Thread: nother new guy

I've been reading some of the posts and find them informative. Just getting started in the home inspection business. I have 29 yrs. in various forms of construction, so I at least should have the general idea of what I'm looking at. Any tips for the new guy?

Welcome. What kind of reporting method are you going to use?

What I have now is a checklist/commentary type forms, hand written.

Originally Posted by Wes Rogers

What I have now is a checklist/commentary type forms, hand written.

Prepare for an onslaught of comments about your reporting.

Checklist forms and handwritten are the two forms that are considered the absolutely worst styles of reporting. Rumor has it that most court cases involving home inspectors, the home inspector used handwritten checklist forms.

Check lists are appropriate for note taking but not reporting. Handwritten are not considered adequate for a professional home inspector. Computers are too cheap and too plentiful. No excuse for hand written reports.

As for tips, click the button that marks all topics as Read. Then read every reply to every post every day. You will very quickly find out what you don't know you don't know.

Get yourself a copy of the IRC and look up every thing you see during an inspection. You will quickly learn that every trade is doing it wrong every day.

Join the local home inspector association. Ask every member to allow you to go on 1 ride along. Takes notes but keep your mouth shut during the inspection. Go on as many ride alongs as possible. Then go on some more. Write a report for every ride along and share with the inspector. Pay him to review your report if you have to but get the inspector to critique your report.

Study every piece of information you can find about home building and construction. Develop your our reference section.

Oh, and develop a thick skin if you plan on posting here. There are some really ornery and vile regulars who will rip you a new one just for the the thrill of crushing your dreams and inflating their own ego.

We look forward to your comments. Really, we do.

Bruce. Thanks for the warning and the suggestions. This is not my first business to try to get off the ground, this is to say for the last 15 years I've been building calluses. I have ran into many an onry cuss in the past.

As for the ride alongs, I'm already into that with one of the larger companies here localy of whom I hope to do some sub-contracting with in the future. They require 25 ride alongs before you can be even considered for sub work.

The forms I use are the same as they use. The owner has worked and tweaked these over the years. He has tried to major in C.Y.A (cover your ass). So for starters I'm not just leaning on my own understaning or I wouldn't be on here "listening" to the council of many. Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Bruce Ramsey

Oh, and develop a thick skin if you plan on posting here.

Worth mentioning again. Good luck with you new business.

Welcome Wes,
I myself am still new to this H I business after five years.
I must say I enjoy it very much.
There are many great inspectors on this site.
I'm finally hopefully going on my own in the near future.
I've found that it takes awhile to establish one self, in this business.
Good luck !

For new inspectors that use report software, here is a suggestion. Do not offer onsite reporting. Spend onsite time doing a thorough job of collecting information.

In order to construct and present a report in a worthy fashion, you'll need more time than people are willing to wait on site.

Take the stuff home and spend whatever time is needed to write and deliver a decent report via email PDF file.