Women of the Industry

How ASHI and partners are working to make home inspection more inclusive.

March 1, 2023

Not too many people can say they love what they do, but ASHI President Lisa Alajajian Giroux can’t imagine doing anything else. She hopes more women will find a passion for home inspection in the future, too.

The Journey to Inspecting

Alajajian Giroux started working for her father full-time in the construction business around 1983 and took her first home inspection class in 1997. At some point during her career with her father, she discovered that she was doing a lot of troubleshooting. “I was fixing the things the guys did wrong. I would go through and do the punch list for the client.”

Going into the home inspection business seemed like a logical next step. “It was a good transition going from a contractor to the home inspection field.” She said having a construction background has helped her tremendously, and she continues to learn something new every day.

Alajajian Giroux’s journey to home inspecting started when she got her construction supervisor’s license for both residential and commercial properties, taking classes in the evening after working in the field all day. She has been licensed in Massachusetts since 2000, since it was introduced into law.

Her studies led her to ASHI, as six of her instructors were ASHI members at the time, and to become a full-time home inspector. Today she frequently gets calls from people looking for mentors. The demand is there, she said.

The Future of Inspecting

More women may be expressing interest in the field thanks in part to ASHI’s new initiaive Women of the Home Inspection Industry. The group launched at InspectionWorld 2023 and is now scheduled to meet monthly. A website, classes, and educational tools are all part of the program.

“We’re getting input about safety in the field, what tools people can use, and talking about the challenges women have in the field,” Alajajian Giroux said. The group is open to any woman home inspector, ASHI-certified or not. “We want it to be all-inclusive.

Alajajian Giroux is hopeful that more women will continue to get involved. She said some women are discouraged from the work because it’s physical; they may not want to inspect crawl spaces or get up on a ladder, for example. “Those are legitimate concerns.”

She herself was inspired by ASHI’s first woman director—Miki Mertz. “Miki was very instrumental. She’s been around a long time. She’s a very intelligent woman.”

Alajajian Giroux is also inspired by the women of the International Code Council (ICC), who she says is opening many doors for women in the industry. “I was amazed to see the number of women they have. They do shadow programs that are similar to ASHI’s mentorship program but much more intense. They shadow board members for a year. There are a lot of women code officials out there.”

Susan Dowty is the regional manager of government relations for the ICC and says she’s excited about the industry’s future and seeing more women enter the field. “Inviting them to the table will not only help to address the current talent gap but will also bring fresh perspectives. The Code Council is committed to reaching the next generation of building safety professionals,” she said. “At the cornerstone of this effort is our Safety 2.0 program (ICC’s initiative to welcome a new generation of members and leaders to the building safety profession). It provides training, professional development, networking, mentorship, and other resources that prepare and empower professionals, including women, entering the field. We’re also very excited about our new partnership with ASHI and the opportunity to connect with women through ASHI’s Women of the Home Inspection Industry.”

The Women of the Home Industry Group launched at this year’s InspectionWorld 2023.

Alajajian Giroux looks forward to working with more women in the ICC and brainstorming how women can get even more involved in ASHI, whether that’s through partnering with schools, mentorship programming, or ride-alongs, to name a few.


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