How To Become A Home Inspector

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.

Of course! There is an approximately eight-minute online video that will give you a good idea of what it takes to become a home inspector. You can view the demo video or access it by clicking on the “Watch Demo” tab at the top of this page.

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.

Absolutely. Inspection Certification Associates ICA is a Gold Level Affiliate Member with ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) and we work very closely with ASHI. ICA trains all students to the ASHI standards of practice.

We also work very closely with InterNACHI and all graduates of the ICA becoming home inspectors are eligible for a free one month membership with InterNACHI.

ICA is also an affiliate member of the Florida Association of Building Inspectors (FABI) and the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA), along with several other professional organizations. Membership in these and similar organizations isn’t mandatory, but something you might consider to enhance your professional image. Regardless of your decision, you’ll have free access to the standards of practice for each of these organizations through our extensive online reference library.

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 888-374-4096 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) 374-4096 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!