A couple of questions.

[James Gundlach]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this field, I took the online exam and failed with a score of 63, which I thought was pretty good for someone who doesn't know anything about this. Mostly failed only because of my safety score and two other sections that could have used slight improvement.

Right now I'm studying all the available free courses, taking notes, making sure I can learn as much as possible. I've even gone so far as too look at a few of the member sites to get ideas on how much to charge for fee's, what additional services to offer after getting certified in them.

One question I have, if I study and eventually pass the exam, gain membership etc. Is that all I need to be able to perform home inspections? Or would I need to obtain a licence in my home state?

My second question is how has this business been treating everyone? I have a family of four with a new baby on the way, so basically I'm wondering if I put the time and effort into this, is it worth it?

[kpierce]

Five kids and no experience? Move on. Unless time is on your side and you have plenty of funds stashed to pay the bills. BTW, no one knows what your "home state" is.

[Bob Elliott]

If you have State License requirements in your state you must obtain one.

Nobody can tell you if it is worth it anymore than we can tell a home buyer if a property is worth what they are paying.

Any business starts slow and will grow according to how much time and effort you place towards it.

If you dream of riches you are looking at the wrong field as you will spend all your time doing HI and work weekends to achieve any $$$ you can live on.

Go into this only if you love it.

[Billy Boerner]

Exactly what Robert said. It must be your passion. It will take atleast 3 to 5 years to see a decent profit/living.

[Michael Roberson]

Please post what state you are from...
I was in your shoes last year, (4 kids and a baby on the way and just starting HI's) There was no way I could expect to make a living my first year.

NACHI is all about leaning/education. Dont be discouraged by failing a course, that only indicated an area of weakness, in which you can grow. Turn your weakness into strength.

[James Gundlach]

Hi Michael,

I'm from Mass., I've tried looking around the mass.gov site for more information, but the site itself is very cluttered and unclear. I'm not necessarily out looking for riches, I'm just looking for some type of business that I can do on my own. It's either this, or computer repair/troubleshooting. Personally I'd rather travel than be stuck in the same place day after day, so I've decided to give this a go.

I'm just not sure how all of this works as of yet, which is why I've asked my questions. Everything I've read so far on nachi has been a great help in learning more about the industry and I'm hoping will help me become a great HI.

I did a search around my particular area in MA and there are really only just a small number of HI's with websites. Only a few of those even list fee's and I think I saw only one affiliated with nachi. So, just from a quick search I can already see that there is a lack of quality inspectors in my area, a gaping hole I hope to fill myself.

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Hi James,

Many inspectors purposely don't list fees on their site. It gets the potential client to call the inspector so they can sell themselves over the phone. Otherwise price shoppers will often move from site to site to find the lowest fee.

[Michael Roberson]

James, Sounds like you could benefit from a call from me. A little advice could save you a mountain of doing it the hard way. That is what we Home Inspectors do after all. Email me and ill send you my number.

Pioneer@homeinspectorpro.com

[ldapkus]

Originally Posted by James Gundlach

Hi Michael,


I did a search around my particular area in MA and there are really only just a small number of HI's with websites. Only a few of those even list fee's and I think I saw only one affiliated with nachi. So, just from a quick search I can already see that there is a lack of quality inspectors in my area, a gaping hole I hope to fill myself.

You must have a gaping hole in your head if you think you're gonna make a living doing this!!!
Here's your competition: http://www.masscertifiedhomeinspections.com/

[Brian K. Smith]

heres my 2 cents, this business is not for everyone! I say you have to love what your doing, beable to deal with people and dealing with realtors is not like dealing with people..lol.. if I was in your shoes I would see if I could ride along a local inspector for one day and see what it is we really do. one day is not going to show you much however it will give you a VERY small look into hi. It is very hard for a new inspector to get his or her foot in the door with realtors ect. So unless you got a boat laod of cash to live on for maybe a year to TWO then this maynot be the business for you..again this is just my 2 cents. Once you get your name out there then things will start to roll....however it takes many things to get your name out there ect...ONE bad HI and its going to take a LOT to get out of that hole! I was lucky and allready had a LARGE base of realtors to goto when I fired up HI.

[James Gundlach]

Thank you Michael, I'll send you an email right away.

Linas, No need for insulting. As I've stated, I'm new to this and looking for more information. If you have nothing of value to add to the discussion other than insults, then you aren't being all that helpful. I looked over the site you linked to, while one of the areas listed does cover my surrounding area, the search I had done using maps.google.com only showed a few in the immediate area of where I live.

While I understand I won't make a fortune doing this job, I do hope to do my best to make a living, and that is my ultimate goal. I would personally also do my best to help any others learn from me about this field, rather than brandying around petty childish insults. So, now that you've made yourself feel big and bad insulting e, I thank you for your time. If you've got nothing else helpful to add to my queries than please gracefully leave the thread before you soil your name insulting me some more.

[kpierce]

Wow. I never realized, when I was a member, just how moderated this board really is. I've made a couple harmless posts recently that never made it through. Either some moderator has a specific grudge against me (highly likely) or this board is on lock and key from non-members. Such a shame.