Does
Georgia require a license for Home Inspectors?
In
Georgia, you don’t have to be registered, certified
or licensed as a home inspector although it is becoming
increasingly difficult to secure clients in the field
without the proper training and certifications. The
majority of homebuilders in Metro Atlanta as well as
nationally are now requiring that Home Inspectors be
ICC Certified before even being allowed on their premises
to inspect their homes. Since as much as 40%
of your business will likely come from new home construction,
preparing you for your ICC Certification is the main
focus of our program.
The practice of requiring ICC Cerfication is also gradually
spilling over to the resale market where there has been
a strong movement by Consumer Advocate Groups to increase
consumer protection by raising education standards for
individuals in the field. Our goal is to make sure that
our students stay ahead of the curve by not only meeting
the standards, but exceeding them.
What
is CABO certification and does your school offer it?
CABO is the acronym for the Council of American Building
Officials, which is now known as ICC.
Recently, The Southern Building Code Congress International
(SBCCI) and the International Code Council (ICC)
combined their resources and now write the internationally
recognized code for One and Two Family Dwellings. The
International Code Council is a membership association
dedicated to building safety and fire prevention and
develops the codes used to construct residential and
commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most
U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose
the International Codes developed by the International
Code Council. Becoming ICC Certified
represents that you are internationally recognized for
your knowledge, technical expertise, and commitment
to consumer protection. ICC is THE
primary certifying organization for Home Inspection
Industry as well as for construction professionals.
Our school does not actually administer ICC exams as
generally no Home Inspection School does. Testing for
ICC Certification is offered by the Council itself.
Candidates have the option of taking either computer-based
or pencil & paper format examinations. The paper
& pencil exams are offered several times a year
at selected locations. The computer exams are offered,
on demand, at over 150 Promissor testing centers across
the US.
Why
should I choose to obtain my training from Atlanta’s
Home Inspectors Business School?
At
Atlanta’s Home Inspectors Business School, we
not only prepare our students for their ICC Certification
exams, but we prepare them for real-world
success
through hands-on training and creative marketing concepts.
To be a successful home inspector, the inspection of
new homes is a must. As you begin your inspection career,
you'll realize that around forty percent (40%) of your
business will come from new homes. An inspector must
be ICC certified to perform inspections on new homes.
At Atlanta’s Home Inspectors Business School,
our main objective is to prepare the student for their
ICC examinations.
How
much money do Home Inspectors make?
Realistically,
even the best Home Inspectors can only perform around
500 inspections per year, at most. To arrive at this
maximum number, you must factor in the time that it
takes to perform the inspection, meet with the clients
and realtors, and to produce the necessary inspection
reports.
In 1999, a study by ASHI showed
that an average inspectors performing approximately
243 inspections per year at an average inspection
fee of $265 makes approximately $64,000 annually.
At 500 inspections per year at $250 per inspection,
a home inspector can gross around $125,000 per year.
Please understand that it takes time to build clientele
like this, but with a little effort and business development
savvy, it is entirely possible to do, and is actually
done quite often in the Metro Atlanta area.
How
quickly will I be able to start working? Technically,
you can start working immediately although ideally
you'll want to secure your ICC Certification as soon
as possible so you don't have any limitations. After
completing our course, you will receive a Certificate
of Completion from our school indicating that you
have successfully completed Home Inspection Training
from an ICC Certified Professional. The certificate
in itself does not make you ICC Certified, but indicates
that you have completed training and are prepared
to take your ICC exam.
Do
I need to be insured and/or bonded?
To
actually practice as a Home Inspector, no specific
type of insurance is mandatory, but various types
of insurance is definitely recommended. Since you’ll
be doing a significant amount of commuting, of course
you’ll want to have auto insurance which you
should already have. With regard to insurance directly
related to your job as a home inspector, you may also
want to also consider getting liability insurance
or bonding just in case you cause damage or injury
at a house you’re inspecting. Another insurance
directly related to the job is Errors & Omissions
Insurance, better known as E&O Insurance. E&O
Insurance is a type of insurance used by many professionals,
including Real Estate Agents to protect themselves
and their clients from financial loss, damage or injury
as a result of the work done. As you get going, you
may also want to plan for health, life, and dental
insurance just in case you don’t have a spouse
or family member who has the family covered.
What
tools does an Inspector need?
The
tools that are available and frequently used in the
field of home inspection are numerous although the
ones that are imperative is relatively shorter. The
tools that a home inspector absolutely “needs”
will be covered throughout the course along with their
proper usage.
How
long does it take to complete the course?
Our
Home Inspectors programs lasts approximately 5 weeks
after which you should be fully prepared to take your
ICC Certification exam.
Do
I have to enroll in the entire course, or can I take
each section individually?
Yes, we do require that you take the entire course because
of the way that each section/modules ties to one another.
Taking modules individually could potentially leave
critical gaps in knowledge which we work hard to prevent.
Will
there be a final exam and what is the minimum score
I need to make to pass the course?
There will be an overview exam. No minimum score is
required.
What
is your Refund Policy?
Once a student enters into a written contract to attend
the school and attends the first two classes, no refund
of the tuition is granted. After the first two classes
are attended, only fifty percent of the tuition is refunded.
What
does my tuition cover?
Books, training material, forty hours of classroom training
and five in-the-field home inspections.
