I got my licensed in 2017 and have reached a point where my business is being sustained by referrals from past clients and Realtors. I have enough inspections and hours to qualify for my CMI designation, but was surprised at the $2500 fee. I remember it being less a few years back.
I have never had a potential client ask me if I am a CMI, nor am I aware of any inspections I have lost to someone with the CMI certification for that reason. So, naturally I am a bit reticent to throw down $2500 without some concrete idea of how it will positively affect my bottom line. Last year I did 220 inspections, and I feel I could increase that number if I marketed myself more aggressively. I don’t try to win inspections based on price.
I expect I will be easing out of the business in 5 years, more or less, for what that is worth.
I would be very interested to hear the opinions of others at this forum as to the advisability of making this investment given that retirement is not that far off for me and that my current work load and income are satisfactory.
I didn’t see any increase in business and because we are a team of inspectors I don’t charge more for my services.
It sounds cool and I think it’s good for ones ego (or sense of accomplishment) more than anything else.
If you’re happy with things the way they are, the $2500 could buy you a piece of equipment that will earn you more money than the CMI designation ever will.
Exactly, or invest the same $2500 in quality marketing and see what happens. I’ve always said if inspectors would only invest their time into their efforts instead of dumping money into gimmicks, they would far outperform any vendor gimmicks that comes along!
Like the “warranty” packages from “he who shall not be named”? Yeah, I dumped about 10k into their gimmick last year. Had one claim. Took over three months to process. Made me look like a butthead. I dropped it.
Like everyone said, spend your money on equipment, nice heavy duty pants, and a good pair of boots. Love my wings.
Great comments, guys! When I was just starting out, I often thought about how I would answer someone who challenged me for lack of the CMI designation, and I decided my response would be “There are plenty of great inspectors without the CMI, and all the CMI tells you is that an inspector has been at it a while. It doesn’t go far toward proving how good they are”.
While my lack of inspecting experience early on was something I had to address, not having the CMI never really came up, and I can think of no scenario under which I could credibly raise my rates based solely on the acquisition of the CMI.
I had a lot of distractions last year, and I think now would be the time to look to new marketing and growth strategies.
I used my CMI quite successfully throughout the years on various occasions.
1: Marketing as you know.
2: Once attaining expert witness status.
Alberta Licensing.
An approved home inspection designation includes:
CMI (Certified Master Inspector) granted by the Master Inspector Certification Boards, Inc.
RHI (Registered Home Inspector) granted by CAHPI (Alberta) (Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (Alberta)) dated prior to October 1, 2017
Associate Inspector from CAHPI (Alberta) dated prior to October 1, 2017
Associate Home Inspector granted by the Alberta Professional Home Inspectors Society (APHIS)
National Certificate Holder granted by CAHPI (Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors)
NHI (National Home Inspector) granted by the National Home Inspector Certification Council (NHICC)
CMHI (Certified Master Home Inspector) granted by CanNACHI (Canadian National Association of Certified Home Inspectors)
I can see that holding the CMI certification can be a useful tool in bolstering one’s credentials. These kinds of certifications serve to reassure potential clients as to a licensee’s senior status, and as a bulwark against those who might attempt to assail their experience, integrity, or authority.
For me, at this point in time, it’s not adding up for me. If I thought I would still be actively inspecting ten years from now, I might see things differently.
In nearly 30 years, I’ve come up with all sorts of ways to help inspectors make more money. 90% don’t work (I’m mostly a failure at this). Anyway, once I figured out they don’t work, I deleted them. You won’t find them any more. Of the 10% that work, only 3 work really well. Of those 3… CMI® will make you more money than all the rest combined. Read www.certifiedmasterinspector.org/stacks. It’s a free download.
Now as for the fee. You can actually get your CMI® professional designation at no cost. Well, actually, you get paid to get it. Let me know if you want to know how and I’ll post specific instructions.
Happy you are thinking about the positives .
William. Confer with Nick.
My CMI paid for itself the first year I displayed the designation and currently proceeds to be a viable revenue stream. Everyone. Feel free to click on the link. CMI Robert Young.
I try to examine a decision like this from all angles. It is not as though I am not thinking about the positives (I infer your comment to be sarcastic). I am just trying to get the opinions of others in case they see things I am not.
For me, the CMI designation is not necessarily a direct marketing advantage. It is hard to say which consumer finds your string of certifications following your name makes a difference. On occasion, a potential customer will ask about my qualifications and I can explain the CMI designation which is helpful. My referral base prior to the my CMI designation could care less about it.
The three things I most asked about is:
How long have I been inspecting
Do I perform Radon Testing
Do I perform mold testing
On occasion, sewer scope
In conclusion, services offered seems to be primary followed by Google reviews, lol.
