Originally Posted By: jschmidt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I like what Mr. Warren said about learning never ending .
I was introduced at an early age to construction , and carpentry through two of my uncles and my father , but somehow never got into that feild proffessionally . I am a diesel mechanic of 15 years . Took two years of trade school after I got out of the Navy in '84 , and thats about all I have done until about three years ago when I decided to stop depending solely on my employer for my income . ( I was broke ) I then began doing mechanic work on the side , tree cutting , landscaping , and home make-ready. At this time I met a man who approached me with the idea of going into business with him as an HI .
Originally Posted By: jschmidt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
So I was approached by this man in my church about training with him to become a Home Inspector . Before I didnt even know how to spell Home Inspector , and now I are one ! I would say though , that my coming to this point has been the result of asking God for a change in my life , and seeking Him about which way to go with that change . I am learning a new career and I love what I do .
Originally Posted By: rhollingshead This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi folks, this sounded like fun.
43 yoa, married w/three 3 yo, so I post very late at night or bad weather dayz.
College grad, Navy LtJG, Stock Broker. Made some money in 1987-88 and started buying/rehabing rental property. Realized I was paying my contractors almost as much as I was making, so started doing more and more myself.(family in the trades) Liked it.......a lot!!! Friend asked me to build a house, I did. Friends suggested real estate development... we did. Grew construction business to one of the top 20 in the state by 2000, added other companies to the business. I like being an entreprenuer.
Wife decided she finally wanted kids, said OK. Adopted daughter born 5/2000, wife announced she was pregnant with twins, boyz born 11/2000. Companies combined gross topped 12 mil$ in 12/2000. Business partner, best friend, father of my god-child, decided he liked money more than me and split with all the cash. Major bummer! Laid everybody off, ground through the current projects by myself, paid the bills, locked the doors and gave the bank the keys. Glad that's over.
Evaluated current strengths and priorities, Oklahoma passed a new licensing law for HI's and opened the door for new blood like me. Old realtor/broker contacts got me off on a running start. I am also building a large custom house for myself, by myself. And, also hold certifications as a code official, working to become a Master Building Official.
And that's about it.
Ron
-- Don't tell me it can't be done...., Just Do It!
Originally Posted By: randerson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi Everybody. My name is Scott Anderson. I’m 43, married with 3 step-kids and 5 step-grandkids.
I grew up in the small village of Avondale, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada, population 75 (approximately). I started in electrical construction in 1984 and have been a member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Locals 625 in Halifax Nova Scotia and 2330 in St. John's, Newfoundland. In 1988 I enrolled in the Appraisal/Assessment Technology program at the Cabot Institute of the North Atlantic in St. John's, Newfoundland. I completed the course in May 1990 and began work full time in September 1990 with the Newfoundland Municipal Assessment Agency. I had also worked 2 summer jobs with the MAA and also did my work term there. When the organization was "restructured" in 1997, (I had second lowest seniority in the office), I moved back home to Nova Scotia, settling in Dartmouth (about 2 hours from where I grew up). I started doing home inspections in 2000.
BTW, when I first started with the MAA, I also became involved with my government union local. I served 2 terms as local president. I also was a founding member and the inaugural president of Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador, Gander Chapter.
I've also been involved in politics in many aspects, including being a provincial candidate in Newfoundland in 1993 and a provincial candidate in the 2003 Nova Scotia Provincial Election.
Originally Posted By: rhinck This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Will,
I am 55 yrs. old. I have a BS degree in Industrial Technolgy in Educ. I taught for 4 yrs prior to working for a local contractor for 5 yrs. I started my own residential building business 25 yrs ago. We build residential and light commercial buildings. I graduated from AHIT and passed the Illinois exam in April. I have done approx. 75-80 inspections so for to date and I really love this job. I look forward to doing this full time when I build up my base of clients. I too also enjoy the continual learning that comes with this profession. Next week I will be attending a radon measurement course and will be taking the Ill. exam.
Originally Posted By: jquinn This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Guess it’s my turn,
Born in Scarborough (Toronto) ,Ontario, Canada 43 years ago. I'm married 23 years with two daughters (19 and 22) who are studying Arts/Business and Chemistry (respectively) at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Met my wife in 1979 in Saskatchewan where I was working for the summer doing concrete driveways. Wound up working the railway at night and framing houses during the day till my wife finished university. We then moved to Edmonton, Alberta where I studied Building Construction at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (N.A.I.T.) Recession of 1980's sent me back to Ontario with a job offer of surveying on the Burlington Skyway in Hamilton/Burlington. After that worked at a building supply company and then accepted offer of job at a building material manufacturer (steel roofing, steel stud, wire lath, suspended ceiling grid, etc.). Built my own house, and another on spec, while working here. In 1990 my wife obtained her Chartered Accountant designation (comparable to a CPA in the USA) and I went back to university full-time where I got a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in sociology and geography. Out of university I repped for a company selling automatic door sytems, then went to work in Toronto with the Carpenters local 27 . Just under four years ago decided I didn't particularly like working twenty seven stories up, next to Lake Ontario in the middle of the winter so I made a bee-line home after morning coffee.
Been doing the home inspection thing on my own now for three and a half years and am also a Registered Home Inspector (RHI) with the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI)
Make it a great day!!
James Quinn, B.A., R.H.I.
Sherlock home inspections inc.
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada