Hi. I’m looking to get into the field and starting to take courses, would appreciate any feedback.
Am in the South Florida area. Was wondering if the online courses were enough or doing the 40 in-person was worth it/needed. Also was wondering what type of equipment I would need to look into.
Currently drive a sedan which I regret getting rid of but won’t fit a ladder. On that end, last wonder was the ladder height I would need and if anyone works with a sedan somehow.
Thanks. Happy Holidays!!
Ron
Ron, the first thing I would do is join InterNACHI. They have the courses you need to get started. Don’t get hung up on what equipment you need. Take courses and you will learn what equipment you need to start. You can also do a search on this forum.
Good luck!
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You are in a licensed state.
What does Florida have to say about that?
THEY are the ones you need to kowtow to if you want to be a legal inspector.
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Start going through the InterNACHI courses while you investigate the requirements in your state to become a home inspector. You do not have to worry about equipment at this point.
Once you have a firm understanding of the steps involved and whether you want to proceed, you can start thinking about the equipment you will need. I can say that all of my equipment would fit inside of a large car, even though I use a truck.
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Thanks, appreciate the responses. Guess trying to figure out what type of ladder I would need to know what to carry it in, where to store it. Will check out the forums a little more
Check out the Xtend and climb ladders. They will fit in a SUV and some cars.
Don’t get a cheap one, get the Xtend & Climb brand
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As far as ladders, I should walk back my statement a bit about fitting everything in a large car. I do carry one ladder that would be a struggle to fit in a car but it would probably go if you really wanted. The link below shows that ladder.
With that said, I hardly ever use that ladder. I’ve used it maybe 10 times. But it does save a lot of trouble having it when you need it. Otherwise I use a light duty stepstool, 2 Xtend and Climbs, and a smaller multi-position ladder.
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Thanks, appreciate the responses. Looking into some ladders now, thanks again
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Ron,
I just took the State Exam here in the Panhandle and passed. Unless you are well versed in Home Inspections, I would strongly recommend becoming a member of InterNACHI.
FL requires 120 hours of online course which also co-insides with InterNACHI’s certification. How you start depends on your commitment. I paid the yearly fee instead of the month by month, and that’s where the commitment comes in. I started slowly purchasing the tools needed, although the ladder is last on my list. (Maybe you need one for personal use at home also, not sure.)
Take the free online Inspector exam and find out where your weakness’ are. My advice: Don’t just memorize the answers to pass the test/exams, learn why the answers are what they are.
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Thanks, am about to join and get started. Was the online course enough for you? Know some people go in for 40 hours, do 80 online. Have done some fixer uppers and repairs, think online could be enough for me, not sure. Where’s the free inspector exam? Like to heck that out. The ladder issue is because I currently drive a sedan and like to know what investment I would need before getting started. Good advice, appreciate it.
Yes, I did the full 120 Hour course online. It’s more than enough to get you through. Pretty much all the courses I found overlap each other to help you review areas/questions that you may have just went thru a few days ago.
If you become a member the free online course can be found when you click on licensing within your dashboard. Shows as “practice online” and provides over 2000+ possible questions you may have with the 120 question State exam. 84 pages, when I got one wrong I looked it up and researched why the correct answer is what it is. Helps you retain the information and knowledge.
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Search “Online Inspector Examination”