So many people ask us this question, and of course, we want to say, “We do!” every time!  In our heart of hearts, we know this to be the case, but we also know our client base.  They are the practical folks who want to gather the facts and weigh them.  They need to reason through the pros and cons when making such a big decision.  And the truth is, we don’t blame you.  We approach every decision about our business the same way, so how could we ever hold back on giving you the insights you need to make this all-important decision for yourself?

The best home inspection training starts with three core fundamentals and builds from there.  At a minimum, any school must meet the state requirements and they usually look like this:

• Educational hours. This usually consists of anywhere from 40 to 120 hours of formal education.  Whether it’s delivered in a live classroom setting or a distance learning approach varies by state.
• Field training hours. About half the states’ licensing laws include a requirement for some kind of field training.  The requirements may be in hours or in the number of inspections performed. For example, the states of Washington and New York both require 40 hours of field training with a licensed inspector while the states of Arizona and New Mexico require 30 inspections with a licensed inspector.

Not every school offers the field training component in every state that requires it and may require some effort on your part to get it done. 

• Passing the National Home Inspector Exam (NHIE). The NHIE has been around for a long time and is the standard for testing minimum competency for the home inspection profession.  It’s a 200 question, 4-hour exam.

Some schools teach to the exam, others teach performing the home inspection.  What you want to find is a school that teaches both and all of the following:

• Technical. Let’s face it, there’s a lot to know about a home before you can inspect one and it’s pretty technical.  Like we’ve mentioned in other blogs, to be successful, for the curriculum to be relevant, it must be up to date. 
• Procedural. Learning about home inspections is one thing, but without a solid procedure to use in the field, it’s like taking driver’s ed and driving a car without any practical on the road experience. You know the rules, but haven’t learned how to use the steering wheel, accelerator or brake!  Make sure your training provider has a solid procedure segment so you can
• Communication. Communicating the deficiencies accurately and with the proper emotion and perspective is an art form.  It’s a skill that begins with the proper training and develops as you practice it.  Without proper communication skills, a home inspector is likely to miscommunicate their findings in an alarming manner and kill the deal.  You must learn how to avoid this costly mistake from the beginning.
• Exam Preparation. The exam is important, even critical to your career. The great news is that you only have to pass it once!  Your provider should be able to demonstrate how they prepare you for the NHIE.  It’s one of the three base components required for nearly every state’s home inspector license.
• Marketing. Once armed with all the previous skills, a new inspector is ready to market their business.  If you’re thinking google ads and search engine optimization are all you need, think again.  Ours is a relationship oriented business.  Every successful home inspector has established, built and maintained valuable business relationships with real estate agents to build their business.  Does your training provider offer the detailed and PROVEN techniques required to make your business as successful as others? Ask for proof.

HI-TEC thinks like a school AND a business.  We meet all the requirements in every class we teach.  It’s how we give you the high ground advantage in your new career.  We’re here because we’ve worked for the biggest schools in the country.  We know what students need to be successful, and how to best provide everyone with the knowledge and skills required to make home inspections a lifelong career. We don’t make sales pitches in class, and we teach the marketing in every class so you can get licensed, get marketing, and start recouping your investment right away.

Give us a call at 877.51.HI.TEC and let one of our admissions experts help you get the answers you need!