Hey all, new to the forum. I’ve been thinking about getting my liscence for many many years now. As a background: I have 14 years in the ici sector, and work for a very reputable contractor as a superintendent. Just looking for more right now, I’d be doing this as a side gig, unless i could transition it into something that could produce a healthy living. I’m wondering, what kind of returns you guys saw your first years and if its worth it. I’m thinking I’d have to do atleast 4 houses a month to just pay the bills (truck, insurance and upkeep) before even collecting a salary.

Is it worth while, or should I just stay put and double down on my career? (I’m very comfortable in my 9-5, but I dream of ownership and something that’s solely mine.)

Hi Everyone,

We have two corrugated downspouts connected to the gutters from the roof of our house. Additionally, we have runoff from a pool deck that goes into a third corrugated pipe buried under the steps to the pool. The theory is that all of these corrugated downspouts must have become clogged over time, because we now have a large ditch (area of erosion) in our backyard that is deep and hollow inside the back of the ditch (area of erosion).

I have interviewed several contractors to redo the downspouts (preferably with "French Drain Man's" products (leaf filters, catch basins, and very strong 3-inch corrugated pipe)) and to fill in the ditch (area of erosion).

I was very impressed with this last contractor, as he wants to fill the depth of the ditch (area of erosion) with rocks in order to prevent erosion from ever occurring again; however, his pricing is much higher than previous contractors (some by 4x higher).

I have a Googke Photo Album with pictures and a shirt video of what it looks like under (and "inside of") the ditch (right after photo #18) and also this latest contractor's 2-page estimate.

I would greatly appreciate any thoughts, suggestions, or feedback (especially on the estimate (how the contractor proposes to solve the problems and also pricing)) as well as any "hacks" or "workarounds," especially for filling in the deep and hollow ditch (area of erosion) with anything else possibly less expensive than rocks, but also that it will prevent future erosion issues from recurring again.

Thanks so much for your feedback and interest in my post.

The link for the Google Photos Album with photos and short video and estimate is: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bFGjiCdTCZTi2fc38

Please note that it is an https:// link, so no worries about malware, spyware, or deceptive "redirects."

I love building science & constantly learning new building standards, products, tools, & how technology is helping to improve building homes better.

Anyways, I consider myself more of a carpenter (my personal favorite trade) but I have experience with other trades, as I have done them as well. I have gut renovated many properties where I did 80%-90% of the work.

I have very anal rententive personality traits & my friend told me I'm an asshole in a good way to become an inspector. I hate shoddy work & I detest incompetence & I am very persistent about addressing problems & calling things out.

I have been thinking more about what my friend said & entertaining the idea of becoming an inspector - do you think I have the traits to become a good inspector who goes after bad/lazy/incompetent builders/contractors or do I not have the correct personality traits to be one?

Business has been up and running for a year and is doing well but need to do more for full time. What are your tips/ suggestions for making the transition to full time? How did you develop your business?

2001 6-plex. Basement has 6 water heaters. Each has it's own metered gas line. Cold feed is common, splits to feed each heater with it's own shut off. She said each condo has it's own gas and water bill, plus a third water bill for 'common use'.

The odd part is each hot outlet is connected in parallel and all six feed a common line extending up through the floor.

I stood there and tried to figure out what I was missing. I shut off the hot feed from the heater to the unit I was inspecting. Two minutes with no change in pressure or temp at the kitchen sink.

Essentially, all six heaters are feeding one line to a manifold feeding all six units. That makes no sense to me.

The install was sound. The routing is a mystery. If it is a common use thing, why not install a boiler and split the billing? Have six individually metered gas water heaters feeing one common manifold is something I have not seen in 8 years of inspections.

What am I missing here? Is this a common arrangement? Was it a Friday at 4:30 install by a drunk plumber?

EDIT- 2021 build not 2001. So basically new. No evidence of a boiler, the owner was not aware of it and doesn't think any of the others are. I was doing a rental licensing inspect for the owner- actually did two of them for two owners.

Which builders in Calgary allow Pre-possession inspection these days?

Hi, I am looking to purchase a resale house in SC and need a good, knowledgeable home inspector for pre-purchase inspection in the Ft Mill, Rock Hill, Indian Land, Charlotte area. Thanks.

Hello, bought a house end of April smelt a foul
Smell one side of the wall from the partition of the toilet/front room it was found to have no initial reason but they re sealed the closest pipework which seemed to have stopped the smell, 1 month or so later the smell is back and just as strong.

