To become a new home inspector, a candidate must complete required coursework and pass a licensing exam at a university or trade school. An inspector can assist homebuyers assessing the safety and structural soundness of newly constructed homes after obtaining a home inspector’s license. Contracting with new homebuilders or real estate offices specializing in the sale of new homes can be used to carry out these responsibilities independently. A new home inspector can also work as an employee for municipalities, which send out agents to inspect new homes for quality before they are put on the market and sold.
The coursework and field training needed to become a new home inspector can be completed at any accredited school that offers a degree, whether it is a technical school or a university. The majority of local governments demand between 60 and 120 hours of training. These classes teach students how to conduct exterior and interior home inspections. Students will learn how to inspect roofing, plumbing, a home’s skeletal structure, and the electrical system. In addition, students will learn how to inspect appliances and a home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
Fieldwork can account for about 40% to 50% of training, with students visiting a real new home and analyzing its quality under the supervision of instructors who are also certified inspectors; however, some local governments do not require hands-on field training. Additional training for a new home inspector could include looking into drainage outside the house and the likelihood of mold and dampness inside the house. Most governments also require inspectors to know how to check for dangerous gases such as radon accumulating in the ground beneath a home.
A person aspiring to become a new home inspector should pay a fee to take a certification exam within two years of completing coursework, which will cover all of the information taught during class and field instruction. While many municipalities offer their own exams, many local governments in the United States rely on the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) exam, also known as the American Society of Home Inspectors Exam (ASHI). The NAHI test takes two hours to complete and has 140 questions, whereas the other test has 200 questions and can take up to four hours to complete.
If you pass the exam, the final step in becoming a new home inspector is to apply for an inspector’s license with a local government agency. Typically, a license is valid for one or two years. Individuals must then reapply for it. Before receiving a license, some governments require candidates to complete a certain number of actual home inspections, usually between 40 and 100.