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We have been looking for a change for our family with two young children for the better part of 6 months. Our huge hang up has been self employment. It's never easy to move and restart 20+ years of contacts and business in a brand new place. My husband has wanted to branch out and become a home inspector as he has been in the housing industry for 25 years. In our state, there is a national exam to take as well as a certain number of inspections done as an apprenticeship that he is working through. I know that people get very upset about influx from somewhere else "taking their jobs" so that is a concern for us. We are looking to find our forever home, a great place to raise kids but obviously don't want hostility and need to be sure he can make a supportive living for our family. Does anyone have any insight on this? It's pretty specific, I realize. Any advice would be appreciated.
I don't know anything about construction or home inspection (except that I have precious little faith in the overall competence of either field's trades, but that's a separate topic). What I do know is that Boise is certainly the most entrepreneurial place I've ever been, so they have to expect competition. Because here, for the most part, there's little choice but to start your own business if you want to stay. There aren't really middle-class jobs. There are very good-paying jobs (the lucky few), the vast majority that eke by at min-$9/hr (lots at call centers), and starting your own business. So my logic is that they get enough new competition often enough that they probably can't keep track of most of it and don't care.
I don't find Boise hostile at all to new arrivals, though. It would be hostile to new arrivals in 'Confiscate Handguns NOW' t-shirts, probably. In general, Idaho is not eager to see social problems from other places introduced in Idaho.
What might be harder is getting established, but that's true of most small businesses. And you can't at all be *sure* he can make a supportive living. Of course, he could always do some of the construction work that's constantly advertised in CL.
Thank you for your input! Of course we realize there are no guarantees...there are no guarantees everything will stay good here, either, I just know it's an illusion of a safety net having lived here his whole life. As for the t-shirt, I can guarantee that will not be an issue. I think the popular thought in Boise is right in line with ours, as well. We would never go in to a new area and demand it become exactly like the place we left, forgetting all the reasons we wanted to start over. I know that's common, as we live in an area filled with transplants from other states.
My husband will be fully licensed in our state before we would attempt to make a move, so maybe that will assist in getting some business. I'm sure we can find some local Boise inspectors to contact and see if anyone is helpful. In all the other ways I have sought advice from Idahoans we have received nothing but generosity.
I wish your husband well. The real estate industry here is very strong but remains tight knit. Most realtors will want to see some sort of proof of experience, etc before having a new inspector represent them and their clients. Inspecting a home is stressful when clients are there asking tons of questions and you need to have the answers. Carrying E&O insurance is a must as well as trying to have membership within the home inspection associations for credibility. It's just like moving here and trying to be a plumber, doctor, electrician, etc….it boils down to hard work and realizing the work will not simply fall in your lap. If he gets out there and does a great job, he will make it. There are actually a lot of inspectors in Boise compared to population and out of the approximately 60 inspectors that I know of, only about 15 to 20 of us are actually busy full time.
j_k_k….you said, "except that I have precious little faith in the overall competence of either field's trades, but that's a separate topic…". Why do you feel this way? Did you have a bad inspection where after you moved in the home had lot's of problems? Just curious as with any field, there are good and bad people in all of them
j_k_k….you said, "except that I have precious little faith in the overall competence of either field's trades, but that's a separate topic…". Why do you feel this way? Did you have a bad inspection where after you moved in the home had lot's of problems? Just curious as with any field, there are good and bad people in all of them
Indeed. Unfortunately, when one spends money on home whatever, one is not in the mood to roll the dice. One expects quality work, responsively done. The frequency of that since I became a homeowner is insufficiently high for my tastes. From an inspection standpoint, I had a terrible one in Kennewick, a good one here. I would say that at least half the contracting work have hired since I became a homeowner in 2001 was unsatisfactory in some gross fashion. High props to those who were satisfactory, but half the time just isn't acceptable.
And if you aren't present to keep an eye on them, there's no limit--like the carpet contractor on our house back in Kennewick, who left the carpet remnants out in the rain, left shreds of padding and pieces of tackstrip laying around outside, left a cutter blade and some nails on the bathroom floor with the dirt they failed to sweep up, turned my heat off in winter and left it off, tied up the curtains in balls and left them that way, and dragged the carpet rolls around corners in a way that abraded a recent paint job. And whose manager did his all to evade responsibility. Another good example would be the continuous gutter people back in Kennewick who sent out an employee who didn't even screw down one of the corner pieces. And his boss, who acted like I was lying when I told him about it on the phone, then finally came out and saw it and fixed just that one--but I later discovered other faulty ones. Another would be the HVAC outfit in Kennewick that progressively worsened my oil heater and then proposed to sell me a new heater. And wouldn't even refund the money I'd paid them to damage the old one. Those are just a few examples.
My default opinion of the construction-related trades begins at low and improves for specific vendors when they prove they deserve respect. The guy who repoured my driveway in Kennewick did a fantastic job, would recommend him to anyone. (Yeah, he did destroy a section of fence, but I had told him the fence was secondary to drainage; to get drainage right, he had to rip out a stump and with it a piece of fence. No complaint--he followed exactly the priority I gave him, and I fixed the fence myself.) Really liked the HVAC folks down the street from me on De Meyer--good work, good attitude. Plumbing outfit I finally found in Kennewick--spendy but good. And I'll accept spendy but good. Painter back in Kennewick? Quality work, conscientiously done, which is why the carpet contractor damaging the new paint work so annoyed me.
One reason I treat the good guys extremely well is that the costs involved in finding them are so high.
Gotcha! I agree with everything you said. It took me years to finally develop an honest, ethical and trustworthy group of vendors that I use and refer not to mention good at what they do. It's hard to find good people these days.
Absolutely. And you can tell when the good guys screw up, because they have a plan to make up for it, and they regret that it occurred and accept responsibility. My auto repair place in Kennewick messed up a couple of times, but so consistently good was the relationship that we weren't going to let that impair it, since they were eager to set it right and embarrassed at the problem. That sort of attitude does not appear daily, and it's too valuable to cast aside the first time someone has a human moment.
I wish your husband well. The real estate industry here is very strong but remains tight knit. Most realtors will want to see some sort of proof of experience, etc before having a new inspector represent them and their clients. Inspecting a home is stressful when clients are there asking tons of questions and you need to have the answers. Carrying E&O insurance is a must as well as trying to have membership within the home inspection associations for credibility. It's just like moving here and trying to be a plumber, doctor, electrician, etc….it boils down to hard work and realizing the work will not simply fall in your lap. If he gets out there and does a great job, he will make it. There are actually a lot of inspectors in Boise compared to population and out of the approximately 60 inspectors that I know of, only about 15 to 20 of us are actually busy full time.
I would expect this is just a Freudian slip but Home Inspector's only represent their clients and nobody else! Home Inspectors are the only party to a real estate transaction that has nothing to gain whether the client buys the home or not. Our concern is not representing the Real Estate Agent but instead our client.
I think what HIB means is that realtors won't build referral relationships with anyone who doesn't have some evidence of solid chops. I think the realtors get to know most of the HI folks in an area, and form opinions about them.
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As for the t-shirt, I can guarantee that will not be an issue. I think the popular thought in Boise is right in line with ours, as well. We would never go in to a new area and demand it become exactly like the place we left, forgetting all the reasons we wanted to start over. I know that's common, as we live in an area filled with transplants from other states.
I agree with everything you said. It took me years to finally develop an honest, ethical and trustworthy group of vendors that I use and refer not to mention good at what they do. It's hard to find good people these days.
