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How To Become A Home Inspector

Home inspection offers fascinating and fulfilling work, whether pursued as a side job or a full-time career. The best part is, that you don’t need to be a construction or architecture expert to pursue home inspector training and certification. Even if you have no experience in the real estate industry, ICA School’s affordable training program allows you to get up to speed at your own pace.

Ready to start your journey toward an exciting new career? Learn how to achieve your certification and start working as a professional home inspector!

Five Steps for Becoming a Home Inspector

Just how do you become a home inspector? While home inspection licensing requirements vary by state, the certification process can typically be completed in five steps.

1. Check Your State’s Licensing Requirements

Familiarize yourself with your state’s home inspector requirements to prepare for training. Requirements for home inspector certification can vary significantly from state to state. For instance, Florida and North Carolina mandate over 100 hours of training and passing a state exam, while states like Illinois, Virginia, and Connecticut require hands-on field training supervised by a certified inspector before taking the exam for licensure. Other states, like California, have no certification requirements for home inspectors. Knowing your state’s requirements will help you chart the most cost- and time-efficient path toward certification.

Visit our state home inspection licensing requirements page to determine the specific requirements for your state.

2. Complete an Accredited Home Inspection Training Program

Even if your state has minimal requirements, completing an accredited home inspection training and certification program is a crucial step to getting started.A quality program will provide the necessary knowledge and support to help you find success in the field, both during your training and throughout your new career.

ICA’s comprehensive online training allows aspiring home inspectors to learn at their own pace from anywhere with an internet connection. While most students finish the course in 3 to 4 weeks, some have completed it in as little as 10 days, depending on the individual’s learning style and availability. Training materials are accessible around the clock, allowing students to study on a schedule that doesn’t interfere with existing jobs or other life commitments.

Depending on your location, you may be required to complete classroom field training in addition to ICA’s online course. Our team can help you determine which courses you need.

3. Pass Your State Examination (If Required)

Depending on your location, you may need to pass an examination before getting your home inspection license. The National Home Inspector Exam (NHIE) is the most common certification test. We recommend taking these exams as soon as possible after training, while the information is fresh.

ICA offers a helpful Home Inspector Exam Prep Course with 700 practice questions to help you take the test with confidence. As an ICA student, you can take the practice exam as often as you need, without any extra fees!

4. Apply for Your Home Inspector License (If Required)

If your state requires licensure, you may now submit your application. Most cases will involve submitting a copy of your ICA certification and proof of passing the required exam. With approval from your state’s regulatory board, you will receive a license and license number that allows you to begin practicing.

If your state does not require a license, you can skip this step!

5. Start a Home Inspection Business or Seek Employment

Once you’ve met the qualifications to be a home inspector, it’s time to use your newly acquired expertise in the field! Consider starting your own home inspection business or seeking employment with an existing company.

Getting your home inspection license opens the door to a uniquely flexible career. Use your new certification to work part-time, become your own boss, or gain experience with a mentor before striking out on your own. The choice is all yours.

Bonus Step: Keep Your Home Inspection Career Skills Fresh

Once you’ve completed your training, earned your certification and begun working in the field, consider exploring the additional opportunities offered by ICA’s Bonus Inspection Courses.

While some training institutions may charge additional fees for continuing education credentials, ICA School provides them free of charge to graduates of our Home Inspector Training and Certification Course. Expanding your services can broaden your client base and boost your income. For those employed by an established home inspection firm, these additional certifications enhance your value to the employer and contribute to career advancement.

$695 for Online Course and all Bonus Materials for Life!

Enroll Now

Home Inspection Career FAQs

In times of uncertainty, as well as times of prosperity, learning how to become a home inspector is always a good idea. People will always buy and sell homes, regardless of the market. They’ll always turn to expert home inspectors to ensure they thoroughly understand the condition of the property they hope to buy.

To maximize your odds of success, you may want to get certified and work in a state that requires home inspections before the sale of a home. Not every state has such requirements, so it’s essential to understand whether home inspections are legally required or just recommended in your area.

Learning how to become a home inspector starts with a thorough understanding of every part of a home. Quality inspectors can identify problems within each system and component of a property. It’s one thing to be able to see that a furnace is more than a few years old. It’s another to be able to tell someone if it’s malfunctioning and whether it needs to be replaced. No matter how much (or little) you know today, you’ll learn what you need to know to be successful from ICA’s instructors, all of whom are experienced, licensed inspectors.

In addition to the technical aspects of the job, you’ll also learn the importance of clear communication with clients. You can be the most thorough inspector in the world, but if you can’t clearly convey your concerns to homebuyers, you may struggle in this field.

Versatility is perhaps the biggest benefit of becoming a home inspector. Once trained, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running and inspect homes of all sizes, ages, and types. If you opt to go the self-employed route, you can begin searching for opportunities right away. The freedom that comes with a career as a home inspector is unmatched.

Our goal is to reach as many aspiring home inspectors as possible. We know that not everyone in this line of work has thousands of dollars to spend on training. By offering affordable tuition rates, we enroll more students. This is why ICA is one of the leaders in home inspection training.  You’ll receive thorough training at an amazing price – it’s a win-win for everyone involved.

