Hey Everyone,
Let me start off by saying that if this isn’t the correct discussion area for this post, please feel free to move it and yell at me. I looked around and didn’t really see a newbies or introduction section. And please excuse the long post.
I am a Colorado native and am 28 years old. I am in the Army Reserve and currently deployed overseas. I get back in about 8 months, and will be going back to school at CSU Fort Collins for Construction Management. I have some construction background, but not a lot in the housing area. I understand the basics of home construction, however, I still have A LOT to learn. I am handy, and used to own an aquarium design and maintenance company that I did really well with. It taught me a lot about dealing with wholesalers, dealers, subcontractors (reinforcing structures for large scale aquariums over 1000 gallons), retail and customer service. I also ran this business while in college and hit my break even point about 2 months into starting up. I also do site setup and construction in the Army; and have done home improvements on my parents farm for years.
I got interested in real estate about 2 years ago, when I was working for a mortgage fraud investigation firm. We did post close mortgage fraud analysis on the mortgage and appraisal side of the transaction. It was a fascinating position, but the 60 hours of office work drove me crazy. However, it served as an invaluable learning tool as far as real estate goes.
So I am here today. I have some hands-on experience, some managerial experience, some business owner experience and some real estate experience. In buying my first house, I found a friend who showed me just how little I knew about inspections. He was a building inspector for El Paso County Colorado, and his insights and guidance were priceless. He also opened my eyes to the inspection world and made me realize how much I enjoyed learning about it.
My goal for when I get back is to get into CSU’s CM program, but to also start learning the home inspection trade. I will be financially stable, I have all debt paid off, 15k saved from deployment and I will be using TA and my GI Bill for three years to go to school fulltime. I am eager and willing to learn to this trade and I understand that I have a lot to learn. I will be taking online classes through NACHI; however I believe that actual hands-on time doing inspections is vital to the education of a future inspector. Does anyone know that if once I get my NACHI license, if there are Colorado members that would be willing to provide an internship or apprenticeship on a part-time basis? Like I said, I am new to this industry, and trying to get guidance on how the actual side really works. I have been trying to network, but in this tough industry it seems a lot of existing home inspectors are single members and understandably cautious in providing an apprenticeship because of possible competition. This has led me to believe that a classroom based program is best, however the startup costs are a bit high, and it seems you get very little hands-on for that price. Costs outweigh benefits it seems, but any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your help!
v/r
SPC Brandon Willingham