I am in process of finishing my course of study…realizing that completing a course does not make me an inspector…my mind has begun to race with possiblities and questions. Here is what I have done and what I plan to do…please comment.
What I have done:
Taking a home study course…this course thus far has further strengthened my idea that I have most of this “book” knowledge in place…and has also opened my eyes to many things I had never considered…code wise and common sense wise as well…I’m glad I’m taking it…even though my eyes burn from staring at this screen all day every day the last 7 days.
I have joined NACHI…I am eagerly awaiting the email to get my password to get into the hidden parts of this message board…I have already read 90% of the archives…just waiting now for the other areas…if anyone can give the powers that be a nudge on this…please do…psst…I paid around 5 hours ago…!
I have been to a NACHI chapter meeting…met some guys…more on this later.
I have contacted all of my acquaintances and friends within the RE community and gotten favorable reviews about my doing this…the only concern they seem to have is that they won’t be able to get ahold of me to do their service calls and winterizing their plumbing on their vacation and foreclosure homes… I assured them that I could still do this…just not on homes that I have inspected
I have brainstormed w/ my wife about a name…sigh…much harder than I thought… I have settled on Real Estate Inspections rather than Home Inspections so that I can study for commercial inspections also. Some of my great names are already on the list here on this site…I thought I was the only creative one here? Not the case, great names.
Things I’m definitely going to do:
Start another thread to find some ride alongs…go on as many as I can.
Inspect my house and friends houses. Submit 4 of them to Nachi Review Board
Tony, congrats - I see you made it on board!
See if American Family Ins is by you - I forget. I have decent rates with them here for E&O.
Other certs - I’m known for saying, get real comfy with what a HI is, and then see if you want to step outside the SOPs ( & stretch your liability . . .)
About the names…you can duplicate a name as long as it isn’t registered within your state or franchised or trademarked (and even then many times a small modification can make it ok - an “Inc” or “Inspection Services” as opposed to “Inspections” ) so feel free to go with what rings true to you - just check with the state first.
I disagree with Russ about the added liability of exceeding the SOPs. Education is an asset and not to be feared, and the SOPs are a nice minimum but nothing I do is about meeting the minimum expectations.
The worry about increased liability is with each service you charge for (you will need insurance for each), or areas of particular expertise (like code certified) that would cause a client to think that you were perfoming a code inspection (as opposed to a home inspection) or certifying a specific system HVAC, roof, etc.
Additional certs are money makers and add to your knowledge base.
Radon and WDI certs were total money makers. I am getting both this month and I can’t wait. I referred over $5,000 of WDI and Radon business last year that I could have kept in my pocket.
NHIE - yes. It will give you confidence and is great to mention when quizzed by somewhat knowledgeable potential clients or realtors. It is a nice credential to have, and often required by jurisdictions with licensing.
I, personally, am going for ICC certification because I think it will be an asset ultimately.
I have not investigated the other certs as this will keep me more than busy in the short term. Hope this helps!
I don’t think we’re really in disagreement, Joseph; I suggested that Tony get comfy with the HI SOPs, before stepping out. That’s what I did. And, it appears, what you did also. Now, you’re not ready to farm out the work you have, in the past. I agree, radon can make the bottom line more attractive - I’ve provided that service for years.
