Should I take the plunge ?

I am sure that there has been many posts on this subject, my background, moved from Pa to the Greenville Sc area for a job, job did not work out, I have always been interested in real estate especially the home inspection field, I went thru AHIT course and am about to take the SC test, I am realistic about the marketing and have even made some connections thru mortgage people and a couple of agents, I do have enough living expenses for about 1.5 years although I would hate to burn thru this money, my dilemma, I was just offered an outside sales job the does require overnight, pays about 70 k plus, I have a complete business plan, I would like to at least at a min do 5-6 inspections per week, is this a tough field with a higher failure rate than other businesses, I had plans to use a call center, ISN, marketing etc, Honest brutal answers whether I should follow my dream or take the job to pay the bills and not burn thru my cash.

Odds are very likely that you won’t pass your SC test if all you completed was AHIT courses. AHIT courses simply aren’t robust enough. Let us know though.

Nobody can answer that for you,except you.That being said I would be surprised if most of the successful inspectors on here had that much in savings when they started.

Do you have any experience in any construction related fields or any type of inspection services?

All greenhorns need a mentor. Plain and simple!

This is a super simple industry to be successful in and most inspectors
Are willing to help.

I have experience in HVAC design, regarding the mentor I have tried many inspectors in my area however I have not found anyone willing to help, only piece of advice I was given was without a part time job you will starve as the newbie.

I took AHIT classes, and passed the test pretty easily. I also took the NACHI practice exams about 25-30 times. I’ve been at it for just over six months now, and have been averaging 2-3 a week since the get go. So 5-6 may be a bit tough just starting out. Not saying it’s impossible, but I think it will be challenging. You said you relocated to your area, correct? I’ve been in my area for most of my 37 of life, and have a ton of contacts. Family in real estate, friends in insurance, and such. Just want you to be realistic.

With all of that being said, I have ALWAYS been a strong believer in following your dreams, so go for it!!! Good luck in whatever you decide to do. And you can always call or email me if you’d like a newer guys perspective.

Stuart, I recommend anyone considering getting into this business that they read this. I feel its an honest representation on what you can expect.

Home Inspectors Journey

You have to take into account that everyone has a different situation and background. Take someone who’s been a contractor for many years well they have a lot of contacts in the real estate industry so its going to be easier for them or take the situation where someone has retired but is not ready to quit working they may have a monthly income to fall back on when things are slow or take longer then expected to get started.

There are a number of new inspectors here on the board with success stories but keep in mind that we never tell the story of how we got a bad deal on the car we bought we only tell about the one where we stole it from the dealer. Same goes for home inspectors or any thing that does not quite work out its just human nature.

Bottom line be realistic, expect it to take longer then anticipated and cost more.

Interesting article with some interesting points. I would have to disagree with some of what is said though. For instance, it says there are no inspectors under 30? I started my business when I was in my early/mid 20’s. Burn out is also subjective. This is a stressful industry though, and it will age you a bit. You need an iron gut a lot of times.

Try out of your area. Say, 50 miles away or so.

Is that something you wrote? It’s really bad

I’m 26 FYI

No offense, but you have a ton of grammatical errors in your article too.

I actually might give you a call tomorrow, did you have any mentor for ride a longs, also what were your expectations in regards to the level of business at 6 months, 1 year, etc, When I did go the the 3 day field training thru AHIT in Jacksonville, Fl they did state that it would take 2-3 years to the level of 2 inspections per day, I also realize that many inspectors do go out of business due to lack of funds and realistic expectations, I for one did not believe the hype of grossing 140k in my first or second year, I looked to get into it because I was sick of the corporate BS and the need to control my own destiny.

That’s because they are losers. Stay away from them. Surround yourself with positive thinkers.

http://www.inspectoroutlet.com/successful-pdf.aspx

There are exceptions to everything and no I actually found it here on the message board when I first joined don’t remember who wrote it or in which section it was. Perhaps it’s not written the best or set in a positive tone and your experiences may vary.

I did not read any other responses but what is your previous experience and why do you think you would be a great home inspector?

Do you like Realtor types?
Do you like jumping thru hoops for people and being the last person whose schedule is normally taken into consideration “not in my case”.
Do you want to work weekends?

Just a few things to consider.

Ask yourself if the journey to learn this business is worth your savings. If you haven’t reached your goal by the time the money runs out, that’ll just piss you off and you’ll be full of regret. Worse case scenario is the money runs out, but can you see yourself content and saying ‘I learned so much and it was worth it’…

I wanted to thank everyone who chimed in on this post, I took the " plunge" accepting a position to move to South Carolina for a position that did not work out, for my savings sake at this point I have decided this time to take the " safe" route and accept the job, in the back of my head there will be a part of me that says I should have taken the plunge but meanwhile I still plan to obtain my South Carolina license and possibly join InterNACHI in order to learn everything that I can when the day comes that I decide to do this.