New Mexico has recently regulated home inspection and now requires licensing
Those of us that are now licensed thru experience, are now the ones to train new inspectors (field experience required for licensing)
My question is this: how have inspectors in licensed states dealt with interning new inspectors around things like an intern fee or no compete clause - essentially I would be training my eventual competition
I see the need to pass on the knowledge, but how is this typically approached (I can see training potential inspectors that are not in my immediate service area)
Any related experience would be appreciated (not really interested in opinions without experience)
Thanks
Patrick Trujillo
Patrick’s since the real market in New Mexico is Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos you’re likely to be training your competition.
Since you are in Taos that’s a very very small market I would recommend you train nobody from that area. If you do you’re probably going to see a lot of $200 home inspections pop up.
Thanks Martin - appreciated
I have mentored a few newbies, and helped some other newbies. I spent an hour on the phone last Friday with a newbie, helping him with report writing.
I understand the comments (complaints) about helping competitors, but my take on it is that if we are all doing a great job, our industry is better for it and our overall credibility is enhanced. Sure, on one hand it’s nice when someone tells me that I’m the best inspector they’ve ever had, but on the other hand, I really want all of us to be great. It reduces demands for government oversight and regulation and adds confidence in all of us. And I think it creates more business. If I can help new inspectors do a better job, I think I will benefit in the long run, so if I’m more selfish than altruistic, I can live with that. I care about our industry and have been neck deep in the efforts to license HIs in Colorado. (It’s not that I’m a huge proponent of licensing service providers, but if it’s going to be done, I want my input in the rules that I’m going to have to live under.)
I’ve definitely helped some newbies that I am directly competing with, including the guy on Friday. I can see that in a small market, it might be harder to help your competitor. I’m in a big market, so if you say, “Well easier for you,” then I’ll say, “Maybe so, but I still stand by my comments on trying to help our industry look better by helping others to a better job.” My cousin tried to find someone to help him get started in the Midland-Odessa area and was told by every HI there, “Thanks for your interest, but we have it under control.”
And finally on a side-note, it grinds on me that there are too many inspectors who so quickly and cheerfully throw their fellow inspectors under a bus every chance they get. That does our industry no service at all. When the public has great confidence in our industry, then we all get more business. If you’ve been doing this very long, then you’ve run into someone telling you that home inspections are a waste of time and money. That is not good for any of us.
Thanks Lon