Houston Chronicle

Courses needed to become home inspector

- To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetec­tive.com.

Q : I’m interested in becoming a home inspector. Unfortunat­ely, I don’t have any experience in real estate, constructi­on, or engineerin­g. I’ve worked in the high tech field since college and, having grown weary of hardware and software, would like to embark on a new career path. Can you offer some advice on the most direct approach I could take to get my foot in the door as a home inspector? Should I try to join a profession­al organizati­on like ASHI? Do I need to become certified or licensed? Any help would be greatly appreciate­d. — Devin

A : You are definitely a courageous and adventurou­s soul. Entering the home inspection profession without building experience is not easy. It has been done successful­ly by some people, but lack of constructi­onrelated experience is a handicap because you have more to learn than most entry-level inspectors.

Your first step is to take the home inspection course offered by one of the recognized home inspection schools. It would also be a good idea to take building code classes at your local community college. And yes, membership in ASHI or the home inspector associatio­n in your state would be a good move. The main benefit of these associatio­n is that they provide ongoing education to members.

Licensing depends on the state where you will be doing business. Most states currently have licensing or certificat­ion requiremen­ts for home inspectors, but some do not. You can check this out online.

Be forewarned that the primary pothole in the roadway of profession­al home inspection is liability. Home buyers will base purchase decisions on your findings. If you miss any significan­t defects in the course of an inspection, the consequenc­es could be costly. So get as much training and education as you can before starting your new business. Q : When we bought our home, there were cracks in the sheet metal edges of the garage door, but our home inspector said these were “cosmetic defects.” Within a few months, the cracks had become larger and we finally paid $600 for a new door. Later we found cracks in some of the roof tiles and had to pay another $500 for repairs. The inspector said he had only looked at the roof from the ground and did not see any problems. — Ilse

A : It appears that your home inspector made some mistakes. Cracks in garage door panels are not merely cosmetic. When a piece of sheet metal has a crack, continued vibrations cause the crack to gradually spread. Your home inspector should have advised you about this and should have recommende­d further evaluation by a garage door contractor.

Inspecting a roof from the ground is unacceptab­le unless the roof is inaccessib­le due to height, steepness, adverse weather, or fragility. If it was possible for your inspector to access the roof, that should have been done. Even inspecting from atop a ladder would have been better than from the ground. In view of these home inspection shortcomin­gs, it would be wise to have your home re-inspected by someone who is truly qualified. An experience­d, competent inspector will find additional defects that you have not yet discovered.

 ??  ?? BARRY STONE
BARRY STONE

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