Thread: Become a home inspector or NOT???

I need some advise. I'm extremely interested in becoming a home inspector. My concern is with the housing market and if it's worth going through the schooling. I've heard a lot of back and forth about inspectors dropping their prices because they are starving for work and trying to compete with other inspectors. I would hate to pay for and go through the training to only sit around unable to get work. Thank you for any help or advice you may have!

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Originally Posted by Ryan Foster

I need some advise. I'm extremely interested in becoming a home inspector. My concern is with the housing market and if it's worth going through the schooling. I've heard a lot of back and forth about inspectors dropping their prices because they are starving for work and trying to compete with other inspectors. I would hate to pay for and go through the training to only sit around unable to get work. Thank you for any help or advice you may have!

Yes, Texas needs more Home Inspectors. Just ask any HI school.

Its adviCe not adviSe.

"To only sit around unable to get work" That says it all. You won't make it, it would be a waste of your time and money.

Yes, go to back to school. Take some general education courses and perhaps an introductory course on economics (supply-demand), marketing, (market analysis, etc.). Some Adult-ed courses (non-credit) from your High-School system perhaps. Outreach (non-credit) courses. Forget about HI "school" to instant successful "employment" it just doesn't "work that way". Your local public library (and reference librarian) can "help" you explore (research). Your local community college should have resources to help you explore your aptitudes, interests, background, life experiences, and help guide you in decision making process to better invest your time and educational dollars to long-term success..

Don't seek investment and career advice from strangers on forums via the www. If you have to ask (and didn't even search this forum for the scores of similar vague first-time posters asking the same exact question) then the answer is obviously No (unless your asking someone trying to sell you the classes or certification). Don't seek for-profit quick-fix "career certificate" training "schools" and don't believe their "hype" they're trying to SELL you something which has no intrinsic value.

Hi and Welcome Ryan,

Please excuse our Esteemed ( in his own eyes ) member H.G. for the less than civil reply.

That said Texas is a very tough market with some of the most stringent requirements for newly licensed Home Inspectors. May I suggest Obtaining Pharmacy Technician Registration . as a productive use of time for employment opportunities.

Ryan,
I think you have probably answered your own question. While I don't know all of the details of the Texas HI market, I have to imagine it is like just about every other area of the country......it sucks.

Business has been bad for the past three plus years. While it may slowly be coming back, it is not even close to what I would consider normal. My business in TN had been just about the same every year from 1994 to 2007. While there were a couple slow months each year, the majority of the time I was doing 10 inspections a week, and scheduled out a week to 10 days during peak times.

Doing 10 inspections per week (even in 6 days) is VERY rare. I don't think the market is going to get back to normal for quite a while.

Becoming a home inspector takes a fair financial commitment, as well as time. The return on investment will probably be pretty dismal. In good times, it usually takes a home inspector a year or two to get known, and get enough busy to make a living. If the area you live in has too many inspectors, then the time line will be longer, and the chance of success lower.

My advice would be to forget about becoming a home insptctor at this time.

Originally Posted by Ryan Foster

I need some advise. I'm extremely interested in becoming a home inspector. My concern is with the housing market and if it's worth going through the schooling. I've heard a lot of back and forth about inspectors dropping their prices because they are starving for work and trying to compete with other inspectors. I would hate to pay for and go through the training to only sit around unable to get work. Thank you for any help or advice you may have!

Now would be a good time to get your training and testing out of the way. Take your time, I would target a year or so to get your license (TX requires a good deal of pre-license education hours) and then you will be ready to slowly enter the profession as it ramps back up over the next couple of years. This is how I did it back in the early 1990's.

As others have said, it is not what it use to be! If you have a spouse with a good job that is a big plus!

Ryan,

Find a local association chapter and go to a couple of meetings. You should be able to find ASHI and TAREI meetings through their respective websites. Ask to do a ride-along to see if inspection is a good match for you (slim chance for getting any takers, but it doesn't hurt to ask). Get a feel for how they are doing financially. As Jack & Scott said, the market is slow and is not improving quickly. But, if you are ready when the market does begin to improve in earnest, you will have a better chance to do well. HG is correct on the education. Inspection is not just knowing what to look for and how to write a report, it is also about running a business. Marketing, bookkeeping, public relations, etc. Make sure that you have those skills as well.

