Considerable experience, training, and expertise are required for proper performance in this profession. No single source of experience, information, or course, is sufficient to launch a competent practice in the field.

First, there is no other profession or line of work that would fully prepare you to become a home inspector. Although construction related fields require an understanding of how homes are built, they almost never deal with the extended use and age related deterioration of components that the home inspector encounters daily. You will need extensive detailed knowledge in many areas such as electrical systems, plumbing systems, heating and cooling systems, and roofing. You will also require knowledge of components that are obsolete yet still in service.

Some multi-inspector firm owners believe that anyone can be trained to perform home inspections. However, if you have absolutely no background in construction work, you are at grave risk practicing in the field. The ability to recognize conditions that may be a problem comes in part from experience with "what goes wrong." No single course, nor even a collection of courses, can prepare you for all of the significant, or even life-threatening conditions that occur in the field. An inspector who fails to recognize such defects is guilty of failure to meet the due-diligence standards of professional services. Worse, an error can result in catastrophic financial loss or even death.

ASHI’s membership requirements specify a combination of experience, training, and field work. ASHI Certification requires a number of qualification "points" which are made up of education, experience, field work, a minimum of a specific number of fee-paid inspections and written reports which meet ASHI’s Standards of Practice (subject to audit).

ASHI’s founders recognized that a combination of formal training AND hands-on experience would produce the best field performance for the profession, and for that reason did not limit certification to professional engineers, nor to licensed contractors. Rather, a combination of the two types of background produce the best-informed practitioner.

This cross-training among professions, an activity which is continued through ASHI Conferences and Seminars has been instrumental in producing well qualified professional inspectors. It also led to ASHI’s recognition as the association for the profession, and to recognition of ASHI in that role by federal, state, and provincial authorities as well as by allied professional associations.

ASHI does not explicitly require formal course training. However, inspectors lacking exposure to more disciplined and formal training are at extra risk of having difficulty distinguishing between arm-waving "opinion" and well-researched authoritative sources of information. This is a critical distinction if you are to practice as a qualified professional rather than simply as a generic business operator.

College-level formal education, possibly including engineering, architecture, construction management is a plus.

High skill level in clear written and oral communication. You can be the greatest technician in the world, but if you can’t communicate effectively, you are of little service to your clients.

Hands-on construction experience in all aspects of residential construction, both new construction and repair/renovation work.

Familiarity with building codes, electrical and plumbing codes, etc.

Intimate familiarity with good construction practices for every major residential construction topic, in depth, in great detail. (God, and leaks and rot, are in the details.)

Familiarity with computers, word processing.

Financial strength to support not only living while training, but to self-insure against likely errors and omissions in inspections and reports.

Familiarity with real estate practices, sales, legal and marketing issues.

While the business looks easy, we assure you that it is not. You will find it to be extremely demanding both physically and emotionally. As for the physical aspects, when you find yourself crawling through a 125° attic on your stomach while inhaling insulation fibers and pesticides, you will ask yourself why you ever wanted to get into this business.

As for the emotional aspects, you are immersing yourself in a transaction that has extremely important financial and emotional implications for all parties involved. You will often be the bearer of bad news. You will be called a liar and accused of all sorts of misdeeds by sellers and agents. You will also find yourself lying awake at night worrying about being sued. Problems are the nature of this business, both real and imaginary. Your inspection and report will have created these problems. Or, if you’re trained, experienced, competent, expert, your inspection and report will help avoid some of these problems. Not all of them.

You will find that your job is not always over once you deliver the report. You will receive many additional phone calls regarding your inspection and spend countless hours answering questions and explaining your report, (especially if you communicate poorly.)

The basics of getting into this profession are getting experience and education and having the financial depth to start a business.

There are several training schools and courses available which will help. These Schools are very helpful, but are not a substitute for construction experience.

ASHI conducts annual professional education conferences, as well as sponsoring seminars held by chapters in various US states and Canadian provinces. You would be well served to join the local chapter of ASHI.

Several universities, colleges, junior colleges, and others offer continuing-education offer home inspection courses, and certificate programs. (Northeastern University, New York University, and others), and also very valuable trade-courses in proper construction practices for every construction branch and trade. These can be invaluable, particularly for those areas with which you are most unfamiliar.

