Becoming a home inspector without building experience
Q. I'm interested in becoming a home inspector. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience in real estate, construction, or engineering. I've worked in the high tech field since college and, having grown weary of hardware and software, would like to embark on a new career path. Can you offer some advice on the most direct approach I could take to get my foot in the door as a home inspector? Should I try to join a professional organization like ASHI? Do I need to become certified or licensed?
A. You are definitely a courageous and adventurous soul. Entering the home inspection profession without building experience is not easy. It has been done successfully by some people, but lack of construction-related experience is a handicap because you have more to learn than most entry-level inspectors.
Your first step is to take the home inspection course offered by one of the recognized home inspection schools, such as Casey, O'Malley Associates. It would also be a good idea to take building code classes at your local community college. And yes, membership in ASHI or the home inspector association in your state would be a good move. The main benefit of these association is that they provide ongoing education to members.
Licensing depends on the state where you will be doing business. Most states currently have licensing or certification requirements for home inspectors, but some do not. You can check this out online.
Be forewarned that the primary pothole in the roadway of professional home inspection is liability. Homebuyers will base purchase decisions on your findings. If you miss any significant defects in the course of an inspection, the consequences could be costly. So get as much training and education as you can before starting your new business.
Q. When we bought our home, there were cracks in the sheet metal edges of the garage door, but our home inspector said these were "cosmetic defects." Within a few months, the cracks had become larger and we finally paid $600 for a new door. Later we found cracks in some of the roof tiles and had to pay another $500 for repairs. The inspector said he had only looked at the roof from the ground and did not see any problems.
A. It appears that your home inspector made some mistakes. Cracks in garage door panels are not merely cosmetic. When a piece of sheet metal has a crack, continued vibrations cause the crack to gradually spread. Your home inspector should have advised you about this and should have recommended further evaluation by a garage door contractor.
Inspecting a roof from the ground is unacceptable unless the roof is inaccessible due to height, steepness, adverse weather, or fragility. If it was possible for your inspector to access the roof, that should have been done. Even inspecting from atop a ladder would have been better than from the ground.
In view of these home inspection shortcomings, it would be wise to have your home reinspected by someone who is truly qualified. An experienced, competent inspector will find additional defects that you have not yet discovered.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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