Starting my courses on home inspection

At the beginning stages of the education of home inspection. Normally how long does it take to complete the onsite portion of the home inspection? Then how long should I expect to alot for the written inspection report?

There are so many variables involved, it is impossible to generalize any sort of accurate answer!
That being said…

Once you have the base experience that you need to fully understand what you are doing, generally speaking, I schedule my inspections to run anywhere from 2.0 to 4.0 hours for an average home in my area… DEPENDING on all the variables I mentioned above!

As far as generating a REPORT, my Rule-O’-Thumb is it will take approximately the same amount of time to build my report as I spent performing the Inspection. Often times, (due to my thoroughness during the inspection), it could take “double” the inspection time. It’s impossible to know upfront as every home and it’s owner are different. Compare them to a used car… some are immaculate and well maintained, many are a total POS!!

NOTE: Many inspectors attempt to generate their reports while ‘On-site’ (usually newbies with less than 5 years experience). Most (veteran) inspectors generate reports ONLY back in their office! You need to decide for yourself what method of reporting will allow you to prepare the kind of report that will represent you and your company, and provide the report that your Clients are paying you their hard earned money to provide!!

Good luck!

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[quote=“Jeffrey Jonas, post:2, topic:244205, username:jjonas”]
There are so many variables involved, it is impossible to generalize any sort of accurate answer!
That being said…

Once you have the base experience that you need to fully understand what you are doing, generally speaking, I schedule my inspections to run anywhere from 2.0 to 4.0 hours for an average home in my area… DEPENDING on all the variables I mentioned above!

As far as generating a REPORT, my Rule-O’-Thumb is it will take approximately the same amount of time to build my report as I spent performing the Inspection. Often times, (due to my thoroughness during the inspection), it could take “double” the inspection time. It’s impossible to know upfront as every home and it’s owner are different. Compare them to a used car… some are immaculate and well maintained, many are a total POS!!

NOTE: Many inspectors attempt to generate their reports while ‘On-site’ (usually newbies with less than 5 years experience). Most (veteran) inspectors generate reports ONLY back in their office! You need to decide for yourself what method of reporting will allow you to prepare the kind of report that will represent you and your company, and provide the report that your Clients are paying you their hard earned money to provide!!

Good luck!

Well said.

Thank you for that well thought out explanation. I was speaking in generalities and this information helps tremendously. Obviously depending on the variables of each house/unit carries its own challenges and unique circumstances. One of the main points that I appreciate from you is “You need to decide for yourself what method of reporting will allow you to prepare the kind of report that will represent you and your company, and provide the report that your Clients are paying you their hard earned money to provide!!” Thank you for that perspective!!

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