Business and Career Opportunities in Home Inspection
Even with real estate purchases in a slump, people want home inspector training.
There are new job opportunities and entire careers emerging from the home inspector credential in Illinois. For instance, remodeling contractors have enhanced their sales with a home inspector license. Others have developed businesses in radon testing and LEED certification of buildings. Tomacor has also discovered that many home inspectors have developed consulting business for condo associations while providing expert opinions for real estate attorneys, legal aid clinics, and municipalities. There is no lack of work for home inspectors, just a simple lack of vision.
Tomacor has been operating the Illinois Inspector Training Institute for over fifteen years. We have trained hundreds of inspectors in the Chicago market. Some of these inspectors now work for banks or subcontract through appraisal firms, while others help general contractors maintain standards with their subcontractors. Why are home inspectors so valuable? Illinois home inspectors sell construction detailing information. Under the scrutiny of an informed eye, most property owners or buyers get what they are after, rather than being stuck with an inflated value for a new purchase or their contractor’s work.
Architects and engineers receive university training to design and build structures. Home inspectors are trained, licensed and receive ongoing and up-to-date education in order to criticize those same structures. Inspector’s assess quality of design and workmanship based upon visible construction defects and common sense code standards found in texts like the National Fuel Gas Code and the National Electrical Code. Other applicable standards are available in texts such as the International Residential Code, or the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors of North America handbook.
If you know anyone who is passionate about construction detailing, green building, or appropriate technology, consider recommending a career that begins with a home inspectors credential. Career-rooted building science is both rewarding and lucrative for those who have an unabashed curiosity in the field.