Experience of Nachi Members Who Work For a Company

They want a 1 year NCA

I understand why multi inspector firms do this but that really limits your options of course. If you are not happy there and leave, you will not be able to inspect any homes in their area for a year.

I’m not sure about Florida, but in Minnesota I have first-hand knowledge that these non-competes are enforced.

That is not unreasonable if you can live off the peanuts they offer for a short while. Maybe set up some markers, perhaps quarterly to improve your compensation based on performance.

And, of course, keep looking.

I would prefer you linked up with a small 1 or 2 man company as a sub contractor where your split increases as you become more autonomous. You may not get paid anything in the beginning but that won’t last long.

Yes, I am not against it, I get it, and the problem is that if for some reason you decide they are not a good fit for employment and want to leave, then you are really screwed.

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To their credit, they were pretty upfront about the slow start as you gain experience, which is totally reasonable.
Of course I will talk to more companies and see what they offer long term.

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Well, you may have to judge their need for a new employee and your ability to give them the skills they need. If you think you can be a very good employee, counteroffer with a 6 month non-compete, and mileage reimbursement at the IRS rate plus 30% of any upsells.

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Paid training for several weeks at low rate, and depending on how good you are afterwards, they claim you can make up to 65K, but that’s selling ancillary services to clients, so the actual number can vary.

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That’s good. I like straight shooters. That learning curve varies widely from company to company.

To produce a product that @ruecker produces would take much longer. Other companies inspect with broader strokes and less detail.

You should consider your mentor here, not all inspection companies are alike. Ask for a sample report. Try to compare it to someone you know is reputable. (I would hate for you to learn how to be a crappy inspector, lol)

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Not sure what you mean. Some of my reports have nothing but this picture in them…

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Haha, that is so fricking hilarious. I truly wish that was an option at times. I am trudging thru one as we speak.

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I may not have experience, but I would say half of this house has defects and needs to be further evaluated by a licensed contractor.

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Not a bad narrative. :grin:

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Will do more scouting around and go all in when I find a good prospect.

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Let us know what direction you choose. Best of luck!

My memory may be incorrect, but I think there was a legal ruling against the validity of NCAs a few years ago. Companies still use them to discourage competition.

Maybe someone with more legal expertise could chime in…

Your right, but it is a state by state situation. Many states have booted NCA with a few small exceptions.

I’ve been at it since 1989. I highly recommend to work for a company that will provide retirement and health insurance. If you have to pay for gas it’s all part of your own business expense As if you were self-employed anyway. And you can write off the gas mileage or your 15,000 miles a year on your taxes. If you were a Internet guy or IT they get high pay now but I’m inspectors it’s a tough business. Work for someone that gives you health insurance and retirement. That’s the big thing

This is correct. You cannot keep a person from being able to make a living. What you can do is limit their access to ‘privileged’ information like client/agent lists, etc, and have a punitive action associated to it. Just because someone puts something in a NCA and you sign it, doesn’t necessarily make it enforceable, if the clauses don’t have basis in employment law.

That confuses me. Are you a w-2 employee or a self employed sub-contractor? (I have not been an employee for a long time)

So, as a w-2 employee, you can still itemize business expenses? If so, would you not have to surpass your standard deduction for it to make a difference?

Wow. I’m sole proprietorship. How can you be confused? Bottom line after all these years up and downs work for some company and get an accountant