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