I'm gonna be a part-time home inspector!

(Posting to "agile" because although it involves leaving my house, it is a skill that I can "take" anywhere, and I didn't see any other more appropriate subforum...)

For a few years I've kicked around the idea of getting a home inspector licence, with the goal of having it be a part-time weekend job. (Still keeping my main full-time job, which is actually one of those "agile" ones.) Last night, with my wife's encouragement, I decided I'm going to actually pull the trigger on it--and soon, like "class starts in a couple weeks" soon. I am very excited.

Once the decision was made, I immediately had visions: of doing this for a few years to learn the ropes and then specializing in natural/passive/off-grid buildings; of eventually using my experiences as a home inspector as the bedrock for a second part-time career as a writer (writing about building has been some of the most fun I've had behind a qwerty keyboard); etc. I can barely sit still thinking about it.

Meanwhile, anyone else here been a home inspector? Anything I should know?

Aaaaagghhhhh... do a better job than ours did?

You don't want to know all the things the guy missed. Many of which could have been checked with basic electrical gizmos, but I admit, some of which couldn't have been caught on a casual inspection. (like wall heaters that are supposed to use two sides of a paired breaker and in fact were wired to 2 separate pairs of breakers)

Good luck on the course and I hope you enjoy the work.

Don't skimp on your inspection report software. I played home inspector for a year when I thought my job might put me on night shift. The inspecting part is a breeze, as long as you're thorough. Creating an easy to read report in an efficient manner is the hard part.

I'll second Jay's encouragement: Be obsessive and curmudgeonly about stuff that matters. Carry a good moisture meter and don't be shy about where you put it.

We hired a well-recommended inspector before we bought this place 18 years ago and he was awful. Spent more time banging on about what he thought was inadequate bracing underneath the shower in the downstairs bathroom than multiple issues that actually were causing (or would later cause) major problems. He said nothing about the unconventional way the upstairs windows were detailed, including the lack of flashing, even when I asked him about this specifically...and a few years later when we remodeled and took some of those windows out, there was rot already spreading in the framing around them.

In a 12-year-old house.

He also failed to notice the lack of a seam flashing along the area that two roof planes intersected. That caused water to come in and soak the living room ceiling during heavy rain with strong easterly winds. Even though that was visible from the inside of a crawl space off one of the bedrooms.

No, it was all about the shower bracing and some snide comments about the weatherboard exterior (but when I asked him about the condition of the plywood cladding on the upstairs, he waved it off...that has been yet another thorn in my side and I want it gone). This guy was a retired builder and now I fully understand why houses built in this country in the '90s are some of the worst thanks to deregulation and the removal of existing standards.

Update after 1 week of class (2 more weeks to go):

It is an intense class, but the instructor is very knowledgeable and thorough. I'm having a good time even though it has been a difficult week from a work/life balance perspective.

I try to remember that I am an ignoramus, and indeed there is much in the course that is new to me, but it's still surprising how much I have apparently been able to solidly learn over the past few years via Youtube, online forums, observing the construction of nearby houses, and doing a bit of maintenance on the homes I've owned. Much of the material is essentially review for me.

I will say, the instructor does not seem to have heard of many natural/"green" building concepts (I don't blame him, he has no reason to have heard of them), and compared to him I am an expert in it. (In absolute terms, I am not an expert in it, not by a long shot, not even close...yet.) The potential to one day be able to advertise a specialty in natural/green/permie-style homes is captivating to me.

How about an update?

John F Dean wrote:How about an update?

Thanks for the interest. You got it!

I have completed the required 80-hour classroom training, and this upcoming week I will complete the required 40-hour on-site/mock inspection/realworld experience training. This past week I was supposed to take my exam, but due to a scheduling snafu I'll be taking it the week after next. I need to complete all training, pass the exam, and obtain proof of general liability and Errors & Omissions insurance to file for a license. Because the insurance is a non-trivial cost, I might delay obtaining it until I find a full-time job in my main career. (If you've read from the beginning of the thread you know I intend to make home inspection a side hustle.) From the time I complete the training and pass the exam, I have two years to obtain insurance and file for my license, so I'm not too stressed about it.

The classroom training was intensive but a lot of fun. A few of the other students are also interested in natural building methods, and we had a few discussions about Earthships and greywater systems, none of them initiated by me! I'm looking forward to learning alongside those students next week.

The training did not touch on the particulars of log/timber framing, but apparently InterNACHI (one of the big national home inspector associations) offers a course on that, and also one on "green" buildings, so I might look into those at some point. There are a lot of log homes just a few towns over southeast from where I live, and a cursory online search did not turn up any home inspectors servicing that area who specialize in log homes. It would be a fun, interesting, and hopefully useful way to differentiate myself.

What else do you want to know? Ask me anything!

I am just curious if your classroom education explained the need for a good liability insurance and why.

