PITI... Professional Inspection Training Institute opinions?

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1

Originally Posted By: Hank Allen
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Hi, I live in Kansas and am relatively close to the PITI Home Inspector Training School. Before I look further into taking some of their classes I was wondering if anyone had any input (good or bad) about their organization. I want to start out in this business on the right foot.


I appreciate your input.


Thanks,


Hank

2

Originally Posted By: dbowers
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I teach there so its probably slightly prejudiced, but in the midwest there is NOBODY in their league. Many schools are puppy mills - they’re not. They don’t take more than 6-8 to a class, ever. They turn away more students than they accept. They have 5 instructors that teach at various classes or times - all are experts at what they teach.


1 instructor is a licensed structural engineer and commercial builder.

1 instructor is a civil engineer, maintenance director for Quaker Oats, and was a past navy seabee (bridge builder).

1 instructor has the most successful business in Springfield, MO. and buys, sells, and remodels apartment complexes.

1 instructor was VP of Construction for the Midwest YMCA's & the Director of Construction for Hollywood Video on the West Coast and remodels and renovates 1-family houses. Graduate Degree in Environmental Science.

1 instructor is mechanical engineer, HVAC Factory Rep for Major HVAC manufacturer, Project Manager for a 5,000 house a year builder, etc.

Between the 5 instructors there are certifications or licenses in:
Asbestos Inspection
Lead Inspection
Radon Mitigation
Septic Inspection
Termite Inspection
Structural Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Licensed General Contractor
Licensed Mechanical Contractor
Code Certifications in electrical, plumbing, mechanical & building
EIFS & Stucco Testing and Inspections

All of the instructors are ASHI Certified
1 is NACHI Certified
3 are NAHI Certified

All of the instructors have been hands-on inspectors for over 10 years.
3 of the inspectors teach college classes on construction & homebuilding

1 of the inspectors is the Senior ASHI Member in the Midwest and has served on their National BOD 3 times in the past 20 years.

Kansas City is filled with unemployed inspectors of some of the Puppy Mills. Don't become one yourself.

How far would you like me to go??

Dan Bowers

3

Originally Posted By: dbush
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Hank, if you are in the KC area, why don’t you come to our 6 hour FREE education seminar on March 13th in Liberty, MO. See www.nachi.org/mokanchapter

–
Dave Bush


MAB Member


"LIFE'S TOUGH, WEAR A HELMET"
4

Originally Posted By: dbowers
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Hank - Good Thought from Dave Bush. Two of the instructors at the NACHI seminar are full-time PITI instructors, and 1 is a part-time environmental instructor for PITI.

5

Originally Posted By: Hank Allen
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Thanks, I will try to do that.


Hank

6

Originally Posted By: LJ Johnson
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I posted this message under another Subject on this Forum, before I saw this one. Its probably appropriate here too. This is the group you were asking about above. Sorry.


My dad was a structural engineer and home builder. I worked with him for years. I had 3 years of college in architectural design and over 15 years in construction. About 3 years ago I was getting divorced and was bored with my life. After looking at different careers, I decided home inspections was for me. With ALL of my experience and training I SURE didn't need to go to a On-Site classroom training school. I could buy a correspondence course and learn everything I needed to know. Thats how I started.

A year later I realized that I was really good at marketing and getting business, BUT REALLY mediocre as an inspector and I knew a lot about 1 or 2 systems and nothing about a whole lot of systems. I looked around me and saw most other inspectors I'd met were the same as me.

I had relatives in Texas, Wisconsin, and Southern California. I had a real good college buddy living outside Kansas City and discovered there were home inspection schools in each area. Over a 3 month period I visited each one. The 1 in Dallas was the cheapest; the 2 that were in Wisconsin and Southern California had classes every month and would have been real easy to get into (they said they put 20-30 people in each class). The one in Kansas only taught 5 classes a year and limited the number of students to no more than 8 to a class (if I remember right).

After looking at all 4 schools, I chose the one in Kansas because of their attitude (they spent a lot of time talking to me to make sure home inspection was right for me - and because all of their instuctors had over 10 years hands-on field experience as inspectors).

I've been very happy with the training I got from them. I've met other inspectors that told me they're picky and turn away more students than they take.

LJ Johnson

7

Originally Posted By: dfrend
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NHITI.com

–
Daniel R Frend


www.nachifoundation.org


The Home Inspector Store


www.homeinspectorstore.com

8

Originally Posted By: LJ Johnson
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Is anybody seeing a large flood of new inspectors in their market place coming from the training schools.


I've had a few friends of mine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the San Diego area tell me that 2 training schools in their areas are cranking out new home inspectors to the tune of 20-30 per month.

My aunt is a real estate agent just west of Kansas City and she told me theres a inspector training school out by her thats also flooding the local market with new inspectors. She said shes met many of them that want to drop off brochures / flyers, etc at her office, and whenever shes asked them how they got into inspecting, their stories are just amazing.

She told me about 2 people she'd met - one was a divorced lady bartender and the other was a copier repair man. In both cases each of them told her they'd met an instructor at this inspector training school somewhere - and he convinced them if they went to home inspector school they could do inspections part time on the weekend and make an extra $20,000 - $25,000 per year.

How many new inspectors can we handle before our theres so many that our fees are lower than they were 10 years ago.

9

Originally Posted By: Scott Patterson
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LJ Johnson wrote:
Is anybody seeing a large flood of new inspectors in their market place coming from the training schools.

I've had a few friends of mine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the San Diego area tell me that 2 training schools in their areas are cranking out new home inspectors to the tune of 20-30 per month.

My aunt is a real estate agent just west of Kansas City and she told me theres a inspector training school out by her thats also flooding the local market with new inspectors. She said shes met many of them that want to drop off brochures / flyers, etc at her office, and whenever shes asked them how they got into inspecting, their stories are just amazing.

She told me about 2 people she'd met - one was a divorced lady bartender and the other was a copier repair man. In both cases each of them told her they'd met an instructor at this inspector training school somewhere - and he convinced them if they went to home inspector school they could do inspections part time on the weekend and make an extra $20,000 - $25,000 per year.

How many new inspectors can we handle before our theres so many that our fees are lower than they were 10 years ago.


No, just the opposite. I raise my fees every two years and have done so for the past ten years. Competition is great for business. The new phone books are coming out across the country, when you get your's take a few moments and call the numbers of the home inspectors and just see how many are now disconnected.

The HI profession has about a 75% first year failure rate. If a person can make it to their third year, they have a 50% chance they will make it to the all important five year mark benchmark. After five years most stay in it for life.