When you search for a home inspector in New Jersey, you will encounter a variety of credentials, certifications, and designations. One of the most important — and least understood — is the Certified Master Inspector designation. Here is what it means, what it takes to earn it, and why it matters when you are choosing an inspector.
What Is a Certified Master Inspector?
Certified Master Inspector (CMI) is the highest professional designation available in the home inspection industry. It is awarded by the Master Inspector Certification Board — an independent, nonprofit organization that administers the designation separately from any home inspection association or trade group.
The CMI designation is not awarded by attending a course or passing a written exam. It requires documented evidence of sustained professional performance at scale.
What It Takes to Earn the CMI Designation
To qualify for the Certified Master Inspector designation, an inspector must meet all of the following requirements:
- A minimum of 1,000 fee-paid inspections — documented and verified. This is not a company total; it must be inspections performed by the individual inspector personally
- Ongoing professional education — a minimum of continuing education hours that demonstrate commitment to staying current with building science, standards, and best practices
- A clean ethics record — adherence to a strict Code of Ethics with no substantiated complaints
- Verification by the certification board — all qualifications are reviewed and verified before the designation is granted
The 1,000-inspection threshold is the defining requirement. It takes most full-time inspectors many years to reach it — and that is precisely the point. The CMI designation identifies inspectors who have done this work at sufficient volume and duration that their competence is documented, not merely claimed.
Fewer than 3% of all home inspectors in North America hold the CMI designation.
What Is a CMI Instructor?
Above the Certified Master Inspector designation sits the CMI Instructor credential — held by inspectors who have not only earned the CMI designation themselves but have also trained and credentialed other inspectors in the field.
Michael Del Greco is a Certified Master Inspector Instructor. He taught Home Inspector Licensing courses at Morris County School of Technology, taught continuing professional education for licensed New Jersey inspectors, and mentored field training for student inspectors. The person inspecting your home has trained other inspectors to do what he does.
Why the CMI Designation Matters When Choosing an Inspector
Experience Is Not Transferable
A home inspection company with multiple inspectors may advertise aggregate experience — “10,000 inspections completed.” What matters is how many inspections the person showing up at your home has personally performed. The CMI threshold of 1,000 documented personal inspections provides a verifiable minimum — not a company total, not a claimed estimate.
Michael Del Greco has personally performed more than 13,000 home inspections in New Jersey since 1993. That is one inspector, one at a time, for more than 30 years.
The Designation Is Independently Verifiable
Unlike many credentials that exist only in an inspector’s marketing materials, the CMI designation is independently verifiable. Every CMI holder has a verification page at certifiedmasterinspector.org where buyers can confirm the designation is current and in good standing.
Michael Del Greco’s CMI Instructor designation is verifiable at certifiedmasterinspector.org.
It Reflects a Career Standard, Not a Moment in Time
Many certifications can be earned in a weekend course. The CMI designation reflects a career — thousands of inspections, years of professional education, and a sustained commitment to the work. It is a credential that cannot be obtained quickly, cannot be purchased, and cannot be faked.
New Jersey Home Inspector Licensing — The Baseline
New Jersey requires all home inspectors to be licensed by the Department of Community Affairs. The state license establishes the minimum — completing required training, passing a licensing exam, and meeting continuing education requirements. The CMI designation goes substantially beyond that minimum.
Michael Del Greco holds New Jersey Home Inspector License #GI0121 — held since 2003, the first year New Jersey required home inspector licensing. He is also a member of InterNACHI (#09091610) and has been an ASHI Certified Inspector (#102273, American Society of Home Inspectors) since 1996.
The Question to Ask Every Inspector
When comparing home inspectors, ask this question: How many home inspections have you personally performed?
Not how many the company has done. Not how many years they have been in business. How many inspections has the specific person who will show up at your home personally conducted?
The answer tells you more than any credential. Combined with the CMI designation — which verifies that the answer has been documented and confirmed — it gives you the most reliable picture of who you are hiring.
Schedule Your Inspection with a Certified Master Inspector
Call (973) 812-5100 between 8 AM and 8 PM on business days, or 8 AM to 5 PM on weekends.
Accurate Inspections, Inc.
56 Woodland Drive, Woodland Park, NJ 07424
(973) 812-5100
Michael Del Greco, CMI Instructor | Inspecting NJ Homes Since 1993 | NJ Licensed Home Inspector GI0121
