Is the home inspection profession a good career choice for women?

Off topic, but I’d be interested to hear her experience being both a Realtor and a Home Inspector.

I was both for a decade. Not only that, I ran my inspection business out of the RE/MAX building where I was an agent. That’s how I got all the other agents in that building to use me for home inspections… I rented the corner office near the front lobby.

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I loved this… “Tradespeople work in concert with other trades like a choreographed dance.”
My lifelong dream is to dance.
Being alone or with another on an inspection is much the same to me. I keep my head on a swivel at all times. I lock the front door after a quick look and listen of the inside and garage (if attached) when I am alone.

True story: I was recently in a gated community when the doorbell rang. The clients were coming but it was too soon. When I looked out the window, It was an older man, (food still on his chin). As I opened the interior door the pressure caused the glass screen door to click tight. I had closed it behind me earlier, so I think he may have tried to come in. While I held it closed, I said “hello”. He said he was the neighbor then he asked me what the homeowner’s names were. I said I didn’t know, I am the Home Inspector. He said it was great that they were moving so that I could be there (wierd).He said he wanted to know when they would be back because they gave him some moving boxes and he wanted to return them. I promptly said that he should go ask at the gate and that I needed to get back to work. He started small talk as I smiled, said have a good day, and promptly closed the door. Might have been no big deal, but I felt uneasy the entire time he gazed at me while talking. I mean, if he’s their neighbor and they gave him moving boxes - wouldn’t he know them? Plus, who was moving here?! As I said, in a gated community.

Nick, you are right that becoming a competent Inspector takes months, not years. It can take years to “build the business”. I have found many agents and clients are surprised that I am a woman inspector. I worked with a male agent once, but all the agents I work with now are females. I have met with male agents in order to be on their preferred list, but I haven’t worked with any. Do you think male agents prefer male inspectors?
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I once got a job because the agent knew her original inspector couldn’t fit behind the water heater to get to the crawlspace access. It was tight for me, and I am fairly small. Definitely noted on the report. I work with her often now.

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It’s not the confined spaces. It’s the rats. Damn rats. I have this unfounded stupid fear I can’t kick.
Ugh. And fear of heights. I can get on the roof. It’s the getting back down on the ladder when it kicks hardest.

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The thing to remember is rats are more afraid of you then you are of them. The SOP doesn’t require you to get on the roof.

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I thought this noted some poignant aspects. It not only suits the women that read it, but the men that will appreciate the wider viewpoint. Our industry would benefit with balance.

Why? Should we have equal proportions of races as well? How about religions? Should some balance be maintained to include tall and short, handsome and ugly, fat and thin? What other categories will be needed. Who will decide when we’re “balanced?”

Personally I belong to the human race, and need nor assign no other categorization.

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• My B.A. is in Earth Science, and Business, I am a Master Home Inspector too. I am 1 of 2 female Master Inspector in the state of IL. I was in the first Graduating class of inspectors from InterNACHI with Julie Erck. Only 2% of all inspectors are female. The gentlemen inspectors in this field do respect a female inspector. I have several realtors that do not respect a female inspector. I just do not work with them anymore. Personally I have a height challenge of see in to an attic so I am usually just shooting photo blindly and with my zoom lens or my ferret WIFI camera. I would love a scope a frame ladder. Does anyone know of one?

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Screenshot 2023-03-17 at 12.02.57 PM

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Don’t know what the height challenge is or what you are asking for. What is, “a scope a frame ladder”?

I’ve had a real estate license since 1986. 24 years ago, two fellow Remax agents approached me about starting up a home inspector business since I had a construction background. It really wasn’t difficult to sell real estate with the home inspector side business. Obviously, our company never inspected our own sales. As the years went by, I realized that I liked being a HI way more than a realtor and evolved into making inspecting my real business. I keep my license as a convenience for agents who follow the rules and law, that only licensed agents can access lockbox codes. It averages around $450 a year for the license and another $500 to keep a MLS membership as a non-Realtor associate. I don’t have to have the MLS membership, but it is occasionally helpful. I haven’t sold a house in over 12 years.
When a buddy wanted me to represent him in buying a multi-million-dollar house, I referred him to a good agent. Man, was my wife POed that passed on that commission, but I’m a home inspector now and he was best served with a full-time agent.

