In my area, no licences are required for home inspectors. I’ve had many years experience building and remodelling homes, have formal education in carpentry, woodworking, plumbing and electrical. I’ve done home inspections for friends and family and now am wondering if I should offer this service. Any advice?
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In my area, no licenses are required for home inspectors.
Hmm, that's interesting. Do your local RE transactions require a licensed appraiser, or the like? For a while there, it was kind of an either/or, theoretically, to protect buyer & sellers in residential RE transactions.
If your area (or state/province) offers licensing, that's a "leg up" on the competition. Which is usually worth the expence invovled in picking up the license.
As a business operation, it ought to be a lot easier to get bonding/insurance, as the coverage for a licensed individual is likely better defined, as would be your liability (and also OTJ injury coverage--a definite risk in home inspection, as Bob Walker might likely attest to).
Sorry Cap, What I meant to say was that you do not need certification from a home inspection organization like ASHI or NSHI to run said business.
you do not need certification from a home inspection organization like ASHI or NSHI to run said business.
ASHI and NASHI are private organizations (actually NASHI is owned by one guy). I don't believe any state would require certification from these orginizations. In Illinois, inspectors are required to take 72 hours of class plus they have to pass a test to be licensed with the state. Of course being ASHI certified is a good advertising tool.
If your state does not require licensing, then I don't recommend taking any classes. It already sounds like you know how to build and maintain a house. But what you need to learn is how to run an HI business; i.e. what equipment to buy, what software to buy, what insurance to get, what business structure to use, etc.
Do you know any inspectors in your area? If so, ask to follow along with them.
If you don't know anyone, you can always join your local ASHI group and find ride-alongs with them. Just don't expect too many, HI's are a tough group to work with.
Joe“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
Seen lot of Home Inspectors who Real Estate agents recommend because they are not "Deal Killers".
A lot of Home Inspectors will not open up a meter panel. (There are some panels that will spark/explode if you tip its cover the wrong way.) The last idiot, I heard about, told the sellers to pay a licensed electrician to check out the meter panel.
Meter panel or service panel?You get in deep doo-doo tampering with a meter box around here.
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Some electrical panels should not be opened by generalists (home inspectors). I recently encountered a panel with a master breaker that tripped as I unscrewed the panel cover three times. A tree had pulled down the electrical service and the mast had been replaced. The framing supporting the mast was severely damaged.
Needless to say that I recommended did not open the panel and recommended further investigation by a qualified electrician.
Doug Wilson, Registered Home Insepctor, Ontario
"Some electrical panels should not be opened by generalists (home inspectors)."
A lot of old panels are poorly made and downright dangerous. Take the inside cover off, and its hard to put back in, cause the breakers are misaligned or the screw holes don't line up.
There would be an awfully thick book that would touch on the ins and outs of electrical panel inspections. But the opening of the electrical box can reveal ####lot visually.
There are a lot of municipal "Electrical" Inspectors who do not open up the panel, they just have the Electrician open it up.
You got that right. I spent 10 years doing private home inspections, took off 99% of the panel fronts on over 2000 homes. Never got nipped, but came close. One particular panel that stands out had a bad breaker (double pole) that served the freezer. I proceeded to take the panel front off, placed it on the ground, and proceeded to write down the specifics of the electrical service on my report. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a white blue flash near the panel box, by the time my eyes focused back at the box, nothing. I proceeded to write more of my report and saw the flash again. I put down the clipboard and focused solely on the panel and about a minute later, whoala, the mysterious blue arc. The freezer was cycling on/off and each time would arc off of the breaker onto the panel, breaker never tripped. Right time right place scenerio, as the entire panel and breakers was in need of immediate replacement. Told the HO to get a licensed electrician to come out immediately. Of course the HO was "oh, what did you do to my panel, was never a problem before!" Well, she did get the panel replaced that day, and it may have saved her life, not to mention her house and everything inside. One reason I got out of doing home inspections, which is another story. The old fused panels are some of the most dangerous, if you've ever played the old game "operation" you know where I'm coming from.
In Arkansas they are not required.