Anne Miller wrote:I am just curious if your classroom education explained the need for a good liability insurance and why.

Here's one of the textbook examples: if while inspecting a house, I am in the attic and because of excess insulation covering the ceiling joists, I accidentally step through the ceiling, general liability would cover the damage I did to the house. (In reality in that situation I would probably just avoid walking the attic, and in my report I'd write "unable to fully inspect attic" and explain the reason, but you get the idea.) Another example is if the buyer is with me and the buyer breaks something or gets injured.

So the text book is suggesting that you carry a general liability insurance, which is good.

Anne Miller wrote:So the text book is suggesting that you carry a general liability insurance, which is good.

Not only that, it is a requirement for licensure.

However keep in mind not all states require a license.

Update: finished all my coursework, just have to take the exam tomorrow. Then obtain insurance, file my license application, and pass a background check, and I'm in.

The coursework was fun, got to do four mock inspections and write reports for them. Doing the inspections and writing the reports were a lot of fun, though I'm still working on streamlining my process so they don't take so long. Still, I'm excited for this new side hustle.

Thanks for sharing! This is interesting stuff.

Was it difficult to find a class near you? Between education, testing, licensing, and insurance, what do initial costs look like overall? And once licensed, is this something that can be done as an individual private contractor, or will you work through an established agency?

Good luck on your exam!

Congrats on almost finishing up all your pre-work for your side hustle! Great achievement to accomplish even if its just for your own expansion of knowledge.

Elle Muriano wrote:Thanks for sharing! This is interesting stuff.

You're welcome!

Was it difficult to find a class near you?

There was a list of about a dozen or so "approved" schools in my state. I think probably anyone anywhere in my state (Oh Hah) could find one within an hour's drive, though of varying quality and some were online--I don't see how anyone could effectively learn this stuff via an online class. I thought the one I chose (about a 45 minute commute each way for me) was excellent. Some people commuted in an hour and a half each way. Some people stayed in AirBnBs. I suppose it's up to whatever each person can tolerate...I personally wouldn't have wanted to drive any further than I had to, but I'm used to zero commute so I'm spoiled. The guy who drove the furthest each day said he was used to driving trucks and found it to be no problem.

Between education, testing, licensing, and insurance, what do initial costs look like overall?

All classes & materials were about $2600; the test was about $225 and the license is $250, plus another $20-50 for the background check. Insurance is something like $1700/year, or about $140/month. So I guess if you're going to be a home inspector the "cover charge" rounds up to about $3300. I happened to already own a ladder*, a screwdriver, a tape measure, a flashlight, and a phone with a good camera, and I bought an outlet tester and voltage sniffer for $20, but these necessary tools could all represent additional costs as well.

There are also costs in the form of triannual licensure renewal and a certain number of hours of annual required continuing education, none of which are free, and the costs and requirements of which vary by state.

And then if you're going into business for yourself, you have all the costs of setting up and running a business, marketing, etc. (More on that below.)

*Home inspectors are not required to get up on roofs, but almost all of them do. A ladder is often necessary for getting up into attics, which is required. [EDIT TO ADD: getting up into attics is required so long as the home inspector feels it is safe to do so!] Depending on what type of ladder(s) you have, you might need a larger vehicle to carry them on. I plan to buy a folding ladder that will allow me to get both into attics and onto first-floor roofs while still fitting in my sub-compact hatchback, but for now I can strap my 16 foot extension ladder to my wife's SUV.

And once licensed, is this something that can be done as an individual private contractor, or will you work through an established agency?

The vast majority of home inspectors are sole proprietors. This makes sense, since being a full-time home inspector is a good way to make a decent living ($60-80K/year) but a lousy way to make a really comfortable living especially if you have a family, and if you're working for someone else who takes a cut of every inspection then I imagine it would be an even harder way to make a full-time living.

However, I personally aim to work for an "established agency" (what they call "multi-inspector firms") who will likely cover my insurance, license renewal and continuing education costs, and possibly even provide some tools and a company vehicle. I have that luxury because I have a "day job" that makes me a lot more per hour than home inspecting ever would.

Update: Passed my exam today!

As of today I am now a licensed home inspector in the state of Oh Hah!

Congrats Ned!

Update: looks like I will be joining a multi-inspector firm in the next few days. Shadowed a couple inspections today, met the team, and that really was it for the "interview" process. I couldn't believe how easy it was.

Update: Been a professional home inspector for over a month now. I really like it, it's an interesting job and I've learned a lot, not just about houses but about the "house lifecycle" and most importantly about what people value, what people seem to want in a house, what people are willing to put up with, etc. I wish it paid better or I'd consider making it my new full-time career. But it's a great side hustle anyway.

Inspecting a home properly requires a bit of wasting of water and electricity. I've quietly tried to minimize this as best I can while still upholding my standards of practice...just in little ways that are more to make me feel good than will have any measurable effect on the planet. For example, I try to have my camera and temperature gun ready to go before I open the fridge to take a picture of the fridge's internal temperature, so I'm not standing there with the fridge open while I fumble around for my gear.

