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  Nov. 21, 2011 2:02 p.m. wvumtnbkr Reader

  I am thinking about getting out of the engineering field (I have worked as a maintenance supervisor, crew supervisor, commissioning engineer, troubleshooting engineer, etc...)

  I don't like what I am doing. I'm bored alot. There doesn't seem to be any realistic avenues for promotion. Also, my company was recently bought by another company and I may not have the stability I used to.
  

  Sooo.... I was trying to come up with a career that would satisfy some of my requirements. Those requirements are:

  I would really like to make my own hours. I like to figure out how things work (like structure) I would like to not have a boss. I need to make about $50,000/yr

  I was thinking home inspector could be cool. It seems like there is a need for a few "good" ones in my area.
  

  There is only one problem. I dont know how to become a home inspector.

  There are online classes, but I am not sure if they are quality. There are "real" classes, but none in my state.

  Anybody have any expereince with this stuff?
  

  I am in PA. I would like to realistically make $50,000. Is this possible?

  Thanks!

  Rob R.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 2:11 p.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork

  How much do you know about houses and how they're built?

  Not a trick question, it seems that the good home inspectors usually find stuff because it tickles some kind of sixth sense that suggests to them that something doesn't look quite right. And it seems like you tend to develop that sense more or better if you've worked as a contractor for a while.

  I still think a good home inspector is worth their weight in gold, so I'm generally in favour of your plan .

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  Nov. 21, 2011 2:14 p.m. jimbbski Reader

  I don't know how you you get to be a HI guy but I have a friend who is and he used to road race and now doesn't because he doesn't make enough money. There's always a need for a HI. If in the present real estate market you can make the $50K now then you should do OK in the future.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 2:36 p.m. Keith SuperDork

  Based on my experience with home inspectors, you're already fully qualified. I mean, you can write in English. I have been highly unimpressed with 80% of the inspectors I've had dealings with, including one guy who just plain made stuff up and backed down when challenged. I think it's even easier to label yourself a Home Inspector than it is a Realtor, and you don't want to know what I think of most dirt pimps.

  If I'm looking for an inspector to look at a home I'm buying, he's going to be a guy with a heavy contracting and home building background. That's more important to me than any classes he's taken.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 2:44 p.m. Javelin SuperDork

  Don't. It takes basically zero knowledge to be one and the home buyers have finally started to wise up and sue the crap out of the idiotic inspectors. Plus there's no real estate transactions happening. Most of the realtors I work with have an in-house inspector so there's far less work out there for the idiots anyways. If the economy ever picks back up there's grumblings of totally re-vamping the system nation-wide anyways. This is a dead-end career IMO.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 2:46 p.m. SVreX SuperDork

  I do some inspections.

  Your $50K goal is reasonable, IF your market will sustain it. Most areas of the country have significantly decreased home sales going on right now, and the home inspectors who have been doing it for a long time are lacking work, and out of work contractors are also wedging themselves in. There is an awful lot of competition for the work.

  Of course, you will need to know something about houses and how they are built.

  Are you willing to crawl under houses? In the mud? With the critters? (I've met skunks, snakes, spiders, dogs, to name a few)

  People are wanting you to tell them something bad about the property. That means you will encounter termites, roaches, leaking sewage, rot, smells, mold, heat, cramped spaces, mean dogs, and nasty tenants. Some crawl spaces are tight belly crawls- I don't know any fat home inspectors. There are parts of the job where I prefer to wear a Tyvek suit...

  You will also need to be INCREDIBLY detailed and very good at organizing information into a simple manner that most people can understand easily.

  Most states require licensing. Some will recognize contractor's licenses. Liability and errors and omissions insurance is a MUST.

  You have to be good at both schmoozing with Realtors, and crawling through mud. A reasonably good business and legal head is also helpful (enough to understand building codes, inspection standards, etc.). Sounds like you might have a lot of the experience you would need.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 2:47 p.m. DoctorBlade Dork

  From my experience, being able to breathe is the only requirement.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 3:04 p.m. Gearheadotaku Dork

  Keith wrote:

  .....and you don't want to know what I think of most dirt pimps.

  LOL

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  Nov. 21, 2011 3:26 p.m. bludroptop SuperDork

  Warning: Number crunching to follow

  The average home inspector around here charges about $300. If 25% of that covers your overhead, including advertising, insurance, travel expenses, etc., then you net $225. That's optimistic, in my opinion. The one I had done recently took the inspector most of the afternoon on site, then additional time preparing the report.

  Simple arithmetic: $50,000 divided by $225 equals 222 inspections a year, meaning you have to average 4 a week or more. Make your own hours but be available on short notice.

  I think the hardest part would be finding 4-5 homebuyers a week that want to hire you, then 4-5 next week, and the week after.

  You can build a reputation over time that will bring business to you, but getting started will be tough without serious connections in the real estate field.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 4:29 p.m. wvumtnbkr Reader

  Thank you all very much!

  Seems like a mixed bag. Might be worth getting the license and see how it plays out.

  Any suggestions on other careers?

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  Nov. 21, 2011 4:38 p.m. Curmudgeon SuperDork

  I have a SC home inspector's license and I hit the market just as home sales fell through the basement (2008). Even with a BUNCH of real estate connections I made through the service advisor gig, there was just no business. Also, even though it's a buyers' market there's still just not enough home sales happening at the moment. With the glut of foreclosures and the guys who are doing it scrabbling real hard I'd be real hesitant about jumping into that right now.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 4:45 p.m. fasted58 SuperDork

  anybody flipping houses these days? I thought it would be a good retirement job but w/ the market down I dunno, I ain't jumpin' in

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  Nov. 21, 2011 4:50 p.m. Curmudgeon SuperDork

  Take it from someone looking for a house right now: there ain't no flippin' going on. Foreclosures have driven prices through the floor.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 5:00 p.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

  Saying your bored with engineering is a weird statement, as the field is huge, in both breadth and depth. I can't think of a field with more diverse options than engineering.
  

  That said, I'll more or less agree with Keith, if you can identify an electrical switch on sight, you're better than most home inspectors I know of.
  

  Something you might want to consider is specializing in something, like older or pre-existing homes. It seems to me that a person who advertises actively and strongly about their ability to inspect an older home, and to help the prospective home buyer to understand the results of the inspection would be a very helpful inspector to that prospective home buyer.

  Equally understand, that such a home inspector would be hated and reviled by every seller and selling agent in the real estate business.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 8:43 p.m. wvumtnbkr Reader

  Im not bored with the engineering field. I am bored with my current job. I would like to try something else.

  To be honest, I don't think I am a very good engineer. I am not detail oriented. I do not like paperwork. I do not like to do design.

  I am good at troubleshooting problems and coming up with feasible solutions. That is about it.

  I just want something new.

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  Nov. 21, 2011 8:47 p.m. novaderrik Dork

  i think it involves saving cereal box tops and sending in a check for $19.95..

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