I’ve had someone say that “every inspector has experience”, and he was referring to building or construction. “every” is a pretty broad term. That would mean that anybody without experience has ever done it. When pointed out to this individual, he kicked and screamed, and then took his ball home.
Have you heard of inspectors with no building experience?
Frank …
In 1985 there were only 2 HI schools we knew of in the whole USA.
30 years ago … NO.
25 years ago NO.
Then in the mid 1990’s came home correspondence classes; franchises; ITA; state licensing; magazines touting home inspection as a top home based business to get into with little $$$$$ and no experience AND bam we were off and running.
As a trainer, I constantly see people from other lines of work with no construction experience … A lot of computer lay-offs.
A prime example is around 1992 - 1993 a gal in KC with a background if memory serves me correctly as a high school band or music director or similar. For some reason she found herself out of work, and did not or could not find a job doing what she’d been doing. She got a job answering phones and marketing for a home inspector. Shortly after, he bailed out and left town. Since she was already marketing this, she apparently got a couple of locals to do the jobs and let her tag along.
Today she’s been one of ASHI’s national Board of Directors; she is a partner in a training school in Leavenworth, Kansas; and last month was appointed President of one the 2 Kansas home inspection associations (the one that pushed them into licensing a few years back). I’ve heard she’s very popular with women REA’s.
SO yes, in some states, people with no training, experience or background in construction OR any related areas can prosper and do very well.
I had an IT professional in my first class, zero construction experience, no idea of any basic principals for construction, but he had a helluva a desire to learn.
He ended up being pretty good, just takes extra work and knowing your limitations so you can ask for help when necessary. Like any career, ego can be your biggest downfall.
I have no contractor or building experience. Zero.
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You’re an unusual animal Juan. That’s meant to be a compliment BTW. Most InterNACHI members came from the trades.
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Most, but no not “all”. Which was my point. The party I had the discussion with is a know-it-all narcissist.
A lot do not have any experience down here. 
Zero experience here. Went from online marketing and building websites to home inspections. Will surpass $200k this year (my 3rd year)
The answer is Yes.
But we already knew that.
Having “experience” in the building trades is no predictor of being a good home
inspector of course.
I knew plenty of people in the trades who had a lot of mis-information in their heads.
A lot who were firmly entrenched in their thinking that their way was the only way.
That could get them into trouble as an inspector.
The right person coming in without experience, a willingness to learn and grow, they could become a much better inspector than some tradespeople.
Thanks for the input guys. It just confirms what I thought.
I inspected a home that was owned by a contractor.
It was full of un-permitted work, fire hazards galore, and I could tell which side of the patio they nailed before the beer and which side was nailed after several beers.
I had an experienced and licensed electrician re-wire my garage with permits. It passed city inspection. Later, I had some issues with an outlet in my garage. I hired another experienced and licensed electrician look at it, he switched it out, but said there were additional problems with the wiring, but he could not figure it out unless he ripped opened the walls.
When getting certified in Home Inspections, I did a mock inspection on my own house. I open my own panel and discovered the ground wires from the garage are NOT connected to the bus at the panel, and none of the outlets in my garage are grounded.
2 experienced electricians and a city inspector missed this.
Just because one has years of experience does not necessarily mean they know what they are doing.
Outside of that, an HI is reviewing all trades. Having 10 or 20 years of experience in one trade does not necessarily give one an advantage in reviewing other trades. For example, someone who has 15 years of experience as a drywall contractor or as a master plumber does not necessarily mean that person knows more about electrical work than any other home inspector. 20 years of framing experience does not necessarily make one better at spotting plumbing leaks.
I bet he’s not. There are a ton of men and women that get out of the military and don’t have a clue what their next career will be. They get free classes/training/memberships through the GI Bill . They look over a list of “popular veteran jobs” and choose Home Inspector.
That isn’t what happened. I had a top secret security clearance, and my A and P to fix helicopters. My buddies had their pickings with Northrup Grumman, Sikorsky, and even unrelated jobs just because of their TS.
I was using my GI BILL to pay for college, but I knew I wanted to be my own boss. My home inspector was a loser. Big fat guy who told me one thing in front of the Realtor, and wrote down another. I knew then that I wanted to be a home inspector.
Agree with what Tom and Ian said.
Thanks for your service.
Yeah and look what we got an alligator with no teeth:twisted::mrgreen:
Maybe not exactly in your case. But I know of many where that is what happened.
I remember the class room training I took to get my license, there were about 20 people in there and six or seven of them had just got out of the military and we’re using the GI Bill.
One guy that sat next to me that I got along with really well was having trouble passing the test and he decided he was going to go and take the criminal justice courses.
Yeah. Getting out of the military isn’t easy for everyone. I’m really not sure why any of it is relevant.
The vast majority of defects that I report were committed by people with lots of building experience. Experience hanging sheetrock, slinging paint or toting bricks has no relevance to being an excellent home inspector. Nor does doing the same thing incorrectly for however many years aid someone in becoming an excellent home inspector. Experience in more expert trades (e.g., electrical, HVAC, etc.) only provide an advantage in that area, whereas the home inspector needs to be knowledgeable across all relevant areas.
Initiative, adaptability, desire for knowledge, the ability to teach oneself, critical thinking, business acumen and outstanding communications skills have a far greater influence on one’s ability to be an excellent home inspector. IMO Home inspection is a profession, not a trade.