Beware of some inspection "schools" which promise far more than they deliver. Some make false claims such as being endorsed by the National Home Study Council. At least one of these, offered by a subsidiary of a major US publishing firm, has an expensive course which has very little pertinent content.

Some low-value courses include much course material taken from other previously prepared courses in architecture, real estate, blueprint reading, which are nice background but mostly irrelevant. Some of these courses leave very little content that actually includes the key information that home inspectors need to know.

Some individual inspectors offer to train would-be professionals, charging as much as $10,000. Other training is not only far more cost effective, training with some of these costly individuals risks being mis-trained by someone who may not even be a top performer in the profession.

Has the course been qualified for ASHI’s continuing educational requirements ("membership renewal credits" abbreviated currently as "MRC’s?")

What are you getting? If the course costs $2000. and includes $1500. worth of computer hardware and software, and has ¾ of its content borrowed from architecture and blueprint reading, how much actual home inspection problem recognition training could possibly have been included?

Discuss the course, and the teachers, with experienced professionals in your area, or in the nearest ASHI chapter.

Experience is an absolute necessity, but is hard to come by when you are entering the business. Although some inspection companies in your proposed marketing area might be reluctant to train you to compete with them, most ASHI professionals, locally or in other areas are happy to take you along on a few inspections.

Another approach is joining an inspection company as a trainee. Obviously, only multi-inspector firms would do this. You need to make some phone calls to find out who they are.

A list of ASHI Chapters and members is available from ASHI Headquarters and is provided to registered ASHI Candidates. Check the Yellow Pages for others.

Several major inspection franchise companies make it easier for a novice to "get into business." Some offer good training. Some are mostly marketing to you their canned report forms, documents, programs. Beware that such companies may teach "their way" of inspecting as if were the "only" way to proceed. It certainly is not the only way to perform inspections, and, measured by long-term success in avoiding errors, omissions, disputes, may be a poor performer. However a quality franchise operation often offers the most support in training and marketing, and will be of particular use to new entrants who have the least experience in construction and business.

The best credential in the home inspection profession is membership in the

American Society of Home Inspectors. ASHI members are widely recognized

as the best. The road to membership involves experience and testing. Anyone

interested in the business should become an ASHI Candidate as early as

possible. For information, call or write: ASHI 932 Lee St, Suite 101, Des

Plaines, IL 60016 Phone 847/759-2820

Before even attempting to start a business of any kind, you need to have the financial depth to get it off the ground. According to the Small Business Administration, 65% of new small businesses fail in their first year. Most of them were under capitalized.

As a minimum you will need a reliable vehicle, a computer and $25,000 in working capital. This is a conservative figure and could be a lot higher depending on your market area and your ability to sell your product. Don’t think for a minute that revenue in a service business is all profit. If you do, you will become a SBA statistic. You may not believe it, but overhead costs will run close to 50% of gross income or more!

Home inspection is a very risky business. Your customer’s expectations will be very high. In order to survive, you will need to be very good and very careful. Sharing ideas and experience with others in the business helps, but you must know what you are doing and consistently do it well, every inspection, every day.

Errors and Omissions Insurance coverage is available at a rather high cost for ASHI members. You very well may find yourself involved in a lawsuit even though you were not at fault. While you may be able to prove that you are not at fault, legal costs will run into the thousands.

Check out Moe Madsen’s advice to folks who want to become Home Inspectors - nice additional information, especially suited for Canadian inspectors.

In closing, if you decide to proceed, please consider membership in an ASHI Chapter. The local camaraderie and exchange of ideas can be extremely valuable in keeping your business going. Once you are accepted as an ASHI Candidate, you can join a local chapter as a member, or you may join as an affiliate member at any time.

Your best source of information about professional status, and how to proceed is ASHI Headquarters. Contact information is on the ASHI Home Page. This is where you obtain a candidate application packet, apply for candidate or membership status, subscribe to professional publications, and find constantly updated key professional information.

Find an ASHI Certified Home Inspector for your area

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