Learning the trade

Originally Posted By: Ryan Livengood
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



I am wanting to get into the home inspection profession and was wondering if there were people out there that I may be able to mentor with or how I can get the ball rolling. I am an environmental scientist specializing in many different areas such as Indoor air quality testing, and Lead paint inspections along with being a Certified Associate Ecologist. I am looking to get into the business for two reasons. One, I recently bought my first home and I really enjoyed the home inspection process enough to want to help out other homeowners because we found so many things wrong with homes that we never would have seen. The other is that I am going to have my first child soon and I could use some extra income. If there is anyone that can help me out with how to get the process started I would greatly appreciate it.


Thank you,

Ryan M. Livengood


Originally Posted By: ecrofutt
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



You’ve found one of the best resources on the internet for getting the advice. It will take you some work to dig it out though. It is NOT as easy and simple as the ?Become a Home Inspector, make $500 - $800 a day? ads from the Home Inspection Schools make it look. They are rather self serving to get new students in the door. There is a high failure rate, some estimate as high as 75%, for starting a home inspection business. The schools don?t mention this because the students would not come in the door and give them bucks. Three years ago, there were over 200 licensed home inspectors in Lexington, KY. A few days ago, they only listed 65 on the licensing web site. Most home inspectors are one person shops that don?t have room to hire anybody. Unless you are in a large city with some multi-inspector firms, plan on doing it all by yourself. Of course, if you have $15,000 or $20,000 you could buy a franchise and get their support in getting started. Still a high failure rate.


Other resources: (These are nationwide message boards for Home Inspectors, just like this one.) Search the archives for specific questions or answers before asking questions. A LOT of good advice is contained in the archives that will probably never be repeated.
http://inspectionnews.com Residential Message Boards
http://inspectorsjournal.com/forum/default.asp The Inspector?s Journal Forum

First, focus on reading the message threads in the General Chit Chat, Insurance, Training, Reporting Systems, Advertising, Legal, Marketing, and Miscellaneous forums. This is where you can learn about the risks and rewards and how to?s of starting a home inspection career. There is a lot of great advice in those messages from Inspectors who have made it, and Inspectors who have failed to make it. It will likely never be adequately repeated anywhere else. If you truly want to become a Home Inspector, you?ll have to work hard at it. Digging thru this advice is just the start of the hard work to become successful.

If you still want to do it after reading those threads, then read the Specific Topic threads, such as Electrical, Plumbing, Structural, Roofing, etc.


--
Erby Crofutt
B4U Close Home Inspections
Georgetown, Kentucky

www.b4uclose.com

Originally Posted By: jmertins
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Ryan,


If you want to bounce any questions off of me let me know. I am finishing, well just finished, my first year of full time inspections. There is a TREMENDOUS amount of info on this site and I refer to it daily to read the stories and learn as well. The "old, wise" guys are a very valubale resource and I find their commentary extremely useful. I may be of some help to you in your marketing schemes and so forth.

Let me know


--
John Mertins

Baxter Home Inspections, Inc.

"Greatness courts failure"

Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy