went along with him. No disrespect to anyone lol

Once you've been around here long enough yourself you will see that we give people enough rope to throw it up over the branch themselves, tie the noose themselves, tie the end of the rope to the saddle, slip the noose over their own heads, adjust it around their necks, and let them yell 'giddy-up' to their own horse so it will run out from under them, leaving them handing there until either the branch breaks and the horse tows them across the cactus and off into the sunset, or they jus' hang there.

Looks like ol' Keith did a bang up job of making it so he could jus' hang there ...

LOL.. Jerry. I was thinking of a nice way to respond to Ernies post, with out offending or discourage new members from posting.
You did better than me

Just added Keith to my "Buddy List". Woopie!

Hey guys,

Keith (if he is a real person) is from Missouri, the "show me state",

He has to be shown. He can't read and understand.




RN

Hello HI colleagues (first time dropping in a line )! I just wanted to say thanks for the long suffering displayed in helping a newbie with an expressive attitude. A wealthy wise king noted in history said ....' correct a wise man and you gain a friend... correct a fool and he'll bloody your nose'. Too ..."a fool says in his heart there is no God". With the displayed remarks by Keith. One would be surprised if he is found working with Realtors/Brokers ( A world of business woman professionals). Moving onward ....have a good day everyone.

"' correct a wise man and you gain a friend... correct a fool and he'll bloody your nose'."

I like that.

Here in the show me state we are still waiting to be shown why TX has statehood.