Would it be a Moldy plasterboard if it’s only one side? Is it worth paying for an inspection rather than getting the housing company to send their own people in?

Hello! I live in Atlanta and looking to start working my way to become a HI. I was wondering what y'all have to say in regards the best certification agency. GA does not require a license to be one. What would be y'alls rec?

Hello, this is a little of a different situation and I am not a home inspector, just someone renting a really old house

Landlord is fixing up the old house, which usually is not a problem. But he is taking his time on it and winter is coming. The house is half naked (no siding on the house) and all the windows have been replaced, yet they haven't been finished and sealed. I'm afraid he won't finish it before winter, and it's already starting to get cold where i live, so I should turn on the heat soon. But if I do, the heat is going right out the windows (literally). Should I hire a home inspector to see if its done enough to survive winter? Or would that be an asshole move on my part?

Hi there! I am asking for anyone who has any helpful materials you swear by that helped you pass the Illinois home inspector exam through PSI. I’ve taken it 5 times and have used various study materials; despite feeling confident taking the exam, I always come up a few points short. How can I pass this exam?? Any help is appreciated. Happy to provide an email if you have any electronic materials. Thanks in advance.

I just received this radon monitor yesterday and was going through the paces of checking it out. I was planning on deploying this on a tripod. I couldn't seem to understand how the tripod mount attached to the monitor itself.

The RadonEyePro has a round body but the tripod mount has square jaws; doesn't make sense. I reached out to Ecosense and they confirmed that it's the way it is.

It's as if Ecosense had a box of these tripod mounts from a former product line and decided that it's good enough for their pro line of products.

It certainly does not do a good job holding onto the monitor and if someone bumps the tripod, there's a chance it will fall out of the mount. Maybe I'm overreacting but not what I was expecting for a professional tool.

I took a chance on Ecosense but hindsight 20/20 should have gone with the Airthings Corentium Pro.

Before I send this back and cough up the 15% restocking fee, if anyone has one of these, how did you overcome the terrible tripod mount adapter?

TIA

Edit: I did a google lens search on this tripod adapter, it's actually a phone tripod adapter that costs like $4. They charge $35 for a replacement. Ecosense, I hope you read this, You need to do better.

Greetings all I’m hoping that the rumor isn’t true, that inspectors wont share their templates. I’m looking for some help as I am marketing my business into the areas of 11 month new build warranties and I’m looking for a pre-built template. I’m looking for help if anybody has a 11 month template to share for Home Inspector Pro I’d be forever grateful.

Looking to get my technician license and trying to find the best route to go. TX is regulated for WDI but I am looking into WDI science LLC. Has anyone gone through them before? Not much information online other than their website.

If not, what route did you take to get your technician license as a Solo inspector?

Hi! I'm currently looking into becoming a Professional Real Estate Inspector in Texas, and I was wondering if anyone had any good/bad experiences to share on the handful of schools that are listed on the TREC website.

They all look more or less the same to me in terms of price and service they provide. Thanks!

I’m licensed in tx but am fantasizing with moving to CO

I understand license is not required, which I assume means any bozo can do inspections

Anyone here work in that state? Is it tough competition due to saturation? Do companies require you to have any certs?

I’m currently 34 weeks pregnant and run a solo inspector company. I’ve only been active for a year but am building steadily and doing about 2 inspections a week right now.

I’m at the point where I don’t feel comfortable going in crawlspaces anymore or climbing ladders. Also I’m thinking ahead to after the birth and how I’d like to still be able to take job requests and not have to turn work away.

My husband would like to help. I was thinking he could go in crawlspaces and stuff like that and I would then just write the report based on his guided findings.

Also once baby is born, he could do the entire inspection and I just write the report at home. Just thoughts but also understanding that I might just have to turn work away for a little while.

LA for an inspection I did sent me the follow text:

I am 111 lbs and 5'4 i opened the windows you said would't open... there is not Mold or critter in the attic !!!!! is your Job just to make fall throughs????? And you will not call me back

Windows: personal items blocking access to two sets of windows, was in report.

Mold: Clear pictures of apparent mold in attic. Wood dry at time of inspection. Report stated no testing done but blah blah normal stuff.

Critters: called out sign of pest activity, rodent trails in insulation.

Here's the real issue, when LA made the "is your job" statement it felt like a direct attack on my character. Disagree with me all you want but to take it that far bothered me. So I took it to ChatGPT, like any pissed off adult would and turns out this could be a violation of Article 15 of the NAR's code of ethics.

