Hey Brian,
I fully understand the principle behind the price. The inspector I spoke to is a mentor in the area and helped give me the “lay of the land”. There’s a few companies using it to help out and actually train; with a few others focusing on using the opportunity as primary income.
I’ll work toward my goal, one inspection at a time if that’s what’s needed.
Jeffrey,
I can tell you pay attention, as in almost every thread I see your comments. It seems like the sword is your best friend.
I came here looking for help, not using this forum to satisfy the educational requirements.
And that is wrong in what way? I am trying to understand your level of “understanding”.
Nothing at all! He was explaining what to look for so I can have the best mentorship.
You obviously didn’t “pay attention” to the quote in my signature either!
So, the guys that charge more are just in it for the money?
Or, are they professionals who take it very seriously and charge accordingly? Remember, you sometimes get exactly what you pay for.
The ones that are capitalizing on the strict state requirements are the same ones bringing 4 “students” to an inspection; totaling 5 people per room/crawspace/attic. Collecting inspection fee, and 4 students money, while not providing the best education.
If you just want a signature then no harm no foul. If you want training then typically you’ll find it to be cheaper per inspection, and you’ll often only have 1 other student with you. I’m not here to dispute anyone’s way of living, but there’s a difference.
I see. So you have found a way to qualify the inspectors providing this service. That’s good.
Certainly smaller groups has an advantage, I would want that also. Best of luck!
I’m a licensed inspector in Arizona. I take my job seriously. Taking the responsibility of training someone to fulfill their parallel inspection requirements takes a lot of time and effort in this State. You get what you pay for just like any thing else in life. I agree with JJ and Brian! What do you expect? Qualified Inspectors don’t need to spend their time training guys from other States for free. If you want to exceed in this State, I recommend treating other Inspectors with respect to begin with. You may find this approach works better!
When I did my parallels it took a while to get my reports graded and returned and I know my first several weren’t even close to meeting the SOP, but back then I was able to choose which written report from my parallels I wanted to submit with my application for licensing. Of course I submitted one of my last five because the home was in overall good condition and the list of defects was pretty short since it was an 11th month inspection. Not to mention that by then I had my process down pretty well.
But since I got licensed, I received an update on the process from the BTR that said that they had learned that many of the parallel instructors were just signing off on the affidavit and weren’t really making corrections to student written reports and teaching them how to make each report meet the SOP. So they decided that once you submit your application, including the list of the 30 parallels, that they would now randomly decide which report from your list of 30 they want you to submit. It could be the very first one, the last one, or any one in between. If you do your parallels with someone who is just going to sign off on your report, and then that report is requested by the BTR to decide whether or not they’re going to grant you registration you may be denied if it doesn’t meet the SOP.
I would think, therefore, that a good parallel instructor is more than worth whatever fee they charge you as long as they actually take the time to review, correct, and return your written reports promptly. I stick to this thought no matter how many students they have along with you during the inspection. Otherwise you run the risk of paying for parallels that may end up hurting your application for registration.
You’ve already done classes, the parallel instructor isn’t there to teach as much as they’re there to reinforce what you’ve already learned and to guide you to meeting the state’s requirements for a home inspection report.