Maximizing Your Downtime

Winter tends to be a slower time for home inspections, with harsh weather and fewer buyers in the marketplace. Experts at ASHI know that doesn’t have to mean less work for inspectors, though; opportunities exist for types of other work, too.

Commercial Inspections

The ASHI School (theashischool.com) offers a commercial inspection course that’s great for home inspectors, according to Edwin Barrera, director of education and curriculum development at ASHI. Barrera recently sat in the class himself and learned that while home inspections may be down this time of year, there’s a growing need for commercial inspectors.

Richard Weldon teaches a three-day commercial inspection class offered as a live webinar. Each day runs from 9am to 4:30pm EST. The course aims to provide a solid foundation for people who want to perform commercial building inspections or Property Condition Assessments (PCA). “By the end of the course, we want people to feel that they have all the necessary tools to start a successful commercial building inspection company or significantly augment their existing property inspection company,” Weldon says.

As a live webinar, attendees can ask questions and talk with the instructor in real time. Participants receive an 800-page commercial building inspection textbook as a PDF and a video that shows an actual inspection of a two-unit industrial building from start to finish. The course is open to anyone. For more information, email Richard@cdwengineering.com

“Enrollment is mostly home inspectors who want to expand into inspecting commercial buildings,” Weldon says. “Many people who take our course are home inspectors who say they are being forced into doing commercial inspections because the REALTORS® they work with are starting to sell commercial properties. What a nice problem to have.”

He says home inspectors have virtually all the required skills to do commercial inspections. “They have good general technical knowledge. They know how to walk geographically through a building and assess components system by system; that is an acquired skill. Home inspectors also know how to collect data and write reports. These are all required skills for commercial inspections.”

Weldon started doing home inspections in 1987 and moved into more commercial work a couple of years later. He inspects all kinds of buildings—industrial, office, retail, apartment, schools, airports, and more. He’s been presenting the course since 1998.

“Our course follows the scope of work for a PCA, as per the ASTM Standard E2018-15. It is a standard written specifically for pre-purchase inspections of commercial properties. It is also the industry standard (i.e. the standard required by lenders). There are many people who follow quasi home inspection standards to do commercial inspections. That may be OK for small commercial properties, but if you want to make the jump wholeheartedly, the ASTM standard is the way to go.”

Commercial Specialization

You might also choose to specialize within an area of commercial inspections. For example, inspectors in the Nashville area can sign up for “Inspecting Commercial Electrical Systems” at The ASHI School. ASHI offers this comprehensive course so inspectors can earn 6 ASHI CE credits in one day.

This course teaches attendees how to identify, describe, and inspect commercial electrical systems. The class will also explore the similarities and differences between residential and commercial electrical systems. Learn some of the distinctive challenges electrical systems in commercial buildings pose and examine ways to tackle those obstacles. Students will get familiar with commercial building voltages, generators, transformers, and more.

Residential Rentals in Denver

In Denver, home inspectors looking for more work may benefit from a new residential rental property licensing program that applies to every property in Denver offered for rent for more than 30 days. Licensing requirements will be phased in over the next two years as part of Denver’s effort to enforce minimum housing standards for all rental properties.

To receive the license, properties must pass an inspection by a qualified, third-party inspector. To perform RRP inspections, a person must be:

• Certified by ASHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), or the Master Inspector Certification Board, and
• Certified as an R5, C5, or C8 Combination Building Inspector by the International Code Council (ICC).

The Denver Department of Excise and Licenses has established a list of qualified inspectors for the residential rental program (RRP), which is posted online at denvergov.org. Being on the inspector list is not a requirement for performing the inspections for the residential rental property program. It is simply a tool for property owners and managers to find qualified inspectors.

The program will require qualified inspectors to complete an inspection for all properties, and the anticipated total volume of licenses is approximately 54,000. For more information about this program, you can email licenses@denvergov.org.