Home Inspector Salary

How much does a home inspector make?

In short, the average home inspector salary is somewhere between $30,000 and $90,000 per year. However, there are a lot of factors that play a role in home inspection earnings, so the best answer is “it depends.”

A study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that the 2020 median pay for professional home inspectors throughout the country was just over $62,000 per year. Of these, the highest 10% of inspectors earned more than $97,000 per year, while those in the lowest 10% brought in less than $35,000 per year.

Generally speaking, the amount you earn is directly tied to how many inspections you can fit into your schedule. Use the salary calculator below to explore your potential earnings!

Factors That Affect a Home Inspector’s Salary

A lot of factors go into determining a home inspector’s income, including:

• Your location
• How much you charge for a home inspection
• Your home inspection experience
• The home inspection career path you take
• Whether you opt to work full-time or part-time

The best way to determine your income is to estimate how many inspections you believe you will complete in a week and multiply that by the average home inspection cost in your area.

Home Inspector Salary Increases with Add-Ons

The charge for inspecting a 2,000 square foot single family residence is typically between $400 and $450. The cost to inspect smaller, two bedroom homes and condos is usually less, averaging between $300 and $350 each. A home inspector’s salary can be increased by providing clients with additional services such as:

• Conduct mold inspections for the presence of mold types that can be hazardous to the home’s occupants
• Check for lead-based paint and lead plumbing pipes in houses built before 1978
• Inspect for the presence of asbestos in roof and siding shingles, insulation, textured ceilings and vinyl floor tiles in houses constructed before 1977
• Check the radon levels in and around the house
• pool and spa inspections
• Use thermal imaging to identify areas of moisture intrusion, energy loss, and hot spots

Home inspectors typically charge between $100 and $200 for each of these and similar additional services. ICA includes bonus courses for these home inspection services for free as part of your home inspection training package, so you can complete as many as you would like based on your interests.

FEMA Disaster Inspectors

As a home inspector, you can supplement your home inspector salary by becoming a FEMA disaster inspector. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, responds to all types of natural disasters throughout the United States and its territories whenever the President declares a location to be a major disaster area.

The government contracts with two outside companies to provide FEMA inspectors for responding to national disasters, WSP USA Inspection Services (formerly known as P B Disaster Services) and Vanguard EM. Both have a different method of paying their inspectors.

Vanguard pays its inspectors for each inspection based on his or her actual field experience. Entry level inspectors who have performed fewer than 500 FEMA inspections are paid $35 for each property. Intermediate level inspectors are those who have conducted between 501 and 2,500 house inspections and are paid $39 for each house. Vanguard pays its advanced level FEMA inspectors who have made more than 2,500 inspections $45 per inspection.

Your home inspector training should also include how to write pre-inspection agreements, issue inspection reports, use drones to inspect rooftops, and starting and marketing a home inspection business.

Is a Home Inspector a Good Paying Career Choice?

Becoming a home inspector has many benefits including the potential for a good and steadily increasing income. Home inspectors who provide good customer service, quality reports, and add-on services can expect their business, and earnings, to grow each year.

Men and women of all ages and backgrounds have chosen careers as certified home inspectors and it pays well when you put in the time and effort. Becoming a certified home inspector can be an excellent choice for a challenging and rewarding career.

Inspection Certification Associates home inspector training is a fast, easy and affordable way to become a certified home inspector. Completing ICA’s online training will qualify you to work as a home inspector in just about every state across the country (see state licensing for the requirements in your area). Enroll today and you’ll soon be on your way to an exciting and rewarding Certified Home Inspector career!

Have questions or need more information? Contact ICA or give us a call at 888-374-4096 – we’re here to help!