Ryan,

Texas requires over 440 hours of training to become a Professional Real Estate Inspector. In addition, it requires you to carry insurance (additional expense). Where are you in Texas? Give me a call if you want to learn about the Texas rules. 210 385-1209.

Getting in this profession/ business, like any other business there are a lot of hidden expences and information that can only be obtained by experience and getting that information from the local guys/ gals.

Before committing to the investment and time needed, another option to consider is hire a local inspector to inspect your home. You will gain a lot of information from this one on one about your own home, the inspection process, [ it is very different from what you see on TV and Inspection training schools] and also help a local business man.

A lot of good advice. I do know that in my case, given the very small market I operate in, that if I had to spend the up-front costs for training required these days, I would not do it. I'm from the 'era', for better or worse, that allowed anyone to hang a shingle in my State. Fortunately my background and experience prepared me well and I quickly learned the ropes and eagerly filled in my knowledge gaps without getting myself or my clients in trouble.

Also, in my case, I was able to continue other income generating efforts (all housing related) so that I didn't have to depend on any one of them for my sole source of income. Unfortunately, those days are gone, and the only way I've survived the last couple of years is by having almost no overhead.

You have to know your needs and your market. Work backwards: how much income do you require to meet your needs?; How many inspections does that translate to (using a general average price)?; And, after talking to other inspectors in your area at the regional associations, how realistic is that number of inspections?. And lastly, figure in that it will take a number of years to reach that number, can you survive that long?

An eye opener for me was a Starting a Small Business course, about 8 weeks long, that I took many years ago. I was in my 30's, working for a company with benefits, had 3 small children, and a mortgage.

One of the weekly exercises was to determine my financial needs, another was the cost of the benefits I 'took for granted...".... Then we considered retirement benefits. BTW: Sole Proprietor Home Inspection companies aren't very salable.

Fast-forward 30 years later, I started a HI company in 2005 after being able to make a career change after spending 37 years in the high-tech business. In 2005, the real estate market and HI world was completely different from today. We've all had to batten down the hatches, but I wouldn't be here if I had the same considerations as I did in the late 70's.

To do it today, your wife better have good benefits(medical, retirement, vacation, insurance)! She'll have to be happy with you doing late night reports when you do 3 inspections in one day(rare, but have to make hay when the sun shines!), and she'll have to go to work when you go 4 days without an inspection. You've got to me marketing in those 4 days.

That said, I love my business, but I have other resources and am the down-hill side of my working career. Would I do it again if I knew then what I know now? NO. But, I am not ready to concede defeat! I love what I do!

"Reality Bites".

An abundance of honesty does not equate to the lack of civility.
The OP profile states "Location: Texas".


Two topic discussions which include a LOT of input from Texas Professional real estate Home Inspectors: The economy and regional market haven't improved since these discussions, in fact they've worsened overall since that time.



http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...inning-hi.html

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...ed-advise.html

Since the federal government has recently extended the tax breaks (to those home owners who deed-in-lieu or forgiven debt on refinance programs, and/or forgiven debt primary or secondary mtgs. and extended the deadlines/incentives for lending institutions, holders of notes, etc. to do same i.e. forgive or write off debt/reduce asset value), I don't expect an "upturn" or reversal of the overall trend of glutted residential RE market, short-sales, and REO properties, nor an upturn in the availability of credit, or the number of intended to-be owner-occupied purchases of single-family homes.

Investor purchases, sight-unseen, auctions, short-sale offers, with zero or few contingencies are often, those same purchasers often then re-sell - hence the same property is "closed" or transfered multiple times but no traditional transactions have taken place with the "bells and whistles" economy generating services such as real estate brokers/agents, advertising, home inspections, etc. So the statistics regarding real estte transfers continue to be skewed and do not represent and can not be extrapolated to HI business generating potential as they once were. Small business startup is at an all-time low, as are those startups producing income, or surviving. Service industries in general are at an all-time low in number and in income generating. There is a huge difference in being self-employed and "being employed by another". Seller's inspections also an all-time low.


Forecasting previously issued speculating prices and transaction types stablizing or upturn issued prior to those programs, breaks, incentives having been recently extended, are thusly, now invalid. Expect further downturn.

