Home inspector training advice

Today I'll share my advice on how to become a home inspector. I blogged on this topic back in 2011, and again in 2016, but things change and it's time for another update. I'm writing this because I get a ton of phone calls and emails from people who want to get into the home inspection business. Instead of sharing the first thing that comes into my head during these conversations, I'm putting down all of the most frequently asked questions right here.

Q: How can I learn to be a home inspector?

A: Start with a school. That'll make up about 5% of what you'll need to know. The rest of it you'll need to learn in the field by going along with an experienced home inspector.

Q: What's the best home inspection school?

A: I've only attended one home inspector training school, and it was in 2004. I took a weeklong course and I wasn't impressed, so I won't share the name of the school. I've heard good things about The ASHI School from home inspectors who have gone through that training, but I have no firsthand experience with that school. I have people on my team who have attended Inspection Certification Associates as well as Kaplan, and they spoke highly of those schools.

But as I said, a home inspection school is only the tip of the iceberg. You need to do a tremendous amount of self-study and attend a large number of home inspections with intentionality before even approaching competency.

Q: How can I get hands-on home inspection training?

Getting hired by a home inspection company who will give you the training is pretty straightforward, but reaching out to strangers to learn this business and potentially be viewed as a competitor is downright scary for a lot of people.

If I were trying to get into this business and I wanted to get training from an experienced home inspector, I'd hit the phones hard. I'd call every home inspector in my area until I found someone who was willing to train me, and I'd be prepared for a lot of rejection. But eventually, I'd surely find someone. I'd offer to be an assistant inspector in exchange for the opportunity to learn. I don't know any home inspector who wouldn't want someone to set their ladder up, go turn the dryer on, get a towel out of my truck (quickly!), etc.

If I couldn't find someone who was interested in that proposition, I'd offer to pay to learn. If you end up spending $100 per ridealong inspection and you attend 100 home inspections to get a good grasp on what you're supposed to be doing, I'd call that a bargain.

Q: Do you hire and train people without home inspection experience?

A: For sure. We prefer to hire people with a strong background in the building trades, but that's not a requirement. We hire for personality and the ability to learn. Check out our employment page for more info.

A: It depends. My traditional answer has always been four to six months, but here at Structure Tech, we're working very hard to change that. We're developing a new training program for new inspectors at our company that should beat the pants off of anything else out there. The goal is to get new inspectors trained within three months.

Q: What are the physical requirements?

A: Less than most trades, more than most desk jobs. My humble opinion is that one must be comfortable walking roofs with at least a 6/12 pitch, be able to carry a 28' extension ladder, be comfortable climbing around in attics, into and out of window wells, under sinks, and crawling around in crawlspaces. Those aren't requirements to enter this profession, and home inspectors are not required to walk roofs or climb through attics, but I think that anyone who is unable or unwilling to perform those tasks would have a very hard time establishing themselves in this profession, partly because there are plenty of other people in this profession who are willing and able to do those things.

Joe on a roof

Tessa in an attic

A: There is no such thing as licensing here in Minnesota. Most states have it, we don't.

Q: What study materials do you recommend?

A: As long as you're already here on my blog, start with this. I've painstakingly reviewed every blog post I've ever written and I've categorized all of the blog posts that new home inspectors at my company need to read. Check out our Home Inspector Study Guide.

There is nothing Minnesota-specific related to electrical; we adopt the entire electrical code. At the time of this writing, we're still on the 2017 version of the NEC.

As ongoing reading materials for all home inspectors, experienced or not, here is some of my favorite reading material for ongoing education: