How to become a home inspector & start a home inspection business

How to become a home inspector and actually earn a living at it requires a different skill set than just becoming a home inspector. While getting a home inspector license in most states is easy actually figuring out what it takes to earn a decent living takes many times more effort as well as lots of trial and error. One must keep in mind that each trial costs money and each error costs more.

There are plenty of books on how to become a home inspector and there are even a few on how to run a home inspection business. Like any set of skills performing one task at a time is much easier than trying to perform a variety of tasks all at the same time without missing a beat.

Running a small business takes time and lots of it. As a new home inspector you will have to find a way to solicit new business. The most common way to solicit home inspection business is by visiting local real estate offices and asking to speak to any real estate agent who will agree to speak to you. Soon you will discover there are real estate agents who want nothing to do with you at. Some agents figure since you are a new inspector you are likely to make a mistake during an inspection for one of their clients and have the client walk away from a house that little is wrong with. Yet other real estate agents will be fearful you will make a big deal out of nothing and have the client walk away from a house that little is wrong with. Some are very receptive to new home inspectors and would be happy to give you a try, after all since you are new you are without sin.

After spending hours - I mean days - banging on real estate agents doors the phone may start to ring and you may start to get jobs. Your first few home inspection jobs you get from cold calling are likely to shape the way you run your home inspection business. If you thoroughly document every single defect you find you may realize calls from that real estate office become less common. When you do not thoroughly document every single defect you find you may realize complaint calls clients become more common.

Soon it is likely you will be faced with a choice. Either become the home inspector who finds it difficult to cold call real estate offices for fear you will sometimes run into unhappy realtors or be the home inspector who sometimes has to write out very large checks to clients because defects were not reported properly.

It is quite easy to get talked into downplaying defects in homes. After all not all homes with old roofs leak. However after you pay for a few roof shingle replacements it is likely you will be more careful when you prepare your reports.

It is easy to get talked into being the cheapest home inspector in your market. After all you are the new home inspector. I learned that one the hard way too. I kept thinking all I needed was more volume to make more money. I kept working more and more hours harder and harder to try and get to the point my home inspection business was profitable. After all when I thought about becoming a home inspector I did not want to become a poor one I wanted to actually earn a living. After a few years I found out no one cared if I earned a living or not (except for me of course).

It took me years to learn the lesson provided by the customizable Excel spreadsheet you are free to download Time, expenses and the impact of pricing on profit.

Yes, I agree the pricing in that sheet is out of date and is not at all likely to be accurate for your market however I think you will agree it is an excellent starting point.

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File last updated May 16, 2012 * Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved by: Accurate Inspections, Inc. A New Jersey home inspection firm 56 Woodland Drive, Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) NJ 07424 973-812-5100 providing New Jersey Certified Home Inspections in NJ, by New Jersey Licensed home inspectors. Inspector of record Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector License GI 0121.

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