This professional is responsible for identifying whether new homes have any defects that must be repaired before they can be sold. The new home inspector should be fully aware of relevant local ordinances, which may include:
• Plumbing and electrical systems
• Frame constructions
• Heating and cooling systems
• Conditions of any other structure such as the garage.
To work as a new home inspector, you will need to attend a trade school or college to complete the required courses and then take the licensing exam. Once you are licensed, you can help home buyers by evaluating the structural soundness and safety of the new home they are considering buying. A new home inspector can be self-employed, work for a real estate company, or work as an employee for municipalities. When you work for a municipality, you will be responsible for researching the safety, soundness, and quality of new homes before builders can put the homes on the market for sale.
To become a new home inspector, most local governments will require you to have between sixty and one hundred and twenty hours of class. In these classes, you will learn how to conduct an interior and exterior home inspection. You will also learn to analyze the plumbing, roofing, electrical system, and skeletal structure of the new home. You will also learn techniques for inspecting the home’s HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems.
When you train to become a new home inspector, approximately forty to fifty percent of the time it will be field work. This is where you would go to a house and analyze its quality. This is done under the supervision of the instructor, who is a certified new home inspector. Some governments will not require this practical training. Additional training may also include investigating the property for moisture and mold inside the home and drainage outside. Most governments will require that new inspectors know how to check for harmful gases, such as radon, that are accumulating in the soil under the house.
Typically, it will take two years to complete your course work and then you will pay a fee to take the certification exam to obtain your license. The exam will cover everything you learn during your work in the classroom. The tests can have between one hundred forty and two hundred questions and take two to four hours to complete. The license you will receive is usually valid for one to two years, after which you must renew it. Some governments will ask you to complete a certain number of hours by conducting an actual new home inspection before obtaining your license. The hours can be from forty to one hundred hours.