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Instead of puttering around the house through retirement, you could start a brand new career.
If you’re approaching retirement, an encore career as a home inspector might be worth looking into. Even better, you could work on your own terms.
Time was, you’d spend your days working for the same company until retirement, then collect your gold watch and a pension. But today, most people plan to work after retirement. That’s partly to keep some money coming in, and partly because retirement life can be pretty boring.
If that sounds like your predicament, here’s what you need to know about starting your own home inspection business.
You Can Train for Home Inspecting at Home
ICA School has one of the best home inspector training programs available. It’s all online, and you can work through it at your own pace. Don’t let online courses fool you, either. You get ample study material, instructor-led videos and access to help from your instructor any time you need it.
Online study also means you can keep working your day job, if you’re still in the workforce. Stud at night and on weekends, or any time that’s convenient for you. Once you’ve completed the program, you’ll get a certificate of completion and be ready for the state exam, if your state has one. Not all states do.
You’ll probably want some basic computer skills, as inspection reports are usually digital now.
Inspecting Houses Can be Demanding
Most aspects of a home inspection aren’t especially demanding, but some of them can be. An inspection is only required for what’s visible and accessible, so you won’t have to move furniture or carry overly heavy tools. Much of what you’ll need can fit easily in a typical tool belt.
That said, there are some aspects of an inspection that need extra physical effort. Roofs need inspecting, and that means climbing ladders and often walking on the roof. If you’re in good shape and reasonably healthy, that shouldn’t be a big problem. If you’d rather not climb, you can always hire an assistant later on.
You Control Your Workload
Home inspectors don’t have to keep typical work hours, but you can if you like. That all depends on how quickly you can build up your business. Most of it will come from home buyers before the sale of a house is final, and many of those customers will be referred to you by a real estate agent. It pays to network with agents who can send business your way.
Home inspectors can perform one or two inspections a day, or more or less. You might only want to perform three a week for a nice extra bump in your weekly income. If you’re very ambitious and like what you do, your only limited by the hours in a day.
With Americans living longer and longer lives, two significant problems can creep up. You might need more money than you have saved so far, and home inspecting can help improve your bottom line. Because many people are also healthier than in generations past, sitting around twiddling your thumbs in a rocking chair might not seem like much fun at all. Home inspecting could be the answer.
If your interest is piqued, take the next step and get a free course demo. You’ll see firsthand what online training with ICA School is like. And when you’re ready to move ahead, enrolling is fast and easy. 
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