At least in my market, this is very, very tough time to enter the business, especially if it will be your primary source of income.

We've gotten calls to our office from people who are thinking about becoming home inspectors. We always tell them they'd better have a minimum of one year's living expenses available, because they sure won't be making any money that first year.
When I took my training class last year there were 12 students. I think about a third of us went on to take the NHIE and only two (including me) who have gotten their license. I probably have an unfair advantage as a new home inspector to be able to ride on the coattails of the existing business my husband and I built. I honestly don't think I could do it on my own now. Too many people want someone with lots of experience (and I don't blame them).
A better bet might be a "niche" business, such as Radon testing. But it depends upon your market area; we happen to be in a "hot" area for Radon. Not sure about Texas.

Originally Posted by H.G. Watson, Sr.

"Reality Bites".

An abundance of honesty does not equate to the lack of civility.
.

.
As Dost " The Pampas Arse. "
* an Enlarged Head does not equate wisdom.
.

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

.
As Dost " The Pampas Arse. "
* an Enlarged Head does not equate wisdom.
.

Sounds logical.
I think quite the same.

Got a spouse with a job?
Mine's a nurse. I will survive. But it's been dicey. The insurance company doesn't care about how much work I can get.

JLMathis

Originally Posted by Ryan Foster

I need some advise. I'm extremely interested in becoming a home inspector. My concern is with the housing market and if it's worth going through the schooling. I've heard a lot of back and forth about inspectors dropping their prices because they are starving for work and trying to compete with other inspectors. I would hate to pay for and go through the training to only sit around unable to get work. Thank you for any help or advice you may have!

Ryan,

Where in Texas are you located? Even in Texas the amount of competition will vary and knowing where you are can help answer one of your concerns.

Billy,

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

May I suggest Obtaining Pharmacy Technician Registration . as a productive use of time for employment opportunities.

Texas was not far behind on employment issues. One of the retraining programs that was offered was Pharmacy Technician. The State has cranked out way more Pharm Techs than available jobs as a Pharm Tech. Some companies have been requiring Pharm Tech certification/licensing from the State for their positions but those positions generally are doing little with the training the people received. The Pharm Tech training programs seem to run approximately 8 months from what I have been hearing.

[quote=H.G. Watson, Sr.;205550]"Reality Bites".

. So the statistics regarding real estte transfers continue to be skewed......

My Dear Mr. Watson,

A little free adviCe, I would adviSe you to proof read your posts to ensure proper grammar as well as spelling.... just a thought!

After 15 years doing this in the Denver metro area, I too, have plenty of opinions about this biz. First, how large is community. If you live in a small town (under 150k pop) then you better have some great connections in the real estate community. In a large city, over 500k, it is easier to promote yourself and make new connections. Plus in large cities, it is easier to have a supportive HI community because, fewer inspectors will feel threatened by you. I have taken many budding HIs on ride-alongs.

Second, your age and background experience is huge in getting business. If you are young and/or little background in the construction trades, then you may find that you can't present the gravitas necessary to impress realtors to refer you to their clients.
Going into this business with nothing more than a hope and diploma from some HI school may lead to eating a lot of beans.

My final piece of advice, is examine your own personality. You must have the gift to gab. If you can't communicate to your customers what you are looking at then this biz ain't for you. I am sometimes guilty of talking too much, but my customers know what I know and know I care about them at the end of every inspection. If you don't have an extroverted personality or the ability to turn one on, then you are unlikely to have a lot of repeat business. Every inspection is "Show Time" where you have to be warm, friendly, patient, and communicative whether your wife just told you that she wants a divorce or your dog just died. I hate when my dog just died..........

During the last 26 years of inspecting, I have had a lot of people ask me about getting into home inspections. I have always felt reluctant to give them information on how to become my competitor. In fairness, the inspection business has given me a pretty good run.

That said, the market is cyclical. During the 90's it was hot and I did as many as 16 inspections a week. Often three a day. After 9/11 things changed and not neccesarily for the best. But the market in the mid 2000's was pretty good. Recently the market has taken a rather major downturn. many inspectors have moved on to other more profitable ventures. In addition, it has become more difficult to operate with new regulations, insurance requirements, licensing, continuing education, etc.

