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PROFESSIONAL HOME INSPECTION INSTITUTE
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Home Inspector FAQs
What makes a good home inspector?
Home inspection calls for a sharp eye and an understanding of what lies beneath the surface. It is a profession that goes far beyond simply walking through a property. It requires knowledge of how a home's systems interact, the ability to assess individual components, and the skill to identify issues that others might overlook. If you're drawn to the real estate industry, have a keen attention to detail and can communicate effectively, home inspection could be the perfect fit. PHII equips you with the knowledge to stand out, inspect with confidence and build a business that lasts.
How much money do home inspectors make?
Home inspectors in the United States earn a solid income, with salaries varying based on experience, location, and certifications. The cost of a single home inspection typically ranges from $400 to $600, depending on the region and property size. The home inspection industry is growing steadily, with over 5 million inspections conducted annually in the U.S. Most homes sold in are expected to undergo a pre-closing home inspection, reflecting strong demand for qualified home inspectors.
What do home inspectors inspect?
A home inspector conducts a visual, non-invasive evaluation of a property's physical conditions, typically before a sale. Inspections usually take two to three hours and cover the exterior and grounds, structural elements, roof, plumbing, electrical systems, insulation and ventilation, HVAC, attic and crawlspaces, basement, kitchen and bathrooms, and any attached garage or carport. National standards of practice define which components are inspected and the methods used. After the visit the inspector delivers a detailed written report that summarizes findings, highlights safety concerns and defects, and recommends repairs or further specialist evaluation.
Why should I train with PHII?
PHII has trained tens of thousands of home inspectors across North America, making us one of the largest and most respected schools in the field. Our comprehensive certification course is designed for clarity and efficiency with a curriculum that teaches you what you need to launch your career. You'll learn from experienced instructors and staff, and ongoing support after you graduate. We offer outstanding tuition value, reliable education, and lifelong support. Visit our Compare page to see how we measure up against the competition.
How long does the course take?
The Basic Home Inspection course is 90 hours and the Advanced course is 32 hours. Pace the training to match your experience, finish faster if you already have relevant background, or take extra time if you prefer a slower approach. Total hours are allocated as follows: Course instruction: 70 hours; Field assignments and report writing: 25 hours (complete on any property you choose); Course assignments: 12 hours; Testing: 15 hours. These components combine to give a balanced mix of online learning, hands-on practice, written work, and assessment.
Should I join a national home inspector association?
Membership in a national trade association signals professionalism to clients and can be required by law in some states. For example, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Alabama mandate that home inspectors hold membership in a national non-profit home inspection association to comply with state statutes. In states without such requirements, joining an association remains a strategic business decision that can enhance credibility, provide professional resources, and support continuing education. PHII graduates receive a one-year free membership in the North American Association of Home Inspectors (AHI).
What is errors and omissions insurance?
Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance is a professional liability policy covering the policyholder for negligent acts and omissions that occur during an inspection. A good Errors and Omissions liability policy can help limit your out-of-pocket expenses in the event you are named in a lawsuit. Our coursework is approved for home inspector errors and omissions insurance by all major insurance organizations. E&O insurance is a requirement in some states and requires training by an approved provider in order to qualify for coverage.
Policies
How do you ship course materials and tool kits?
Course materials and tool kits are shipped via UPS Ground, Fedex Ground and USPS, and typically take 5-7 business
days for delivery. We ship to the U.S. and Canada. Customs fees (import duties), if applicable, are the customer's
responsibility.
What is the return policy?
Refunds may be requested and materials returned within 30 days of receipt. You must contact us first to obtain
a return authorization number. Returns of materials that cannot be resold as new will incur a prorated fee. Refunds
are credited within 7 business days of receipt of the return. Shipping and handling is not refundable.
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PHII grants you, the Customer, a non-exclusive, non-transferable, lifetime license to use and access certain content
hosted by PHII and granted to Authorized Users. Lifetime access is defined as so long as PHII is providing support
and access to the Purchased Content. Should PHII decide to terminate providing the content, PHII will provide reasonable
notice to the Customers and could make the content available through other means.
PHII providing lifetime access is at will and at no time is the customer offered or provided a refund should PHII
decide to terminate the content. The Purchased Content may be removed, altered, modified, or revoked at any time
without notice from PHII, if such Purchased Content contains errors (as determined in PHII’s discretion), or is
subject to an infringement or third party claim.
Access to the Purchased Content via the PHII website may be affected by, but not limited to, Internet service provider
issues, outages of the hosting platform, or other issues outside of our control. PHII shall not be responsible
for any damages, costs, expenses, fees, or liabilities incurred for failure to access the Purchased Content.
The original purchaser shall be the only Authorized User. In no event shall any person or entity be entitled to
reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, or by any other means exploit the Purchased Content for any purpose that is not
expressly consented to by PHII. Posting or sharing passwords or enabling access by non-purchasing users without
obtaining or purchasing additional accounts is strictly prohibited. Upon breach of this agreement, the Customer's
access to Purchased Content shall cease immediately. All costs of enforcement, including actual attorneys’ fees
and court costs shall be reimbursed by the violating entity.
PHII’S ENTIRE LIABILITY ARISING FROM THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT, WILL NOT EXCEED THE THEN EXISTING
PRICE OF THE PURCHASED CONTENT. PHII SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT. Nothing in this agreement excludes
or limits our liability for any matter for which it would be illegal for us to exclude or attempt to exclude our
liability.
User Obligations. As a precondition to use PHII’s Purchased Content, the Customer warrants and guarantees that
such user will abide by, without limitation, all applicable local, state, national and international laws and regulations
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This agreement and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with your purchase (including non-contractual
disputes or claims) will be governed by South Dakota law, without respect to its conflict of laws provisions and
will be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in the state of South Dakota. You expressly
agree to submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the State of
South Dakota.
What is your privacy policy?
The following applies solely to information collected by this web site.
Information Collection, Use, and Sharing
We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that
you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to
anyone.
We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information
with any third party outside of our organization, other than as necessary to fulfill your request, e.g. to ship
an order. Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new
products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.
Your Access to and Control Over Information
You may opt out of any future contacts from us at any time. You can do the following at any time by contacting
us via the email address or phone number given on our website: See what data we have about you, if any. Change/correct
any data we have about you. Have us delete any data we have about you. Express any concern you have about our use
of your data.
Security
We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information
is protected both online and offline. Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that
information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a closed lock
icon at the bottom of your web browser, or looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the
web page. While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information
offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service)
are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable
information are kept in a secure environment.
If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact us immediately.
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