Expanding your home inspector services is one of the smartest ways to ensure your home inspection business succeeds. Offering customers additional home inspector services can give you a competitive edge, turn satisfied customers into repeat customers, diversify your revenue streams, and strengthen your business against market fluctuations.
Beyond Basic Home Inspector Services
Anyone buying or selling a home relies upon professional home inspectors to help them make informed real estate decisions. However, as properties age and regulations become more stringent, the demand for specialized inspection services grows. Traditional home inspections, while critical, may not cover all the potential hazards relevant to a property. This gap presents a unique opportunity for home inspectors to expand the home inspector services they offer to meet this evolving demand.
By getting certified in more than just home inspection, you can give your home inspection business a competitive edge.
Radon Testing and Mitigation
Radon is a radioactive and carcinogenic gas that forms when uranium, radium, or thorium breaks down in soil or rock. Radon entering a home poses serious health risks to homeowners, with prolonged radon exposure cited as the leading cause of lung cancer deaths every year in the United States. Radon has no color or odor, so it cannot be detected without specialized equipment. For this reason, radon testing is often recommended for homebuyers and sellers, making it an excellent addition to your service portfolio.
Consider getting certified to do radon testing and radon mitigation (a system that prevents radon from entering or building up in a home) services to those provided by your home inspection business.
Asbestos Testing
Homes built before the 1980s often have asbestos, a material that used to be common in home insulation found in attics, walls, and around hot water pipes. In older homes, asbestos may also be found in textured paint, roofing (cladding and shingles), vinyl flooring, and more. Asbestos is a toxic substance that is known to cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other respiratory illnesses. Most standard home inspections do not include asbestos testing; by becoming certified to test for asbestos, you can offer customers looking at buying homes built before the 1980s an important service.
Mold Testing
Reach more customers by offering mold inspection and testing services. Mold can cause significant health issues and property damage if left unchecked, so adding mold inspections to the list of services your business offers allows you to help clients identify and address mold problems early, preventing costly repairs and health concerns down the line. In fact, mold is such a serious issue that many homeowners, buyers, lenders, or insurance conpanies may specifically seek out home inspectors who are also certified in mold inspection. You can add mold testing to your portfolio by completing a Mold Inspection Certification Course. Requirements vary by state, so be sure that the course you take meets your state’s particular requirements.
Lead Paint Testing
If you have any experience inspecting older homes, you’ve probably encountered lead paint, which was used throughout the 19th century to speed up the process of paint drying. The practice of using lead paint was phased out due to its serious dangers to human health, and lead-based paints have been banned in the United States since 1978. However, lead paint is still present in millions of older homes in the United States, and, as a neurotoxin, it can still cause serious health risks. In a home inspection, you may be able to spot visual tell-tale signs that lead may present: paint that is “alligatoring,” or cracking and wrinkling in a reptilian pattern, can be one hint. Paint that leaves a chalky or dusty residue when it rubs off may also contain lead. The presence of lead cannot be confirmed without testing, though.
Another way to expand your home inspector services is to become certified as a lead inspector. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers training and certification for anyone interested in being able to offer complete lead inspections to homes and buildings.
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