Home inspectors: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Home inspectors typically inspect newly built or previously owned homes, condominiums, townhomes, and other dwellings. Prospective home buyers often hire home inspectors to check and report on a homes structure and overall condition. Sometimes, homeowners hire a home inspector to evaluate their homes condition before placing it on the market.
In addition to examining structural quality, home inspectors examine all home systems and features, including the roof, exterior walls, attached garage or carport, foundation, interior walls, plumbing, electrical, and HVACR systems. They look for violations of building codes, but home inspectors do not have the power to enforce compliance with the codes.
- Education Required
- Most employers require inspectors to have at least a high school diploma, even for workers who have considerable related work experience.
- Training Required
- Training requirements vary by state, locality, and type of inspector. In general, construction and building inspectors receive much of their training on the job, although they must learn building codes and standards on their own. Working with an experienced inspector, they learn about inspection techniques; codes, ordinances, and regulations; contract specifications; and recordkeeping and reporting duties. Training also may include supervised onsite inspections.
- Job Outlook
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The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 10% (Faster than average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Licenses/Certifications
- Most states and local jurisdictions require construction and building inspectors to have a license or certification. Some states have individual licensing programs for construction and building inspectors. Others may require certification by associations such as the International Code Council, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, and the National Fire Protection Association.
- Median pay: How much do Construction and Building Inspectors make?
- $58,480 Annual Salary
- $28.12 per hour
Careers for Construction and Building Inspectors
- Architectural inspectors
- Bridge inspectors
- Building code inspectors
- Building inspectors
- Coating inspectors
- Construction inspectors
- Electrical inspectors
- Elevator inspectors
- Highway inspectors
- Inspectors, construction
- Mechanical inspectors
- Plan examiners
- Plumbing inspectors
- Public works inspectors
- Residential building inspectors
- Specification inspectors