Hello, I had my certification about three months ago, I’ve been doing some continuing education courses and I was wondering how you guys did after getting certified. Did you start on your own? I don’t feel confident enough to start doing inspections on my own, and looked at companies hiring but they require experience, I do have a full time job in a different field that I need to keep to pay the bills….
No offense but… you should have been asking these questions long before you even began the process of becoming Certified!
In effect, now you need to go back and learn the other 90% of what’s necessary… other than the inspection stuff… to actually operate and manage a small business!
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Don’t quit your day job and don’t work your night job.
Yes. I suppose the difference for me was that I had my own business 30+ years ago, so I had some idea of what to do.
I also have a wealth of corporate experience in and around the trades, enough to know I could:
a. Make a business work
b. Do an inspection competently
c. Know enough people to get my foot in the door with some realtors.
If you’re not comfortable with any of that, work on it. Just knowing how to inspect, while very important, isn’t the only thing you need to do competently.
Keep trying,and do inspections on the weekend.Thats what I would do.
Thanks Mark, I guess I have to start networking.
Leonard, do you miss a lot of inspections for being available only on weekends?
I was planning to work for a company doing some inspections before doing it on my own, I see a lot of inspectors out there that ask very basic questions, I prefer to learn a little more before starting my own business, which is something that I’m also learning about….
You might not get any inspections, most agents will not refer you to clients knowing you are not committed to the job. It’s better to just get a Google ad running for those seeking an inspector online. But to do so you should have a website and scheduler setup.
It might not be worth it do do it part-time, as insurance cost, software cost, etc. they don’t give you a part-time discount. And as a new inspector your insurance cost will be expensive to just do it part-time. I know my first year I only did 9 inspections doing it part-time. Not worth it at all.
I went in full-time my second year and did over 100. Still was not enough to pay the bills. But I had money set aside for this. Your first 3 years will be rough, if you stick to it it will turn out. But most new inspectors hang it up in year two.
You are better off working for a multi-inspector firm. The pay is less, but at least it’s constant work. Find one who will provide training.
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Yes, but it took me 6 months to launch my business from the time of conception.
Then don’t start! Do a ton of mock inspections on your house, your parents house, your friends houses, etc. until you feel comfortable. I inspected my house a number of times to not only get used to the proccess, but to incorporate a work-flow of how I wanted to go about doing an inspection.
Keep looking, tell them you’ll carry ladders and just be a helper to get a foot in.
That’s good. Keep your job until you’re to the point of feeling comfortable leaving it. Many, if not most inspection buisnesses don’t survive the first, second or third year in business.
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A lot of great advice from the pros in this thread Alvaro. If you haven’t already I might suggest doing a ride-a-long. That’ll give you some great insight, build confidence, and get your feet wet in the industry. I’m doing one next week and look’n forward to it. Just some thoughts 
Thanks @kleonard great advice
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Like I said…
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Im not a inspector yet,just a thought
I am new as well. Just got certified with InterNACHI and am now in school going for my state license. I also found a mentor on InterNACHI and am learning hands-on when my mentor is available. The school I go to has Mock inspections on the weekend. As far as being confident, this will take time and experience. I also feel very overwhelmed when listening to these seasoned veterans on this forum. However, the forum is an excellent way to give you bits and pieces of knowledge. I feel the best way is hands-on training. Electrical, HVAC, and heating systems can be overwhelming. It makes my head spin at times. Another crucial aspect of this business is your report writing. I would encourage you to take this class with Internachi to brush up on this. Report writing is critical to your business. Defect Recognition and Report Writing Course - InterNACHI® As far as marketing Google and Internachi can help with this. Hope this finds you well. Stay strong. Sometimes in life, you must lose in order to gain : )
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Yes.
1: I created a simple website and the phone started ringing though not enough to sustain a business. That took roughly 2.5 years.