new start

[smileyjo61603]

If some one wanted to get started in some thing like this who would they do so. i have a lot of construction experiance but thats it. any info or web sights would really help.

[John Dirks Jr]

It's a ball of wax that is bigger than you might think. Start by checking you State licensing and regulation laws.

You'll want to move into it gradually. Expect to make less than you might think.

I'm coming up on my second full year and it's just beginning to become worth it.

Do a google search on "becoming a home inspector". Get some books and start reading.

[Erby]

Well Tim,

As of January 2009, there were about 116 home inspectors serving the Louisville area. Don't get me wrong. If you REALLY want it, it can be done. A lot of us have. But consider these things.

How many houses a month sell there?

How are YOU going to get enough marekt share away from the ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN who already have their license in your service area to allow YOU to make a living?

Kentucky just started issuing licenses in the middle of 2006. In 2 1/2 years they've issued about 500 licenses. About 150 of those licenses have expired and NOT been renewed because the guys couldn't make a living.

Why are you different from them?

Call me sometime. We'll talk.

Meanwhile, here's some more stuff to consider

Kentucky Home Inspector Start Up.

Good Luck, whatever you decide.

[gtblum]

Home inspection is all about observation and writing bullet-proof reports. There's no building or fixing, so construction experience isn't particularly helpful.

WJ

So what your saying is, experience in the construction industry lends nothing to ones ability to recognize defects, and that the written word, or your ability to work the written word for the purpose of covering your own ass is what really counts?

[kurt]

I don't think that's what he said. You're putting words into his mouth.

I don't agree with Walter about construction experience, but I do agree with him completely about the critical nature of being able to communicate effectively in writing (and pictures).

Critical, and almost entirely misunderstood by nearly everyone. Heck, I can teach anyone how to find defects, but I'll be damned if I've met more than handful of folks (most of whom hang out here) that can form a complete sentence that makes sense.

Most folks think defect recognition is the most important part of this job. It's not. Of course it's necessary, but it doesn't mean squat if you can't effectively communicate the condition, and what it means to your customer in a manner they can understand.

It took me a lot of years before I could satisfactorily wrap my head around that.......

[randynavarro]

It took me years in this biz to learn all (well, at least most) of the things I was doing wrong as a handyman/deck builder/small remodel dude.

[Neal Lewis]

[quoteWJ

So what your saying is, experience in the construction industry lends nothing to ones ability to recognize defects, and that the written word, or your ability to work the written word for the purpose of covering your own ass is what really counts?

Uh, no, that's your bitter tirade, and I might add, quite a spectacular logical breakdown...

Conclusion: HI work is not a good place to show off one's construction skills.

WJ

Logical breakdown? Where is anyone talking about using construction skills to build or fix things? Did I miss that part?

The questions is really about using construction knowledge to help do an inspection.

I would think that construction experience should help an inspector be more comfortable walking on a roof, so that a well crafted and syntaxed CYA isn't needed.

[gtblum]

Most folks think defect recognition is the most important part of this job. It's not. Of course it's necessary, but it doesn't mean squat if you can't effectively communicate the condition, and what it means, to your customer.

It took me a lot of years before I could satisfactorily wrap my head around that.......

Let me edit myself. "experience in the construction industry lends nothing to one's ability to recognize defects, what you're looking at"

The preaching of the importance of communication of conditions has not been lost on me. To suggest that the experience of a skilled craftsman is not an advantage in this business, is curious to me.

Beware Smiley,no matter what you've done in the past, you're starting from scratch here. It's been quite a humbling experience to find myself an apprentice again at almost 50 years old.

[gtblum]

Understood. "one's ability to recognize that he's looking at." ???

[Jim Morrison]

I think the cry of the perfect sentence diagrammer is as annoying and hollow as that of the roof climber.

To be a very good home inspector (which is presumably what we all aspire to), you must be very good at finding defects and equally good at explaining them.

Moving on....