How to Succeed as a New Home Inspector

Just as with any new small business, growing a home inspection business takes time.

As a first-year home inspector, you’re predicted to have a lower annual home inspection volume than the more seasoned inspectors in your area. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t have to be your story. There are so many strategies you can use to steer your business into success from the get-go.

Consider this blog a primer on those strategies that are tried and true. Here’s how to break into the field during your first year as a home inspector.

How To Find Home Inspection Clients

Once you’re a trained home inspector, your first step is to find home inspection clients. Unfortunately, the world will not automatically know that you’re ready to start inspecting homes for money! (Wouldn’t that be nice?) Instead, you’ll need to pound some of the figurative “pavement” to get started.

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise!

It may seem elementary, but start by advertising your services! It’s the most basic way to get the word out there. And while you’re doing it, don’t discount “old school” methods of advertising. In today’s digitally saturated world, a piece of snail mail or a simple flyer placed on the bulletin board of your local coffee shop can get you noticed.

Here are a few more ideas to get you started.

Your Home Inspector Advertising Cheat Sheet

• Create a Website. Create a website and follow these easy best practices for local search engine optimization.
• Use Social Media. Develop a social media presence that gets you noticed using these evergreen tips.
• Maintain a Google Business Profile. Create a Google Business profile and keep it updated. This helps local searchers looking for home inspection services find and connect with you more easily.
• Start Email Marketing. Launch an email newsletter promoting your services and sharing home inspection tips. Be sure to promote it on your social media channels and your website.
• Create Promotional Materials. Create flyers, brochures, and business cards promoting your services. Drop them off at real estate brokerages and your favorite haunts around town.
• Leverage Print Advertising. Advertise your services in local newspapers and magazines. (People still read newspapers!)
• Try Direct Mail Advertising. Send direct mail postcards to targeted neighborhoods. For example, is there a neighborhood with lots of homes for sale near you? That’s a great place full of eager clientele you can advertise to.
• Learn Paid Online Advertising. Run paid ads for your services via social media, pay-per-click advertising, local newspaper and magazine websites, local email newsletters, and more. It’s not complicated!
• Join a Home Inspection Association. Join a home inspection association – like the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI®) or the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) – to get your services listed (and found) in their directories. Doing this also opens networking opportunities for business promotion.
• Use Review Sites. Create and maintain listings on review sites like Yelp, Angie’s list, and HomeAdvisor. Doing this gets your name out there for locals to find, and review, your great services.

Visit Local Real Estate Brokerages & Network

Finding a real estate brokerage and/or agent(s) to partner with for referrals is key. Brokerages and real estate agents are your direct line to homebuyer and seller clients in need of your home inspection services. Don’t be a stranger to your local brokerages. Visit them often. Leave flyers and brochures. Another idea? Ask if you can provide a short class on home inspections for agent training. This helps get your foot in the door and your name out to qualified leads.

Talk Up Your Business to Everyone

Word of mouth marketing goes a long way. It worked for AHIT-trained Joe Mazza of HGTV’s “Home Inspector Joe” and “What’s Wrong With That House?” Take a look at his home inspection success story.

It’s highly beneficial to promote yourself and your new business among your contacts – whether you’ve previously worked in another industry or you’re entering the workforce for the first time. It doesn’t have to feel overly self-promotional either.

Consider all the connections you have in your daily life, from your family to friends, colleagues, neighbors, even your child’s schoolteacher. The reality is you never know who might need a skilled, trusted home inspector. A casual mention of your new venture and how you can help with home inspection services can fuel lots of referrals down the road.

Find a Home Inspector Mentor

When you’re just starting out as a business owner in any field, working with a mentor increases your chance of success. According to a recent study, 70% of small business owners who work with a mentor have businesses that thrive for five years or more. That’s double the rate of small businesses with owners who don’t work with mentors.

Finding a seasoned home inspector mentor can help you learn the trade faster, get new business easier, solve problems quicker, and have on-call support when you need it. Be sure to network with other home inspectors and consider how you might develop a mentor-mentee relationship that’s mutually beneficial for both of you.

Consider Joining a Home Inspection Company

If you want a little more guidance as you’re starting out, consider working with an established home inspection company or a home inspection franchise.

Joining a multi-inspector company means:

• You’ll work with seasoned pros you can learn from
• You’ll likely have a steady stream of new clients
• You’ll have the technology, tools, and equipment you need to start on day one (often paid for!)

Home inspection franchises – like Pillar to Post and HomeTeam Inspection Service– are a happy medium between working independently and having the proven support systems and brand recognition of an established company. Investing in a franchise can be pricey up front, but it’s all a tradeoff. Some inspectors want the guidance and tools a franchise provides and are willing to pay for these benefits. Others are more interested in building their own businesses.

Working independently and working with a home inspection company are two paths that can be equally successful. It’s all up to you and your career goals.

Earn Extra Certifications and Keep Skills Fresh With Professional Development

While you’re busy building your business during your first year, remember to keep your skillset fresh. Earning home inspection certifications to offer mold, radon, air quality inspections, and many more can help widen your client base and build your income. Plus, working on continuing education and professional development keeps you competitive in the home inspection industry right from the start. You can often work on both these things more easily during your slower paced first year.

AHIT is Your Partner in Home Inspector Training & New Business Success

AHIT home inspection training doesn’t just teach you how to inspect a home. We also teach you how to build your home inspection business and help it thrive successfully for years to come. Learn everything you need to get started as an expert home inspector on day one. Find your state courses and enroll today!