We have an arrangement with www.homeinspectionform.com wherein our graduates receive a free copy of their Report Form Pro Nitro home inspection reporting software. That is the report that most of our graduates start with since it is so easy to use. Normally selling for $400, the Report Form Pro Nitro home inspection report can be printed and filled out by hand or filled out on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. You can even put in photos easily. They also have a mobile app version of their home inspection report that can be used on an Android or Apple mobile device.

Absolutely! We have a group of very experienced instructors as well as our industry experts that are willing to help you every step of the way. You can view their bios on our instructors page.

It varies among individual students. Most of them finish in three to four weeks. Since the course is self-paced, it depends upon the amount of time available that can be dedicated to completing the training. Some may take longer than the three to four week average, and others have finished in as little as a week to ten days.

Yes. We will prepare you for the home inspection exam in any state, as well as the National Home Inspectors’ 200 question exam, are based in large part on the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. These are also the basis for the best way to become a home inspector. Our course comes with an online study guide that contains more than 700 practice questions. When you complete ICA’s pre-licensing training, you’ll be fully prepared to take and pass both the NHIE exam and also the exam in your home state.

Yes. Learning how to become a certified home inspector is just the beginning. Our training includes a special introductory four module Mold Inspection Certification Course. If purchased separately, the mold certification course would cost $100, but unlike most other home inspector trainers, we include it in your ICA course tuition.

Yes. After passing the class and becoming a home inspector, each student will be emailed a certificate of completion. The certificate will include the certification number assigned to you that can be used on your business cards, marketing materials, pre-inspection agreements and home inspection reports.

Yes. An introductory Radon Course is included with our training. Many becoming a home inspector training courses charge extra for radon training, it’s free to ICA students.

Of course. We provide unlimited support both for our students and graduates. Feel free to call us at 888-315-5652 with any questions or concerns, both during your training and after you graduate.

We have an arrangement with http://www.homeinspectionform.com that provides all our graduates with a free copy of their Report Form Pro Nitro inspection report software. Because it’s so easy to use, and works offline, most of our graduates prepare their reports following completion of their inspections with Report Form Pro Nitro.

Report Form Pro lets inspectors generate reports for their clients directly from iOS or Android smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers. Report Form Pro includes pre-inspection agreements between the client and the inspector, which are used to establish the scope of the work, cost of the inspection and any other agreements between the parties.

The Report Form Pro Nitro app is the very best all-in-one home inspection reporting software package available for mobile devices and desktop computer. Among Report Form Pro Nitro’s many unique features is that it lets the inspector use his or her mobile phone or tablet to insert digital images directly into the report during the actual inspection. Although Report Form Pro Nitro retails for $400 if purchased separately, it’s included free of charge in your ICA training on how to become a home inspector.

We provide all our students with a list of the tools recommended for a home inspector to carry in his or her toolbox. It’s suggested that after reviewing the list, students do Google searches for each of the items. Home Depot and other big box retailers are also a good source of quality tools and equipment at reasonable prices. An adequate home inspector’s basic tool kit will probably cost around $200, although chances are you may already have some of the items, such as flashlights, screwdrivers and other small tools

When all is said and done, there are only a handful of items that are absolutely necessary. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) Standards of Practice recommends that at a minimum, home inspectors carry a flashlight and a circuit tester for testing ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) devices. In theory, that’s all that’s needed to conduct home inspections, but in practicality, there’s other equipment home inspectors need in order to thoroughly and safely carry out home inspections. These additional items are included on the list of recommended tools given to ICA students.

Some home inspection career schools may offer to sell you an inspection tool kit or various marketing supplies such as business cards and letterhead, but they might be much more expensive than the same or equivalent items you can find elsewhere.

The bottom line is that starting a new business can be expensive, which is why Inspection Certification Associates will always try to save you money whenever and wherever possible.

The short answer is no. Unlike opening a fast food franchise, where you’ll be generating revenue from day one, becoming a home inspector will require you to aggressively market yourself to lenders, agents and estate brokers before money starts coming in.

Aggressive marketing will be required regardless of whether you spend $25,000 or more on a franchise, or start out as John Smith’s Home Inspection Services. Since you’ll need to do the legwork under either scenario, you’re probably better off saving the cost of the franchise fee and avoiding those ongoing royalty fees.

Learning how to market yourself and build your business is included as a part of ICA’s home inspector training. In addition, we’ll be here to help you both during and after your training if you have questions or need assistance along the way.

Yes, ICA’s becoming a home inspector training package includes a bonus module that will teach you how to use drones to inspect rooftops without having to climb up a ladder or go through a roof hatch. Drones are especially useful when inspecting a steep-roofed home or a multi-story commercial building.

We provide all students with recommended insurance companies that offer insurance for home inspectors. Most home inspectors use OREP for their becoming a home inspector insurance needs. OREP is a mainstay in the home inspection industry and provides both E&O and General Liability policies for new inspectors at competitive rates. You can get a premium indication in less than 5 minutes on their website.

It’s really simple to learn how to become a certified home inspector. Enroll online or call us toll-free at (888) 315-5652 to enroll over the phone. Whichever method you choose, once enrolled, you’ll automatically receive an email from us with your online home inspection course login information, which means you can get started immediately on your way to a new and exciting career as a certified home inspector!