However if you practice the sport you must be lisensed.
All realators now give the home owner a form that says its a good idea if they use one .
Then they hand you a sheet that has the credited ones listed.
An inspector can be black balled silently where he or she does not appear on the lists.
I think Texas requires it or so Ive heard and that mkaes it a bigger business .
Normally you cant work on any house you inspect , so if you were thinking about that be best to forget it . That will kill all those leads. Still its a decent pay by its self if you are busy just like any other trade or should be that way.
Tim
I think Texas requires it or so Ive heard
Depends on jurisdiction, if I'm remembering rightly.
We here have been through "appraisers" and a requirement of hiring one (or tow, in opposition), with attendant claims of incompentency, complicity and/or duplicity in the RE biz. In the last ten years, it's become inspections.
Texas has a specific license, with some (slightly) goofy licensing requirements (which a cynical person might see as discouraging just the sort of people who ought to be in the HI game). Most of the 'civilians' out there are as jaded about HI, as "they" used to be about appraisers. They all know of at least one horror story--but it's never actually happened to them; but they (HI), why theys all crooks or idjits, or both! Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I never heard of a state requiring an apprisal, but that does not mean that there are none.But the mortgage companies do.
"But the mortgage companies do."
Bill, mebbe thats where its comming from as Im trying to remember correctly the story I got from a hand that worked for me from Texas.
If I remember correctly he said if you loaned money on a house the lender required it . Also the reason he gave was the soil in that area which was questionable . He said even the roads didnt hold up. He got liscensed in that state and moved here so I expected he was up on it . He also had done a training behind other inspectors and said he got ripped off . Im thinking he had to like 12 inspections but I may be haywire on the number . So anyway he helped do one , two, or three and was sent alone to do the rest however many that might have been and did not get paid . That was the jest of the story to begin with and I questioned him but we were laying tile and pretty hooked up.
Like the lenders here require flood plain and termite inspections because of the obvious.
Tim
At least register your business (DBA) and get insurance including Errors and Omissions. It would also be a good idea to read some inspection reports (maybe your friends had one done) to see the scope of what you want to offer in an inspection.
I've seen lots of reports where they don't look at electrical beyond noting the location of the breakers, don't look carefully at heating systems, fireplaces, and don't climb on the roof. Of course, if you do tell someone their electric is good and the house burns down, check that Errors and Omissions policy again! Some things are better left to experts and you act as a "general" inspector.
As far as deal killing (you'll never get another referral from that realtor) approach the inspection and report as an educational experience for potential buyers.
Good luck,
Norse
As far as deal killing (you'll never get another referral from that realtor)
That is the bad part of the business- realtors can.....and many try to control the inspector chosen. Of course they want a "quick and slick" inspection and one that doesn't get into details. An example from a large franchise inspection report: "An air exchanger was noted". My comments:What devices control its operation? Does it work in all modes and with all controls? Is it an adequate size for the house? Does it have heat recovery or is it simply an air exchanger? Is it fully self ducted or ducted through the forced air heating system? Are the ducts adequate for its application?
My report covers all the above and more so the buyer knows what he is buying. In asking these other questions, I may find some deficiencies in the system and these may become a negotiation point in the deal. The realtors don't like that so I may be losing some revenue due to my thoroughness but that's what I gotta do!!! I've built up a solid base of referrals (about 75% of my business) so it's not as bad as when I re-entered the business fulltime in a new market 5 years ago. Then most of business was from advertising. Also the # of inspectors in this market has doubled in 5 years. With no regulation, anyone can be an HI!!
This is a business to protect the homebuyer!!! Try and get around most of the realtors. There will be a few that really understand what a good, thorough and accurate inspection report is and will recommend you.
I've seen lots of reports where they don't look at electrical beyond noting the location of the breakers, don't look carefully at heating systems, fireplaces, and don't climb on the roof.
These are the "slick and quick" inspectors. Comments from a realtor: "Geez, he was good. In and out in 1.5 hours." I hope this was the smallest of houses or a small condo where here, we don't have to inspect the exteriors! As in other areas of life, speed does not equal "good".