Just as in any industry, home inspectors can and often do vary in skills, experience, and reliability. But what you may not know is how much the quality of home inspectors may vary from state to state.
Some states do not have any regulation of home inspectors at all, so anyone can just open a business and declare themselves a home inspector with no licensing requirements. This is the case in states like Utah, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, etc.
Other states are lightly regulated and have very minimal licensing requirements such as Kentucky where they require you to submit an application, have a GED, pass the National Home Inspector’s exam and pass a background check.
Then there are states with highly regulated and stringent requirements for licensing like Texas. Home inspectors in the state of Texas are regulated by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). They have some of the most thorough oversight and documentation in the country.
The requirements to be licensed as a professional home inspector in Texas are as follows
Citizen of the United States or lawfully admitted alien
18 years of age or older
Meet TREC’s qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity\
330 classroom hours of qualifying real estate inspection courses as follows:
40 hours in foundations
38 hours in framing
34 hours in building enclosure
34 hours in roof systems
24 hours in plumbing systems
34 hours in electrical systems
34 hours in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems
14 hours in appliances
8 hours in Texas Standards of Practice
20 hours in Texas Standard Report Form/Report Writing
12 hours in Texas Legal/Ethics
8 hours in Standards of Practice Review
8 hours in Inspector Legal & Ethics
30 hours in any qualifying inspection subject
40 hours of field work AND 24 hours of approved experience coursework with a qualified instructor with at least five years of active experience as a Texas Professional Inspector.
Pass a Texas Department of Public Safety background check (With fingerprints)
Pass the Texas State Home Inspection exam
Pass the National Home Inspection exam
Provide proof of professional liability insurance
As a result of the TREC requirements and oversight, Texas has one of the most professional and competent cadres of home inspectors in the nation. To see what the requirements for home inspectors in your state, follow this link https://www.spectora.com/r/home-inspector-license-requirements-map/
For more information on home inspections in the greater Austin market, contact us at Texas Valor Inspection Services info@texasvalor.com or visit www.texasvalor.com