Hi, and let me first thank those who reply in advance, it is Greatly apprecieated!!!

I will try to make this short and quick. I am basically stuck at a dead end corporate job, with very little future, and the future that is available is not what I want to do anyway. I really want to start my own business and be on my own. Home Inspection is something that I am truly interested in, but I am worried that the Home Inspection profession is too saturated with competition to make a good living.
I am certainly willing to start out part-time, as I am sure a lot of current inspectors have, and I would be willing to do whatever it takes to be successful, but is a decent, comfortable living truly attainable in this profession?

Again, thanks for the replies, your help truly appreciated!!!!!!!!

You can be successful, but I've never really seen a rich inspector unless he was an owner of a franchise or larger operation.

The main thing I look for are additional certifications, good client/realtor referrals, accessibility, client follow-up, board affiliate membership, and experience.

Bo,

It takes about 3-4 years to make it in the HI profession. You have to build up your referral base and then work from that point. At first 90% of your business will come from real estate agents and every year that will decrease as your clients tell others about your service, this is a good thing. Being independent of agents is best for everyone, you are a true third party inspector at that point. As for the market being saturated, it all depends on your area and how hard you are willing to work.

As for the income, it can be very good but you have to work at it. A good full-time solo inspector should be in the $75,000 to $90,000 income bracket. This is performing about 300 to 335 inspections a year. Now keep in mind that most new inspectors do not hit this number for several years.

I am entering my 12th year and have settled into a comfort level of 275 to 300 inspections a year, but my income is above the figures I gave above. I am one of the higher priced inspectors in the area, and I inspect mostly higher end homes.

It doesn't have to take about 3-4 years to "make it." First, one has to define "make it," and that is up to you.

I "made it" after only six months. But I will also admit that I am the definition of workaholic. I work about 18 hours a day, seven days a week, so to me it is very important to have a job that I love doing, a job which I don't consider a job, and job which is my life, basically.

I work weekends, major holidays (and minor ones) and major events (Indy 500, Super Bowl, seventh game of the World Series, etc.). One can always record the event and watch it later. One can always simply watch the highlights. There is only one time to earn money, and that is when my Clients want to hire me to do a job for them. That attitude, I believe, is what led to my enormous success after only six months.

Concerning home inspectors. If an HI gets referrals from realtors and that is how he will be building his customer base on I would like to know something.

If I was buying a home and had it inspected, can I trust the HI to have my best interest at heart or the realtors who will be selling me the home?

Excellent questions...here's how I see it.
You as a consumer should ask your realtor for a couple of HI companies, pick a couple of your own from friends, phone book or the internet. Call them up and perform your own interview. A 5 minute call can tell you alot about a person and whether they have your best interest at heart. Don't let your agent schedule an inspector for you. Regardless if they indeed have your best interest in mind, it's best to make your own decisions.

Catherine Ann,

As Kevin said That is a very good question. Unfortunately we have many home inspectors who will issue a "Soft" report for the benefit of the real estate. This is the reason that the agent is referring the inspector in the first place. I do like the idea of agents handing a list of inspectors(5 or more) to their clients and then letting their clients pick the inspector.

When picking an inspector do not select an inspector based on the price of the inspection. Select the inspector based on their knowledge and experience.

I'll have to disagree with Scott when he says that "This is the reason that the agent is referring the inspector in the first place." That would seem to imply that all Realtors only work with inspectors who issue a "soft" report, and I can definitively say that such is not the case.

As with any profession, there is good and bad.

And as with any profession, price can play a significant factor. There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a service provider based on price.

For example, Inspector A has 20 years of experience inspecting homes and offers an inspection for $399. Inspector B also has 20 years of experience inspecting homes and offers an inspection for $599.

As an average American always wanting to save money where feasible, I'll choose Inspector A, all else being equal.

In choosing my own service providers, I always do a Top 10 list of reasons to do, and then a Top 10 list of reasons not to do. Sometimes there are not 10 reasons in each list, but it certainly helps me analyze the good and bad of everything I do.

Or you can call around yourself and get three or five or seven (any odd number three or greater) quotes. Then play like you are at the Olympics and throw out the highest and the lowest and take the middle quote. That method will get you good service, good materials, and good workmanship 99% of the time.