home inspection schools, home inspector school, Home inspector education, certification & home inspector training

"Various conflicts and potential conflicts have caused me to temporarily stop teaching home inspection school classes, home inspection continuing education classes and home inspector mentoring. In spite of what you may read else where I do not offer any of these services at this time. The information provided on this page is being provided as a public service to those wanting infomation about becoming a home inspector."

Becoming a home inspector is easy. Keep in mind when looking for a home inspection school please remember your education can only be as good as your instructors. If I wanted to become a home inspector I would look a for a home inspection school providing instructors who have a minimum of five years on the job experience as a home inspector, who owns or has owned his or her own company and who have performed at least a few thousand home inspections.

Can one realistically expect a first class home inspection education if your home inspection school's instructor has no first hand knowledge of how to perform a home inspection?

If school says they can teach a new home inspector to CONSISTENTLY KEEP $400 or more a day five days a week, fifty weeks per year ask them for the names of a few former students making 1/2 that (I am sure they will have a reason they can not give you that list) OR obtain a written money back guarantee from the school! I am not telling anyone not to go to school to become a home inspector. I suggest prior to laying out funds to a school that are not refundable one consider the quality of the school they are picking and make a determination as to the dollars being spent on school vs. the dollars one is likley to earn as a home inspector.

Home inspectors typically are paid a percentage of the home inspection fee. I have heard of home inspectors being paid anywhere from $80 to $200 per home inspection. Think about it for a second, does your boss pay you 100% of what he or she takes in? Who pays for the insurance, vehicle expenses, marketing expenses, postage, people who answer the phones, vacation time, etc. Each home inspection takes at least 5 hours of time when all the off site time is added up. An honest school would tell you it takes time to perform the home inspection (2.5 hours +/-), get to and from the home inspection (1 hour +/-), prepare the report (1 hour +/-), go back to the site to pick up the radon canister and travel back home (1 hour +/-). How can one do this in just two hours?

Before you do anything else there are two files that are likely to be the two best files you download this year. These two files are FREE. One file is in a PDF format and the other is in Excel. NONE OF THE NUMBERS IN THE TIME OR EXPENSE CHART ARE "MINE" THEY ARE JUST STARTING POINTS FOR YOU TO APPLY YOUR NUMBERS OR ANTICIPATED NUMBERS TO SEE THE IMPACT CHANGES WILL HAVE UPON THE PROFIT YOU WILL OR WILL NOT EARN.

The first page shows you how a typical home inspector spends their week. The second page shows you what type expenses a typical home inspection company faces. The last two pages show you how you can decide how much you want to earn as a home inspector and how hard you will have to work in order to achieve your goal. ONCE AGAIN -- NONE OF THE NUMBERS IN THE TIME OR EXPENSE CHART ARE "MINE" THEY ARE JUST STARTING POINTS FOR YOU TO APPLY YOUR NUMBERS OR ANTICIPATED NUMBERS TO SEE THE IMPACT CHANGES WILL HAVE UPON THE PROFIT YOU WILL OR WILL NOT EARN.

For the NON customizable PDF version click Time, expences and the impact of pricing on profit in PDF

For the Totally customizable Excel version click Time, expenses and the impact of pricing on profit in Excel. The advantage of the Excel format is you can plug in all of your own numbers if you wish to and see in real time how different factors change your ability to earn a profit.

Consider about 8,000,000 people live in New Jersey. If three people live in each home and if 5% of the homes are sold each year that would be about 133,333 sales per year. Lets guess and say about 120,000 home inspections occur (look under Existing Home Sales by State for an up to date figure).

Right now there about 650 still licensed home inspectors (about 900 licenses have been issued) plus some unlicensed ones. 120,000 / 650 = 185 home inspections per licensed home inspector. If an inspector charges $400 per inspection (many inspectors charge much less some charge more) and performs 150 home inspections that inspector would take in $ 74,000 per year, minus expenses that eat up at something like half that gross. Make sure your budget includes $16,000 +/- for keeping your state mandated $500,000 errors and omission claims made insurance coverage for at least four years after you stop inspecting homes.

If one perfoms 185 home inspections per year (less than 4 inspections per week) for $400 each how could one have a $400 a day profit?

