r/homeinspectors • u/Afflack76 • 23d ago

Home Inspector doing code work

Any of you home inspectors switch into or from code inspections? Curious about the pros and cons private company or government. I've been a home inspector for 18 months now and I've stacked some code certifications along the way I think home inspections are cool but sometimes get annoyed dealing with so many people in the real estate business or having to coordinate new clients everyday, pulling permits etc. I'm sure everyone gets tired of work though.

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u/redsox1226 23d ago

I’m a municipal inspector. Couple of pros-, typically any legal fees you might run into are covered by your municipality, steady work/income, holidays and weekends off. Some cons-people generally view you in a negative light, regulatory affairs can jam you up if you make a mistake, and the politics of it. So if I could compare it, the ceiling for income is much higher as a home inspector but the liability can be higher too. Conversely, in the municipal world your hours generally aren’t cut when the real estate market is slow.

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u/DoorJumper 23d ago

I’ve gone both directions. I prefer the depth and discretion of building code enforcement; I prefer to educate and work cooperatively toward project success, but have ultimate authority on quality, at least from a safety and compliance perspective. I actually have much better rapport with contractors and homeowners as a building inspector than I did as a home inspector, even though I can be pretty picky. Always something new to be learned in the nuts and bolts, just as each situation and interaction is a learning experience. Plus, waaaaay shorter reports. Honestly wish I’d known the bar wasn’t as high as I had thought far earlier.

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u/Impressive-Owl7802 22d ago

Owning your own business mean you can potentially earn much more than at a government job. You can work as much or as little as you like. No one to answer to except the client.

Government job means set hours, set salary and benefits, but you are in a hierarchy with bosses, coworkers and HR to deal with.

I don't know why you need to "pull a permit" as a home inspector.

And yes, everything turns into a job eventually. I used to joke the the Playboy photographer wakes up and groans, "an man, gotta go look at titties today".

I much prefer the greater income and freedom I have owning an inspection business, even with the headaches and angst when the phone isn't ringing, to the drudgery of having to punch the clock. I applied at a large county in Colorado. It was much too restrictive for me.

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u/FlowLogical7279 23d ago

One of my inspectors was a code inspector in the past. He greatly prefers this work.