Archive | Home Inspection Licensing

A great education is an important first step, but success as a home inspector also requires high-quality tools. They’re an investment in your career. And if you choose well, they can make your job easier while presenting your business in a professional light. At ICA School, our goal is to help every newly certified home […]

The very nature of showers and bathtubs can create a real risk of leaks and also make them hard to spot until there’s widespread damage. Just how much havoc can a small leak create? Left unchecked, plenty. Water ruins drywall, warps subfloors, and can even lift tiles. If you’re inspecting a bathroom that doesn’t look […]

Alabama residents have a straightforward path to home inspector certification and licensing. It all begins with a great education, which is what ICA School does best. Unlike many other states that have exhaustive licensing requirements, Alabama helps new inspectors get to work quickly. Here’s what you need to know about compliance in the Cotton State. […]

A growing number of states have home inspection license requirements for anyone performing the service for a fee. For now, the number is a little more than half. If you’re just starting home inspection training or you’ll soon finish up, here’s what you need to know about licensing before working in the field. Nineteen States […]

It’s still summer, but autumn is on its way. That means it’s time to think about fireplaces and fireplace safety. Usually, a certified home inspector performs a general fireplace inspection. If defects exist, many of them are visible at the time of the inspection. But for a deeper, investigative inspection, customers should call in a […]

It wasn’t too long ago that home inspector licensing was the farthest thing from anyone’s imagination. The industry has only been organized since the 1970s. States have been slow to institute any type of regulations. But now, more states are joining the early adopters and requiring education and licensing to offer home inspection services to […]

If you think home inspecting has always been part of the property buying experience, you might be surprised to learn the truth. Certainly, many buyers over the years have asked a knowledgeable friend or carpenter to kick the tires, so to speak, before making such a large investment. But until the 1970s, home inspecting as […]

Certified home inspectors have a standard process that includes exteriors, interiors, roofs, plumbing and more. The interiors portion covers a lot of ground, but in many cases, material defects are minor.  They can, however, indicate a larger problem that lurks somewhere else. Here are some of the most common that you’ll encounter on the job. […]

You’re a company of one. Why should you outsource anything? The short answer is time. The long answer involves expert-level proficiency, fewer worries at tax time and a better handle on inbound marketing. If you think you can’t afford to outsource, consider everything that you’d get in return. There’d be more time to spend on […]

Many small business owners think about incorporating at some point to protect their assets in case of a lawsuit. Home inspectors are no different. But before taking such a major step, maybe the best way to protect yourself is a reinvestment in home inspection industry best practices. Incorporating doesn’t always protect private assets. That’s the […]