Become a Home Inspection Professional in Iowa — Your Step-by-Step Career Guide in Iowa

Prepare for Your Career With Iowa’s State-Recognized Home Inspection Courses

While Iowa does not require a license to work as a home inspector, there are different types of inspections and business practices by which home inspectors must legally abide. Professional home inspection training from a reputable home inspection school is key to understanding those business practices as well as establishing yourself as a trusted expert. Many home inspection associations and industry professionals agree that this coursework is essential to setting yourself up for success from the start.

By taking the recommended courses, you’ll prepare to face the real-world challenges that licensed home inspectors typically encounter and master the topics found on the National Home Inspector Exam.

Pass the National Home Inspector Exam

After completing your home inspector courses, the next step in establishing yourself as a trusted expert is passing the National Home Inspector Exam. The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions (25 of which are not scored) covering three major domains, or sections, that every home inspector should know. Those domains are:

• Property and Building
  Inspection/Site Review
• Analysis of Findings and
  Reporting
• Professional Responsibilities

Test takers are given 4 hours to complete the exam, and each attempt costs roughly $225 (depending on your location). Due to the unignorable cost of taking the exam, we highly recommend taking an Exam Prep course to greatly increase your chances of passing on the first try. If an individual does not pass, they must wait 30 days before taking the exam again.

Fun Fact: Veterans taking the National Home Inspector Exam are eligible for reimbursement through the GI Bill. Those who choose to exercise this benefit must complete a VBA-22-0803-ARE and submit it with the receipt to the VA for reimbursement.

Conduct at Least 100 Home Inspections

Iowa requires that you participate in at least 100 home inspections in the field to gain the practical skills
you’ll need to perform your duties as licensed Iowa home inspector. Our instructors at AHIT will walk you
through the in-and-outs of how to conduct a proper home inspection.

Become a Member of a National, Non-profit Home Inspection Association

To be a home inspector in Iowa, you must join and be a member in good standing with a national, non-profit home inspector association. This helps to ensure all home inspectors are operating by the same guidelines and procedures.

There are multiple national organizations you can join, including the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI).

There is another option to work directly under the supervision of a home inspector who is a member of a national home inspection association in good standing with the organization.

Purchase General Liability Insurance and Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance

Iowa requires home inspectors to carry certain insurance policies for your home inspection business:

• Errors and omissions insurance for $100,000 per occurrence
• General liability insurance for $100,000 per occurrence
• $500,000 in the aggregate and deductibles of not more than $2,500

Register Your Business or Join a Multi-Inspector Firm

After you’ve completed your AHIT Home Inspection Training and passed the NHIE, it’s time to get to work. You can choose to start your own home inspection business (either as a sole proprietor or LLC) and call a tax professional. Or, if you prefer to gain some experience and have a steady flow of leads first, you can look to join an established multi-inspector firm. Regardless, there’s no wrong path to success in the lucrative and exciting world of home inspection.