Becoming a Texas Home Inspector
Home inspectors play an important role in residential real estate transactions. They inspect the structure and various systems of the house and write a report on their findings. Texas refers to home inspectors as real estate inspectors. General requirements include United States Citizenship or legal alien residency, being a Texas resident, being at least 18 years old and passing a background check.
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Instructions
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Complete 90 hours of education pertaining to the core information of real estate inspection. In addition, applicants must meet one of three criteria.
In the first instance, the applicant must have worked as an apprentice for at least three of the 12 months before applying and completed at least 25 inspections under the direct supervision of a professional inspector.
The second option entails completing an additional 30 hours in specific subject matter such as foundation systems, HVAC, and building enclosures (complete list on Texas Real Estate commission website) and either a 60-hour training module or 60 hours of supervised inspection or three years experience in a related field.
The third option involves at least two years experience as an architect or engineer and completion of eight hours of study in legal/ethics of home inspection and eight hours of study in report writing.
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Submit an application for licensure to the Texas Real Estate Commission. It will review the application to determine eligibility to sit for the licensing examination. The TREC will notify eligible candidates who can obtain a candidate information booklet (CIB) from PSI---the professional testing company that administers the licensing examination for Texas home inspectors. Applicants can download the CIB from the PSI website, which will contain information on registering for the examination. The company will automatically send results to the TREC.
The application packet will also contain information on required documentation, information on completing the background check, application fees and other relevant information.
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Pass the Texas Real Estate License Inspector Examination. The multiple choice test consists of 150 questions. Candidates have three hours to complete the test. Once an applicant has submitted an application to test, he must schedule the exam within six months.
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Submit proof of liability insurance to the TREC upon passing the examination. Texas law requires home inspectors to maintain coverage that will pay out up to $100,000 per claim.
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Tips & Warnings
The TREC lists approved courses on its website. Anyone interested in inspecting commercial properties as well must receive a professional inspector's license. This entails more extensive education and experience as well as passing a licensing exam.
Anyone with questions about real estate inspector licensing can call the TREC at (512) 459-6544.
References
Resources
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