If you have the willingness and desire, you can still make it in this business. Mostly it depends on your commitment to your dream. The American Dream is still alive and is available to anyone who has the desire and determination to succeed.

Make a good business plan and don't let anyone dissuade you from your plan.

One last thing, being a good communicator is absolutely essential. People will respect you and refer you if you can effectively communicate to them what they need to know about the homes they are purchasing. If they see that you have genuinely protected their interest, they will be comforted and will tell their friends about you.

When the market was good, I found that it took me 4-5 years to do a little better than break even, another 4-5 or so years figuring out what I wanted to go and to start going there, another 2-3 finessing the market I was getting, and the last 5 years or so being at the top of the market doing the big houses for the big money, then I retired, closed my business down, moved, and now I do code inspections and construction consulting (which was the next logical progression from where I had taken my inspections).

And that was in a good market. And my wife had a good, stable, decent paying job.

In other words - don't expect miracles to happen and don't expect to make a bunch of money the first year or two or three.

An earlier post said one year, I will say that you need to have enough for at least 3 years, maybe 4 years ... unless you can live off not making much, if anything, during those years.

Originally Posted by Lon Henderson

If you don't have an extroverted personality or the ability to turn one on, then you are unlikely to have a lot of repeat business. Every inspection is "Show Time" where you have to be warm, friendly, patient, and communicative whether your wife just told you that she wants a divorce or your dog just died. I hate when my dog just died..........

You don't have to be an extrovert, I'm not one of them either, but the rest if true: "Every inspection is "Show Time" where you have to be warm, friendly, patient, and communicative ... " and that is why you need to be able to not only "tell" them, but "show" them, and there are tools available which help with that "showing" them part.

Don't make your inspections into a 'dog and pony show', but don't walk around like a bump on a log and say nothing either - you need to be able to let your client see that you are indeed interested in their inspection for them, and you need to be able to "show and tell" them what you found. Remember, "a picture is worth a thousand words", but a picture by itself does not let your client know what you are trying to show them in the photo - you need to be able to describe what you are showing them, then they will be able to "see" it in the photo.

There are two basic trains of thought for reports:
- Show and tell them everything. For home inspections, that is what I recommend. My reports were indeed quite long: 150-300 pages and more. I was presenting the evidence of what was done, by whom, and when, and point out the direction of the smoke from the smoking gun (so to speak).
- Treat each page as though it was worth a million dollars and each word you put down deducts 50 thousand dollars from that page's worth. This is more true for construction consulting as you do not want to be tripped up over your own words, and each additional word raises that potential. My reports are indeed quite short: <10 pages typically suffice. Now I just say what was done and who did it, and here is the gun I found (so to speak).

After 1 year I was ready to give it up. After 2 years I was so busy I was considering hiring another inspector. It has been pretty steady since except for a pretty slow time 2 years go. I don't think things are that different from when I started 15 years ago. Plan on 2 years to make it but go for it.

These, in my opinion, are some of the essential prerequisites to entering the profession with any real possibility of achieving success:

(1) A minimum of 10 years hands-on experience in the residential construction profession. Yes, you will have to acquire classroom hours in Texas, but they are for the most part teach-the-test programs that you will gain little useful knowledge from.

(2) A bank account (or significant other) capable of sustaining you for a minimum of 3 years.

(3) A minimum of $5k to invest in proper tools. $10k would be better, but you can eek by with $5k initially.

(4) You must be physically fit. Inspections, when done right, are not for the faint-hearted. If you doubt this spend a little time crawling around under old houses or atop steep roofs in the Texas summers.

(5) As HG mentioned, you must have an excellent command of the English language, and maybe Spanish as well, depending on your area of operation. Both are helpful no matter where you are in the state. Regardless how observant and knowledgeable you may be in this field, if you cannot communicate your findings effectively, you are lost. You will be talking to and writing to an audience comprised of clients, sellers, agents, brokers, appraisers, builders, contractors, attorneys, grand juries and lynch mobs. Your ability to turn a phrase is critical.

(6) You must be ethical, and not situationally ethical. You cannot protect your client when you are concerned about other matters such as Realtor referrals, hurting others’ feelings, etc.