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This is only an assumption

Some do not respect anyone and they may use gender as another excuse to be a jackass :wink:

Certainly not gender specific, the dismount is hard for many! Stay safe :wink:

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Here is a telescoping A frame ladder from amazon that you can get in 3 different heights. If you’re comfortable, you could use a regular telescoping ladder and prop it up inside the attic access and climb all the way up in.

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Bravo :clap: well said…! Bob

QUOTE
Personally I belong to the human race, and need nor assign no other categorization.
UNQUOTE :clap:

I did notice a reference earlier in this post about “people of Color inspectors” and “Hispanic too”. It was funny because I have been debating for years if “white” is not a color too!?! Thereof, I find unnecessary to pinpoint all these categories too, a good Home Inspector, is simply a good home inspector. Color, Sex, Gender, Race, etc. should rationally not be a topic of discussion neither one of those characteristics should be considered a handicap condition to perform this trade.

QUOTE
It’s not about the color of your skin (I have plenty of Home Inspector friends that are people of color or they may be hispanic and they are Top Notch Home Inspector’s and I respect them to no end).

Same for female Inspectors they are so smart. The only thing that I could probably add to your post on that link is that they have alot more people making sexual advances on them and thinking they are superior to the women and they are not.

Female Home Inspector’s … I love you girls, I really do. Your friendship means the world to me.

Home Inspectors of Color or a different Nationality … I love you all and your friendship to me over the years is something that I am very thankful for. Love y’all as well.
UNQUOTE

Technically, if an object reflects all the spectrum of light we see it white. On the contrary, if the object absorbs all color wavelengths in the light, we see it black. Therefore a black or colored object is actually saturated with all the colors of the light. To make it easier to understand, when we see something/someone yellow, red, brown or black… those are precisely the colors they are not…!

With regards to the Hispanic group of Home Inspectors, I understood that there were no actual brick and mortar nor stone basement or wood man-manufactured homes in this continent (with the exception of the Mayas and the Incas) until those three sail ships from Spain packed with Hispanics landed in mainland America at Macuro, northeast South America (August 1498) for the first time, what lead to the later arrival of the first Irish (men & women) with their building techniques to build houses of wooden sticks over stone basements, just like those they had build over there for centuries before the first was erected here in the now US territory, right?

A few HISTORIC REFERENCES

The Fairbanks House is the oldest still standing timber frame home in North America. Built in 1637, it was home to eight generations of the Fairbanks family. Located in Dedham, Massachusetts the Fairbanks House is now a museum, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

American Stick-Build Houses

This method of fabrication was developed in the early 20th Century and came into popularity in the U.S. after World War II, as the troops coming home from service were in search of affordable, and obtainable, housing opportunities. These were the days before Schumacher made custom stick built homes attainable.

Hi Julie, look at the xtend and climb ladders. They are not cheap, but you don’t want a cheap ladder. I have three. An 8ft, 12.5 ft and 16 foot. The smaller ones are great getting into attic hatches. (I never use the pull down ladders installed in hatches.
Best of luck!

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thank you Joseph

Be careful with those type ladders. There have been multiple accidents where one or more rungs did not latch properly in the open position causing a fall. The brand name ladders, while more expensive, are probably better constructed than the many knock-offs now available. Inspect your ladder closely before and after use. I use a Little Giant type 13 foot ladder for attic hatches but it is much heavier than the telescoping ladders (you will have to carry it up at least one flight of stairs).

I use this on the inside to access attics, unfortunately they discontinued them.

Whatever you choose, be sure it’s a type 1A.

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