When I talk to the buyers I am very neutral just like I'm supposed to be, but if they idly talk about landscaping I will sometimes ask if they've considered planting native grasses and wildflowers instead of having a lawn. I don't suggest anything, I just ask the question. It makes me smile a bit on the inside knowing I did it.

Sounds like an exciting path—starting part-time is a smart move. Just be ready to keep learning constantly, every house teaches you something new.

Ned Harr wrote:Update: Been a professional home inspector for over a month now. I really like it, it's an interesting job and I've learned a lot, not just about houses but about the "house lifecycle" and most importantly about what people value, what people seem to want in a house, what people are willing to put up with, etc. I wish it paid better or I'd consider making it my new full-time career. But it's a great side hustle anyway.
.....

And now it's been a year! Update please!
My husband tosses the idea around. He's been repairing & renovating homes for 40 years and we know he'd be great at it because he's seen everything, and he helps customers interpret their reports and not be so scared of the long lists! We both love the worried people's reactions when he looks at the report and says, "don't worry, we'll have 3/4 of this stuff fixed in a week! Kim, get a screwdriver and start looking at those jiggly outlets, that'll be 4 things done before we leave today." It's like we're heroes, lol!

I think the hesitancy is that he barely uses the computer, and worries that he'll have to be tech savvy to do the reports.
What is involved, tech-wise, in an inspector's job?

Kim Wills wrote:And now it's been a year! Update please!
My husband tosses the idea around. He's been repairing & renovating homes for 40 years and we know he'd be great at it because he's seen everything, and he helps customers interpret their reports and not be so scared of the long lists! We both love the worried people's reactions when he looks at the report and says, "don't worry, we'll have 3/4 of this stuff fixed in a week! Kim, get a screwdriver and start looking at those jiggly outlets, that'll be 4 things done before we leave today." It's like we're heroes, lol!

I think the hesitancy is that he barely uses the computer, and worries that he'll have to be tech savvy to do the reports.
What is involved, tech-wise, in an inspector's job?

Thanks Kim! I think for an older person who has experience in the trades, home inspecting is a great gig for exactly the reasons you note (he's seen everything, and is likely familiar with all the home's systems and how they're put together), while being a relatively "easy" job in terms of physical labor. You don't even have to move furniture if it's in your way, you just shrug and write down "not accessible".

Tech-wise, we're really talking about converting observations into a report. That means writing and (usually taking photos, though these are not legally required). Writing a home inspection report can be as simple or as complicated as you make it, provided it has some minimum information required by whatever your locale dictates is within the standard scope of practice.

I have heard of an inspector writing a hand-written report with pen on paper! However, that would not be something most customers would consider high-value, plus it would take a long time and be hard on the wrist, and you'd have to copy down a lot of required boilerplate.

So it usually comes down to software. My company issues us iPads running a cloud-based software called CloudInspect, which all in all is very easy to use. It ensures the report is thorough, most comments are pre-populated and you just select details from drop-downs, and it's easy to change things and add photos.

I have in the past written home inspection reports in a word-processor using a template of my own design, and that was a lot more arduous.

How about this: in CloudInspect I can do the whole inspection and have the report done in a couple hours; using my word processor, just writing the report takes 5 hours minimum and sometimes has taken me a week, though there was no "software" to learn, other than knowing how to format a document.

But yeah, the "handling the buyers" part of the job is great. I do often get to feel like the hero, the bringer of good news or at least the one who says "it's not as bad as you think". I think only twice so far, after well over 100 inspections, have I seen a house and thought "I would not recommend anyone live here" (of course I didn't say it).

If your husband is considering becoming a home inspector, I recommend looking up what the process is to become licensed in your state, if there is a license requirement. Based on his background he will probably have no trouble completing the training and passing the exam, if required. The real decision is whether to start his own business or join a multi-inspector firm. I found it much more worthwhile to join a firm, and I think that is probably what I'd recommend to anyone, especially if the money isn't important and they are only interested in it as a part-time gig like the way I do it. But if he really wants to start a new career out of it, and if he has experience starting companies, and has contacts in the real-estate industry, then being self-employed as a home inspector can be more lucrative (though I would say it still ranks pretty low in terms of earning potential over time and other overhead costs).

Wow, Ned, thank you so much for all that! He's fine with taking pictures, and choosing from drop-down menus sounds like the way to go. His typing is the 2-finger method, lol. I type up his estimates and bills for him, but they're quick and easy, and I don't think either of us would want me doing reports for him, if it's even legal. I don't even want to, but it doesn't sound like it has to be arduous after all. He's seen a couple inspectors with drones, and worries he'd need to use one, but I really don't think that's a requirement, just an "extra"!