Not every inspector can be a CREIA and ASHI certified inspector.
There are good reasons why many home inspection companies hide who “certified” their inspectors. Their websites just say “certified” and hope you don’t ask for details.
State of California does not require a license to become a home inspector. So a certification standards, experience, education and training, and association standards for a home inspector matters.
Always use a qualified and certified professional home inspector to ensure you are getting the most accurate and thorough inspection possible.
CREIA and ASHI certified inspectors:
- Criminal Background Checks with ongoing verification.
- Passing the National Home Inspectors Examination, an in-person proctored examinations at a professional testing facility (same as real estate licensing exams), where CREIA / ASHI inspectors must prove their competence and subject knowledge.
- Proof of Valid Insurance – Errors & Omissions (E&O) and Liability Insurance.
- Continuing Education (earn 60 CE credits annually)
- Reviewed Home Inspection Reports. CREIA and ASHI committees review reports to assess competence of knowledge and compliance with CREIA / ASHI Standards of Practice (SOP).
- Code of Ethics compliance prohibits practices that could create conflicts of interest, including paying agents and real estate brokerages for referrals or offering financial incentives (‘pay to play’). Reports must be unbiased and objective. We must always act in good faith.
- Annual Conferences with more training and continuing education (CE)
- Home Inspection Walk-Through Classes in person attendance.
- Ride Along Home Inspections individually supervised by a certified CREIA Home Inspector to provide in-the-field education and more hands-on experience.
- Monthly Chapter Meetings with ongoing education and certification.
- Supporting Community Benefit Non-Profits and giving back to our community by supporting worthy causes like housing disabled veterans.
Other associations don’t have the above and only exist on the internet. Like getting “ordained” on the internet to do a friend’s wedding, anyone can do it.
These online certification mills offer easy DIY “certification”.
No actual inspection experience is needed.
Their at-home online exams are easy to cheat.
Verification of identity is easy to fake.
With the online organizations, a person could be released from prison one day with no experience, pay their online membership, Google the answers during the online exam, and quickly call themselves a “certified home inspector”.
If a home inspection company does not prove to you that they are CREIA or ASHI certified, then we believe there is a very good reason why.