How To Become a Home Inspector in California is a common question we get. However, the answer depends on your objectives.
Become a Business Owner or Work For Someone Else?
The first question is what is your objective? This really isn’t an inspection question, this is a life question.
What is more important to you?
Being your own boss or having a (relatively) stable paycheck?
Would you rather handle marketing, business planning, filing state paperwork, dealing with insurance, etc., or just focus on inspecting while someone else takes care of those responsibilities?
Do you want to spend your mornings handing out flyers and brochures to agents before inspections, then stay up all night working on your website and templates? Or would you rather just wake up, inspect, and go home to enjoy time with your wife, kids, TV, band, or whatever else you love?
Keep in mind, that if you decide to go out on your own, your first year will be spent doing more marketing than inspecting—regardless of whether you first work for someone else or not. The average person takes two to three years before becoming profitable. On average, only a small percentage of people who try to become home inspectors succeed in their own businesses.
Personally, I’m not a fan of the “work for someone else, then go out on your own” mindset. First, it’s disrespectful to the person who hires you. They will invest a lot of time and money into training you, and using them like a disposable resource isn’t cool. Second, it’s a lifestyle decision. If your goal is to be your own boss, then be your own boss. Getting a business off the ground will not be any easier down the road.
Everyone thinks inspecting is the hard part, but it is not. The real challenge is getting people to call you. Working for someone else first will never change that. At IM Home Inspections, we invest heavily in training and supplying our inspectors with everything they need to start inspecting. And while we can’t force anyone to work here forever, we hope the average person will work here 3 to 4 years for our investment to be a success. As of this writing, most of our inspectors have been with us more than 3 years.
Pick an Organization
California is one of the 20 states in the USA that does not license inspectors. Instead, inspectors should be Certified by a one of three certifying agencies.
InterNACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) is the largest association globally, with more overall members than the other two organization combined. InterNACHI is considered a top organization because of their extensive library of training classes that can be taken online. Further, InterNACHI is accredited by a national accrediting agency (ACCET.org) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All IM Home Inspectors are Certified by InterNACHI. Being a Certified Professional Inspector (CPI) is required to work at IM Home Inspections.
American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). Ashi is the oldest organization in the country. They have a huge presence in the mid west, but not as much in California. They rely on a 3rd party, the National Home Inspector Exam to be a full fledge ASHI inspector. My issue with the NHIE is that it covers many issues that you will never find inspecting in Southern California. ASHI used to offer periodic in person training in California, but as of this writing, they no longer do.
California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA) is a California only association. Despite being a separate organization, it used to be run identically to ASHI. It also emphasises the the National Home Inspector Exam. Which I find silly, as why would a California based organization want or need members to be certified by a national organization that tests on aspects not found in California? Regardless, while CREIA was once the dominate organization in California, it has not kept up with modern technology. It offers no formal training and minimal online support. It’s membership has dwindled. Rumors are CREIA is considering either merging with ASHI or shutting it’s doors in the near future.
Overall, being a member of InterNACHI is required for anyone considering joining the IM Home Inspections Team.
Become a Certified Professional Inspector – CPI
Assuming you have decided to join InterNACHI, the next step is to become a Certified Professional Inspector (CPI).
To become a CPI, there are 14 classes you have to take, but you don’t have to take them all at once. You can defer some of the classes for up to 12 months after obtaining your CPI. There are 3 tests you must pass.
- You do have to take and pass The InterNACHI Code of Ethics Course.
- You have to take and pass The InterNACHI Home Inspection Standards of Practice Course.
- You have to pass the InterNACHI Exam. The exam is made up of questions randomly pulled from the 14 required classes. So while you are not required to take all 14 classes before taking the exam, the more classes you take, the better prepared you are for the Exam. You also have to retake and pass the exam every 3 years.
In addition, you have to submit 4 mock home inspections to InterNACHI.
Once you obtain your Certified Professional Inspector status, the pressure is still on to complete any of the remaining 14 courses within the next 12 months, or risk losing your certification.
Final Steps
If your goal is to now set out on your own, congratulations. To start a home inspection business in California, first, choose a business name and register your LLC with the California Secretary of State ($800 filing fee plus legal fees to create the LLC) then obtain an EIN from the IRS for tax purposes. Next, open a business bank account. Then you need to buy general liability and errors & omissions (E&O) insurance. You will need to create a website. Then order business cards, brochures and other marketing materials. You will want to read about the Survival Rate For Home Inspectors for more information.
If your goal is not have your own business, many companies in the area are likely to be hiring. You can see IM Home Inspections careers page here.