(7) You must be able to operate in a hostile environment while keeping you cool. The inspection is usually the hinge point in any real estate sale, new or existing. Everyone will be disappointed by your findings. Some of the disappointed will feel the need to retaliate.

(8) You must be able to tell the unvarnished, objective truth. Inspectors, unlike Realtors who profit from their greed-induced gushathons, puffing, exaggerating, lying, etc., must observe and report. Subjectivity has no place in this profession.

(9) You need a good attorney.

(10) At the risk of repeating item (9), you need a good attorney.

Inspect house, report findings, collect $$ - Easy

Make phone ring - Hard

I'm relatively new to the profession and not an authority. I was a bit surprised to learn that the training, ( both academic and field ), testing and licenses are maybe half of the journey. Good tools, equipment and insurance are important. Marketing is huge and that comes after finding and learning reporting software to generate your reports. Most professions see their peaks & valleys and it's difficult to anticipate that timing. If it's economic assurance you seek, maybe marry money w/o a prenup.

I hate my cell. it is dead in Aug.

When people ask me about being a home inspector, I ask them if they are
Claustrophobic ? (dark crawl spaces), afraid of rats or spiders (crawl spaces) and afraid of heights (roofs and some attics) ?

I've heard a lot of back and forth about inspectors dropping their prices because they are starving for work and trying to compete with other inspectors.

If you marketing is so weak that you have to rely on a freak unbalance in the free market where demand for inspections temporarily outstrips the number of inspectors able to fill that demand, you might as well forget about it. Keep your day job.

Once you've acquired technical competence, proper marketing should pack your calendar with a full schedule of inspection jobs within 6 weeks of launch, or there is something wrong with your marketing.

I see you are in Texas. In Texas I recommend that you contact TPREIA for technical training and attend the upcoming Inspector Marketing Tour 's Dallas event for help with marketing.

I am in my 26th year, and like Mr. Peck did, now do expensive homes for decent fees. However, Mr. Millers comments are spot on.Your objectivity will hurt and anger more people than you save. The expectations of the consumer and TREC (regulatory agency) have you seeking perfection or operating at 100% efficiency on every job. It can be stressful to be perfect all the time. By the end of the 10th year you perhaps are an expert at most of the trades, whether you want to be or not.

It is true we protect the public. However, a reason for inspectors existence is that it allows real estate agents making 50 times more money to defer almost all property condition liability to the inspector. While there are exceptions, the home inspector is a patsy in the real estate transaction. Thus the reason for good tools, education, experience, insurance, a good lawyer, thick skin and managed assetts. If you have assetts, protect them first.

A significant problem with home inspection is the diffculty in growing the business, developing recurring income and having an assett to sell. If I knew then what I know (1986) I would have developed a pest control, lawn mowing, pool care ect company that I could sell or sit in an office and manage.

All in all it paid the bills but I was unable to grow it to my satisfaction. That is perhaps the bad businessman in me. Others have succeeded but I see more success in services where compensation / risk is less than home inspection.

Example 1. I know a pool cleaning company who does pool inspections to market pool services. They do good pool inspections. They do 10 inspections a week at $100 each. $1,000 a week. They also service 1,500 pools a month at $120 a month. That's $180,000 a month compared to $4,000 a month. It took the guy 20 years to build up to it (less time than I have in inspection). Gross is over 2 million per year.

Example 2. Young man started pest control company when I started home inspection. He had good books and added 1 truck a year to his company. In the 10th year he sold his $800k company to a big company for 1.1 million. waited out a 5 year no compete. Is now getting ready to sell his second 10 year old company for 2.2 million. He is 50 years old.

If your young, look to a business you can grow over 10 to 20 years. Always think, what could I sell this for.

Lastly, when the pool buddy has a complaint like "my pump broke, my light broke, my tile fell off" he just sends one of his 20 service vehicles over to fix it for free and then hits them up for referrals to neighbors. In his business, a complaint is a minor expense and an opportunity to get more business. In home inspection, even a minor complaint can cost you in ways you do not know.

Good luck

Your objectivity will hurt and anger more people than you save.

John: While this is true, it is also what the profession requires of an inspector, when properly practiced. At some point in time inspectors need to decide if they are in the profit business, the friendship business, or the inspection business. Though not completely mutually exclusive, in my experience, these are, by and large, unrelated professions.