Friday, April 5, 2013

Home Inspector as Small Business

By Roger Frost


I receive phone calls every week from people who want to become a Home Inspector. People see that some companies charge as much as $380.00 for a Home Inspection and start doing the math and think that is the career for them. Unfortunately many of this people have no background in house construction or maintenance and think taking a quick course will make them a Home Inspector.

House owners and prospective home buyers, largely depend on home inspectors to assist and suggest them regarding their biggest investment. Home inspectors need to be proficient in examining and scrutinizing the house components and systems, and what all possible problems are to be searched for.

The majority of Professional Home Inspectors have a background in construction and various systems and components of a house. Unfortunately many local colleges or "diploma mills" have set up shop and are spewing out "home inspectors" at an amazing rate. The unsuspecting public is left to figure out the "qualifications" of these "professionals" by themselves. Some Real Estate agents are very particular about who they refer and will "vet" the home inspector prior to recommending one.

Training and education are the most important factors in becoming a Professional Home Inspector. There are many Professional Courses available for Home Inspectors from the Ontario Building Officials Association which are mostly based on the Ontario Building Code. If a Home Inspector is listing courses from associations etc, chances are they are your typical on-line course, which takes an hour to finish, and then you print off a certificate.

Anyone entering the home inspection field should be trained in the unique discipline of home inspection. Assuming that the home inspector has been properly trained and has sufficient experience, they should be able to provide a satisfactory detailed inspection of a property within the scope of their education and any home inspector licensing requirements. Where licensing or certification is not a requirement, anyone can claim to be a home inspector, and there are no laws to prevent them from doing so. A lot of people have taken advantage of this to "hone" their skills at the expense of the home buyers.

In many provinces and states, the practical standards for home inspectors are those enacted by professional associations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) with chapters throughout the United States, Canada, and 60 other foreign countries, the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers (NABIE), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI), and the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI) with chapters throughout Canada.

The Barrie Home Inspector is a Certified Building Code Official with the Ontario Building Officials association and a Graduate of the Carson Dunlop Home Inspection course. The Barrie Home Inspector was a Registered Building with HUDAC and spent 7 years in charge of Project Reviews for renovations and new construction valued in the millions of dollars. The Barrie Home Inspector is also WETT Certified for all your Fireplace, Wood Stove and Pellet Stove inspections required by most insurance companies. After performing over 4,000 inspections the Barrie Home Inspection Service is your logical choice for choosing an experienced Home or WETT Inspector.




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