TOPIC: Hello Members

Hello everyone,

My name is Gene and I have been a Floor coverings Inspector ,Estimator and Installer for the last 26 years. I have wanted to become a Home inspector for the last 15 years. In 2000 and 2001 I took 2/3 of the  courses required by OAHI but did not complete them or pursue a Home inspection career due to the exuberant insurance prices then. Well I am now enrolled in a Home inspection course with inspect4u this march and I cannot wait. Having been in over 35,000 homes I am very comfortable with clients and communicating inspection results and installation requirements related to flooring and I think that the transition to Home inspection should be easy . My only fear is the amount of items I will be inspecting and making sure I am as thorough as possible.
I have a few questions,the first being what inspection tools most of you use? I ask this because in the past ten years allot of new gadgets have been introduced for this industry.
When a client contacts you do you contact the real-estate agent and have them send or fill out a form detailing the available information on the home , like age , sq/ft  ect?
And my last question , I have thought that an add on feature for the client.This would be a detailed floor coverings inspection and room measurements. I thought of this because i do a lot of estimating for clients that have not taken possession of the home and have been given a limited time to come in and have flooring or cabinets etc measured. A lot of times this is a problem for the present home owner and even the real-estate agent trying to coordinate a time for this. So i figured why not do it at the same time as the home inspection like you would a pest or mould inspection for an additional cost. And with this awesome software I could create a template for doing the floor coverings inspection?
Well any and all input would be appreciated, thanks and if i can  help anyone with a flooring issue please ask.
Thanks  

Hi Gene,

Welcome to the boards!

I definitely don't see any conflict in adding the additional service of taking measurements for people (as long as you're not installing). I'm not sure how many people will take you up on it, but who will until you try!

In the US all the inspection information (square footage, number of rooms, etc) is available on the MLS system. I'm not sure what the Canadian equivalent would be, but I'm sure some of the other guys could help you out.

Often times you'll be calling the agent to make sure the power and gas is turned on.

I have a few questions,the first being what inspection tools most of you use?

When a client contacts you do you contact the real-estate agent and have them send or fill out a form detailing the available information on the home , like age , sq/ft  ect?

North Carolina is a licensed state.  According to the law the only tools required to perfrom a home inspection are a flashlight, a step ladder, a screwdriver, and an outlet tester.

Most inspectors carry a few more items.  I  carry:
- Digital camera
- Outlet tester
- Mositure meter
- Thermometer
- Razor Knife (cut wallpaper & caulk around electrical panel & attoc scuttle)
- Large Flat blade screwdriver (probe and remove screws)
- Phillips screwdriver
- Nut driver (for HVAC access)
- Tape measure
- Blue Painters tape (lend to client to mark cosmetic items)
- Little Giant 17' ladder
- Heavy Duty Telesteps ladder
- Tyvek coveralls (for crawlspaces)
- Leather gloves (for crawlspaces)
- M95 mask (for crawlspaces)
- Survey tape (mark items in crawlspaces)
- Flashlight (several bright)
- Broomstick (to reach & test smoke detectors)
- Watchdog Water Alarm (to alert me to leaking dishwashers)
- Drop cloth (put under attic openings to keep house clean)
- Binoculars (some roofs are too steep or wet)
- Shoe booties (to keep house clean - I am not taking my shoes off for any seller)
- Laptop
- Pressure gauge (to test water pressure upon request only)
- Pen and contract
- Cellphone

When a client contacts me, I access the county tax records online for the age and square footage.  I tell the client to tell their agent to be available to open the house at the time that works for the client.  Some of the agents who refer me to their clients email me the MLS listing with the age and square footage which I ignore since it is based on what the selling agent thinks is correct.  I use GPS to tell me how to get to the property.  Garmin sends me an email about once a quarter to update the maps on my GPS.  It is my client, not the agents client.  The agent is just somebody to open the door and chase off the seller.

Welcome Gene,

Bruce gave a lot of good info. I will add one thing though.

The square footage, in my experiences, is almost never what is stated, by any source. Being in the US, (not sure for Canada), I pull the listing from MLS, Trulia, and Zillow. If available, also the Tax records. I go with whichever has the largest square footage listed. You would be surprised how many additions have been added-on without permits. I went to an inspection once, where I could find no info, other than the buyer stating it was approx 2500 sq/ft w/3 bedrooms. I showed up to find an entire two story addition, adding another 1,000 sq/ft which included a master bedroom and library. I almost walked away, as the buyer was being difficult in renegotiating the fee. Usually I will overlook a few hundred sq/ft. (not worth the hassle), but in this case, no.

Good luck, and post any questions as you get your feet wet.
Jeff

Hi Gene.  We are practically neighbours. I'm about 2 hrs+ to the North East of you.  (Strathroy is where I found a girl who I ended up marrying.)
All the best to you in your new career. 
BTW Did you work for Hamstra??

Hi Gene , welcome to the forum, all good post above do all of that and just make yourself an call sheet and gather as much info on the phone as possible. Best of luck