Although many new Home Inspectors come from the construction industry or similar trades, there are just as many Home Inspectors who left desk jobs to start their own business. Nearly all of these individuals go in search of training.

Get Training
Our Home Inspection Methods class is a great place to start. This one week course is taught entirely by professional Home Inspectors (unlike some courses that are offered through Real Estate or other schools) and is delivered in a "how to" format that includes hands-on classroom models of an electrical panel, a water heater and so forth plus field experience performing an actual home inspection.

Get Your Gear
During your first year as a professional Home Inspector, you should plan your budget to cover the following: training/ and education, technical manuals, and publications, tools, test equipment and protective gear, just to mention a few items. Don't forget to include your business licenses, insurance, vehicle and your office. You may also want to speak with an attorney or your tax advisor about the best way to set up your business (a corporation, a sole proprietorship or other type).

Get Started
Once you've completed your training, you will be ready to start inspecting re-sale homes. A Home Inspection practice is a technical as well as physical job that requires going into attics and under houses. Environmental conditions can be hazardous. You should expect that a thorough inspection will take at least 3 - 4 hours for an average size house and thus budget your time accordingly.

You will want to wait to start performing inspections of new construction until you have completed your ICC certifications. These classes teach you the current building codes, something you will definitely want to know before you start inspecting new construction.

Keep Up Your Education
Membership in most professional organizations requires on-going training (usually described as Continuing Education Units) to insure that members stay on top of the changes and latest information relevant to the industry. You also need CEUs to renew your ICC certifications. Fortunately, the Tim Birch Technical Academy offers regular training courses, seminars and conferences to help keep Home Inspectors up to date.