Sure, you can make money as a home inspector. I do very well. However it takes years of time, investment and effort. It is not an easy way to make a million and there is no possible way it can not be learned in a few weeks or months time.

All information on this site is the personal opinion of Michael Del Greco. He does NOT represent the Home Inspection Advisory Committee, The Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of the Attorney General or any other State Agency.

Education New Jersey Home Inspector Training

New Jersey Home Inspector Licensing Requirement List 

A3983 (enacted into law 8-15-05 effective 2-19-06) amended Section 8 of P.L.1997, c.323 (C.45:8-68) to read as follows:

To be eligible for licensure as a home inspector, an applicant shall fulfill the following requirements:

a. Be of good moral character; and

b. Have successfully completed high school or its equivalent; and

c. (1) Have successfully completed an approved course of study of 180 hours, as prescribed by the board, after consultation with the State Department of Education, which shall include not less than 40 hours of unpaid field-based inspections in the presence of and under the direct supervision of a licensed home inspector, which inspections shall be provided by the school providing the approved course of study    or    (2) Have performed not less than 250 fee-paid home inspections in the presence of and under the direct supervision of a licensed home inspector who oversees and takes full responsibility for the inspection and any report produced; and

d. Have passed an examination administered or approved by the committee. The examination may have been passed before the effective date of this act.

6. Maintain an errors and omissions insurance policy in the minimum amount of 500,000 per occurrence. 

6.  Fill out a home inspector application and pay the application fee as set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:40-15.23($500.00)

Home inspector education and certification by NJ home inspection teacher. NJ home inspector training in New Jersey.

HOME INSPECTOR MENTORING AGREEMENT
(I am not performing mentoring services at this point in time)

Michael Del Greco, 56 Woodland Drive, Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson), NJ 07424 Voice (973) 812-5100 FAX (973-812-6342.

("the INSPECTOR") agrees to provide field training and supervision as part of a mentoring program pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:40-15.5 with ____________________ "the TRAINEE").

1. The INSPECTOR will provide the TRAINEE with field experience under the direct on-site supervision of a Licensed Home Inspector to meet the requirements of N.J.A.C. 13:40-15.5 (a) 4.

2. The INSPECTOR will invite the TRAINEE to accompany him on home inspections. The TRAINEE may attend the inspections. It is the TRAINEE's responsibility to contact the office for all scheduling information. The fee for the mentoring program is $ 30.00 per inspection. Payment is due prior to the start of each home inspection.

3. During each mentoring inspection TRAINEE will be permitted to observe the home inspection process. During the inspection, the TRAINEE may observe the condition of the various systems and components. The TRAINEE will have the opportunity to prepare home inspection training reports as defined in N.J.A.C. 13:40-15.2.

4. The TRAINEE understands no questions or comments are allowed in the presence of the COMPANY's client(s).

5. The training report, any other written or verbal information, material or observations prepared by the TRAINEE as part of this or any other field training experience are for training purposes only. The TRAINEE is responsible for the maintenance of the reports and to maintain that confidentiality. The training reports are confidential. The training reports are to be kept on file by the TRAINEE and provided only to the Home Inspection Advisory Committee. The TRAINEE understands the report may not under any circumstances be provided to any other party.

6. The INSPECTOR will discuss the reports and the inspection process with the TRAINEE to assist in the education of the TRAINEE during the term of this contract.

7. The INSPECTOR will provide NO insurance which would provide coverage to the TRAINEE, his/her heirs or dependents, for any injury which may occur to the trainees person or property either at the inspection site or during travel to or from the inspection site. The TRAINEE agrees to hold the INSPECTOR harmless for any injury to the TRAINEE'S person or property.

8. The TRAINEE will be personally responsible for any damages the TRAINEE causes at the inspection site.

9. The INSPECTOR makes no guarantee, expressed or implied, of any future employment or other relationship with the TRAINEE as a result of this agreement. This agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties, no verbal changes to this contract are allowed.

I have read and understand the above. I have been provided the opportunity to have this agreement reviewed by an attorney. This agreement renews automatically unless canceled by either party with notice to the other delivered by Certified Mail.

_____________________________________________  __________
( TRAINEE)                                                                         Date

_____________________________________________  ___________ 
Michael Del Greco                                                                Date 
New Jersey Home Inspector Lic. # GI0121                 

File last updated May 22, 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.