So You Want to Be a Home Inspector

 

I’m fat.  I’m 5’10” and 280 lbs (Ding).  If I was looking at starting a Home Inspection Business today I wish someone would be honest with me and say, “Stop! Think about what you are doing.”  I’m old. Not that 64 is old, but combine my age with being overweight and out of shape, it’s a bad trio.  Try getting flat on the floor to look up a fireplace flue, and get up in front of a client gracefully with my body.  It just ain’t happening.  When it comes to career choices we all need to be honest with ourselves and be self-critical.

 

So those are some my negatives, what are my positives or assets?  I was in sales for 30 years prior to becoming a home inspector, and over those many years have learned how to connect and to talk to my clients.  I don’t talk down to them, I don’t ramble on about myself, I don’t review my résumé with them, I don’t parade my oversized ego around, I don’t show off my fancy equipment, or tell them war stories.  I do focus on the house.   That’s the salesman in me.  I don’t lose focus on why I am there.  I treat my home inspection as a sales call.  I have a goal and I stay focused on that goal. 

 

My second asset is I’m smart.  I’m smart enough to use my head all of the time and to analyze situations and to react appropriately.  I learn from my mistakes. For example:  An obvious condition easily observable in many houses is negative grade and no gutter extensions. This will negatively affect a house with a basement foundation and would be a great thing to report on to show what a great inspector I am.  But, this condition has minimal effect (usually) on a house with a slab foundation.  So I don’t get my client all worked up about the grade and gutters without thinking about the overall situation.  Many home inspectors feel obligated to find a huge defect to prove their worth. Downplaying a defect and pointing out its real impact might seem like a small thing, but as a home inspector you can never stop thinking about the whole house or the big picture.  You can’t be satisfied with learning a long list of defects and repeating them on demand.  But I digress.

 

We all have personal defects and we all have assets.  The key is to limit the exposure of your defects and maximize your assets.   One way I do that is by always having an assistant with me to do half of the inspection.  It’s ok for me to be fat and old as long as I’m the boss with a skinny assistant.  That also emphasizes the fact that I’m an experienced veteran who knows what I’m doing.  Most important it prevents the client having to watch me try to get my fat butt up into an attic hatch.  That is a blessing for everyone concerned.

Introduction

Introduction

 

My name is Dan Osborn and I have been inspecting homes since 2003.  In that time I have inspected over 2,200 homes and have made over 2,200 mistakes.  Hold on, let me rephrase that, I have learned over 2,200 lessons.  In March of 2007 I was “talked into” partnering to create and run a home inspection school; Certified Adult Training School - CATS of Albany, located in Upstate New York.  After 2 years and the dissolution of the partnership, I wound up running the school and teaching the classes myself; kind of a one man show.  During these years of operation the school ( I ) have trained over 200 inspectors and  I have made over 200 mistakes – excuse me: rephrase-  I mean learned over 200 lessons.

 

In these numerous experiences of inspecting, teaching, and witnessing the students I have taught go off on their own to “learn their own lessons”,  I have come to the realization that the days of a one man show in the field of home inspection should be gone for good. 

 

Just because you know the ins and outs of home construction doesn’t mean you will be a good or successful home inspector.  The well hidden secret in this industry is that your success is not based on how well you inspect the house, but how well you market yourself, run your business, connect to the client and connect to the realtor.  It is essential that you are a people person and have excellent communication skills.

 

Many of my students come from a building contractor’s or technical background with extensive knowledge in their field.  The assumption that these skill sets will translate to home inspection is only partially true and can get them into trouble.   There is a knowledge base required for the terminology and to have a comprehension of the systems of a home, their function and condition.  However, the most exhaustive technical knowledge will be useless if no one will hire you, or if when hired your inspections anger the parties involved by making major issues out of things that could be calmly reported as defects.

 

An education that includes a business model and a mentorship program to guide the inspector through the reality of the interpersonal nature of Home Inspection is invaluable.  Knowledge is wonderful, but the ability and opportunity to communicate that knowledge is at the heart of the home inspection industry.

 

In response to the need I see for a more beginning to end guided teaching model I am offering an online home inspection training course.  I can inform and prepare those who wish to enter the field of home inspection drawing upon all the mistakes I have made, both in inspecting and teaching.  I have developed this training to remedy the fact that Home Inspectors (by the nature of the business) have been and are essentially on their own and by themselves. 

 

That need not be so anymore.  Because of the technological advances over the last 10 years, a new trainee and new Home Inspector can have my essential support network at their fingertips.  Counseling and coaching is available to all of my students and graduates.  My program begins with you being counseled even while you are considering this course.  I will help you frankly assess your potential to succeed in this school and in the business of Home Inspection.  I will not sugar coat my opinion as we assess your goals and help decide if this is a realistic choice for you.  Once you start the course, I am here to answer questions, review and critique your practice inspections and coach you on your reports for your real inspections. 

 

My goal is to ensure that you have all the skills needed to properly and systematically inspect a home and write a thorough and professional report that follows the Industry’s Standards of Practice.  I need graduates that exemplify the quality work I demand and reflect positively on this school.  Whether or not you have a background in the building trades, the education and counseling you receive from me will prepare you to communicate your knowledge to your client in a clear and professional way making you an invaluable counselor to them.