Starting Your Career

Starting a home inspection business is a venture into unknown territory for many new inspectors. Along the way, many decisions forge the path to a rewarding full-time career or successful side enterprise. Just as a comprehensive inspection report describes important structural components, your fledgling business has critical elements to survive and prosper.

The foundational existence of your business involves choosing a location plus tax structure, financial investments, setting up commercial banking accounts, and adopting operating policies and standards of practice along with fulfilling license requirements. Fine-tune your focus by developing a business plan, mission statement, company motto, and list of services and fees. Don’t overlook planning for community involvement opportunities—including local sponsorships, charitable contributions, and volunteer organizations—as a way to give back and increase networking as your business grows.

The “roof” for your business is a comprehensive insurance plan; this is your most important protection when unexpected storms arrive. Having appropriate coverage for general and professional liability is vital to long-term profitability. Explore options like drone liability or sewer scoping to see if you need additional coverage. Most importantly, re-evaluate your insurance needs regularly to ensure it best fits your needs.

Four equally important walls contribute to thriving day-to-day operations. Training, equipment, software, and marketing combine to make your inspection business function effectively.

Investing in top-quality training is the best way to jumpstart your new career. Learn from experienced inspectors, conduct mock inspections, and join industry-related organizations. Take advantage of the ASHI mentorship program and other continuing education opportunities; attend conferences in your area or via Zoom.

Equipment and tools are your bread and butter. Starting that all-important flashlight collection and filling your tool bag with the latest gadgets and reliable standbys is exciting. Remember to stock replacement batteries and set up a surge-protected charging station with enough charger cords to power all that awesome rechargeable gear.

Software package options can be overwhelming, from report-writing applications and financial accounting to office management solutions. Compare pricing structures, functionality, and adaptability for future expansion or task delegation.

Marketing is all about engaging your customers and attracting valuable referrals. Although methods have changed dramatically over the years, an enthusiastic personal approach and prompt, friendly, honest communication is still the best way to achieve happy customers. Take the time to research your market and build a cohesive brand. Choose logo style, colors, and text fonts that reflect your mission statement. Find helpful free resources to share with your clients and real estate agents.

Design your marketing “wall cladding” to enhance your business and attract potential customers. Create all your digital and print marketing materials, background screens for handheld devices, social media formats, voice message recording, receipts, thank you cards, gift bags, domain name, and email addresses to complement your organized, hard-working, professional image. Make sure your uniform choices will work in all types of weather.

The website is your virtual doorway to the world. Millions of potential customers speed by, and you only have a moment to catch their attention. Hire the best professional website designer you can afford who specializes in fast, mobile-friendly, secure websites, and find a host with responsive customer service and round-the-clock maintenance. Obtain high-quality headshots and inspector-in-action photos for profile images and other media use.

Customer reviews are the virtual equivalent of window shopping to let others get a glimpse of the service you offer. Major platform 4- and 5-star reviews are now indispensable for numerous businesses, and the congregating effect of human curiosity is transformed into a powerful engine to inspire confidence and increase revenue.

Finally, integrations represent the flooring, allowing systems and modern tools to work synergistically, enhancing your efficiency and productivity. From simple website integration links and digital business cards with QR coding to cloud storage backups, and automatic system triggers across platforms, the world is full of ever-changing opportunities.

As you travel this adventurous path, strive to make wise decisions, take time to enjoy the journey, learn something new every day, value resilience and adaptability, work hard, give your customers the best home inspection experience possible, and watch your new business flourish into a successful and fulfilling home inspection career.

Opinions or statements of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.