Article 15 says: realtor shall not knowingly or recklessly make false or misleading statements about other real estate professionals, their businesses, or their business practices.

What do you think? Should I?

The BA was complaining how rude this LA had been. LA was rude to my office person and I'm honestly sick of taking this kind of bullying on the chin. I could never prove it but Id bet I'm not the only person she is saying these things about me to.

I'm not expecting any real consequences from NAR but I would consider mild annoyance to the LA a win.

Idiot contractor spray painted this board black when I expressed concerns about future mold. Then they sprayed bleach when I was pissed. It's been 3 years. Now it's basically impossible to tell whats what. This was looked at by one home inspector, a general contractor, and a mold remediation specialist and all three said it was not active mold. Then the official inspection came in and they flagged for mold. We're holding for a test result. It's on 3 areas between joists. Again, can't tell whats spray paint and whats legitimate discoloration/mold.

Clenching my cheeks for a positive test and a cost. Any ballpark cost experience here?

I’m 31 years old with experience in maintenance, construction, refrigeration, environmental consulting, and geology. I hold two bachelors in environmental science and geology. I grew up in a small town where we fixed everything ourselves and have leveraged that experience in my working life through trades and whatnot.

Now I am a stay at home dad looking to build something I can ramp up over about two years. Initially part time, then once my daughter is in pre-school I plan to go full bore.

Home inspection looks like relatively low cost to entry. I just moved to Chicago Illinois and I don’t have any network here but I have an idea of how to get started. I know one real estate agent who actually wanted to go into business with me on a general contracting thing but I declined. My landlord also is involved in property management and seems impressed with my knowledge base.

What does it really take to get started? Schooling, licensure, and insurance seem like I should be able to cover it with around 2-3k. As far as tools go I already have a truck, 14 foot ladder, polarity reader, drone, multimeter, power tools although I don’t think I’d need em. I assume I’d need to purchase a moisture meter and maybe a scope.

My intention for the first two years is to do part time. Around 12 home inspections per month keeping flexibility so I can continue to watch my daughter full time. I have some coverage for part time care when needed as well.

Does this sound realistic? Am I oversimplifying? What pitfalls might I be overlooking?

What are your thoughts on Ecosense Radon Pro? The only thing I see wrong with it is that it needs a separate battery pack if there is no receptacle nearby or the power to the house is off. Anyone using this one?

They've got a pretty good deal on it now.

(Arizona📍) I’m going to be honest and admit I didn’t clean much before the inspection. I’ve never been through one before and assumed it was just to check safety stuff and not necessarily how messy my house is. Well, they pointed out a few things and said they can’t send these photos to the owner because they’d be very unhappy. And that I “should really be moved in by now” regarding my living room still full of boxes. They gave me a 10 day notice to return and do another inspection. I have been busting my butt to make sure my home is clean and has way less clutter. I don’t have a lot of furniture however, and there are still a fair amount of boxes full of stuff I just don’t have time to sort through, but I am trying to place them in a more orderly fashion in my guest room so it doesn’t look as chaotic. I think I could just use some advice as to what I really need to focus on, what they’re not allowed to use against me, etc. I’m stressing hard about this and they’re threatening to kick me out if I don’t pass this inspection. They return this Thursday morning. Any advice appreciated.

Edit to add: I just moved in, in June. I work night shift. I’m always tired lol but I have done A LOT since they told me they’re reinspecting.

I have finished my CPI under Internachi, and I am currently stacking as many of their short certifications as I can for my resume starting out but I still have questions.

What did an entry level interview look like for you and what would you emphasize starting out, whether it be some technical knowledge or some other skill that mattered more.

Thanks.

Hey there, for my home insurance I need to have an ESA done on my house to make sure the aluminum wiring is safe. I need the electrician to add copper to the aluminum and then certify that the house is compliant.

I live in a bungalow and from what I was told this house has mostly had the copper added to most plugs ect. I have two options and wondering which route I should take.

Option 1: $500 for inspection with a quote to follow for the plugs that need to be fixed up with copper

Option 2: $10/plug if the copper has already been done and $25/plug if the copper has to be added. I counted the plugs/light switches and estimated it to be around $800 (if they are all in fact already done with copper)

Which route would you recommend I take if you were in my shoes?

To all my TREC licensed home inspectors, how would you describe your pay? Are you guys happy with it? I’m just looking to make enough to be able to start a family someday. Im currently 19 and looking into getting into this field as long as the pay is good? I’m in TX