Guides
Where to start a home inspection business
Pick a home inspection market by housing stock, transaction volume and inspector supply, then verify the local demand and competition numbers before you commit.
What to take away
- Where to start a home inspection businesspick a metro with steady sales, old housing stock and few inspectors per sale.
- A metro with fewer than roughly 100 annual sales per active inspector is crowded; aim higher.
- Judge a metro by its median home age, its annual sales count and its inspector count, not by population.
- Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Minneapolis reward different specialties, so match the market to your training.
- Radon and older-housing checks differ by region, and the EPA publishes the guidance buyers and sellers use.
- Verify any figure against the current SBA business guide and BLS wage tables before you sign a lease.
What makes an inspection market worth entering
Where to start a home inspection business comes down to three numbers: annual home sales, median housing age, and the count of licensed inspectors already working the metro.
Three Numbers That Decide a Market
- Annual home salessets your ceiling
- Median housing agesets how much to find
- Licensed inspector countsets your competition
Sales volume sets your ceiling. Median age sets how much there is to find, because a 1920s house has knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized supply lines and a roof that has been replaced three times. Inspector count sets your competition.
The 2027 label on this guide is a planning horizon, not a published forecast. Update the three numbers for your target metro each year.
Named markets and what each one rewards
Phoenix, Arizona. Fast construction, slab-on-grade foundations and a large retiree buyer pool. Volume is high and inspectors are plentiful, so speed and agent relationships decide who wins. Summer heat pushes inspections into early mornings. Training focus: slab and stucco inspection, plus infrared for cooling systems.
What Each Market Rewards
Phoenix
- Housing stock
- fast new construction
- Key inspection focus
- slab foundations
- Competition
- plentiful inspectors
Houston
- Housing stock
- flood-prone
- Key inspection focus
- drainage, roof, foundation
- Competition
- no state licensing
Atlanta
- Housing stock
- 1960s-90s subdivisions
- Key inspection focus
- crawlspaces, moisture
- Competition
- steady growth
Philadelphia
- Housing stock
- rowhouses
- Key inspection focus
- shared walls, sewer laterals
- Competition
- detail-heavy
| Metro | Annual sales (typical) | Median year built (typical) | Active inspectors (typical) | Sales per inspector (typical) | Typical fee range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 60,000 to 90,000 | 1980s to 1990s | 250 to 400 | 200 to 350 | $350 to $550 |
| Houston | 80,000 to 110,000 | 1970s to 1980s | 300 to 500 | 200 to 350 | $300 to $500 |
| Atlanta | 70,000 to 100,000 | 1980s to 1990s | 250 to 450 | 200 to 350 | $325 to $525 |
| Philadelphia | 40,000 to 70,000 | 1940s to 1950s | 150 to 300 | 150 to 300 | $400 to $650 |
| Minneapolis | 30,000 to 50,000 | 1950s to 1970s | 150 to 300 | 150 to 250 | $375 to $600 |
| Raleigh | 30,000 to 50,000 | 1990s to 2000s | 100 to 250 | 150 to 300 | $300 to $500 |
These are planning ranges, not published counts. Pull current numbers from the local Realtor association, Census ACS tables and your state licensing roster.
Houston, Texas. No state licensing, which lowers your entry cost and raises the number of competitors. The work is dominated by flood history, drainage, and post-storm roof and foundation checks. Buyers here ask about prior flooding, so learn the flood documentation forms. Training focus: floodplain documentation, drainage and post-storm roof assessment.
Atlanta, Georgia. A deep stock of 1960s to 1990s subdivisions, plus heavy crawlspace construction. Moisture, vapor barriers and wood-destroying insect checks carry the report. Growth is steady across Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb counties. Training focus: crawlspace moisture control and wood-destroying organism certification.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rowhouse country. Shared walls, flat roofs, 100-year-old sewer laterals and radiator heating. Inspections are shorter in distance but heavier in detail. Buyers expect the sewer scope. Training focus: sewer scope certification and rowhouse flat-roof inspection.
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Snow load, ice dams, and furnaces that have run twenty winters. Winter inspections are slower and buyers want the roof and attic checked for ice damage. Radon is common across the Upper Midwest, and the EPA radon guide for buyers and sellers explains how testing and documentation work in a transaction. Training focus: ice dam and snow load assessment, plus radon measurement certification.
Raleigh, North Carolina. Moderate climate, fast subdivision growth, and a steady flow of relocating buyers who have never owned a crawlspace home. Good market for an inspector who explains things patiently. Training focus: crawlspace education and new-construction phase inspections.
How to check a market before you commit
How to Check a Market
- Pull annual home sales from local realtors
- Pull median year built from Census tables
- Count active inspectors on licensing rosters
- Divide sales by inspectors; under 100 is crowded
- Call three offices; two-week wait means demand
- Check BLS wage tables for hiring cost
- Pull the metro's annual existing-home sales count from the local association of realtors.
- Pull median year built from Census housing tables for the same counties.
- Count active inspectors on your state licensing board roster, or on InterNACHI and ASHI member directories where the state does not license.
- Divide annual sales by inspector count. Compare the result with the threshold in the takeaways.
- Call three real estate offices and ask how long they wait for an inspection slot. A two-week wait means demand exceeds supply.
- Check average inspector pay for the metro in the BLS occupational wage tables to see what hiring will cost you.
First-year revenue follows inspections times fee. At 250 inspections and a $400 average fee, gross is $100,000. At 150 inspections, $60,000. Typical single-inspection fees in these metros run $300 to $650; older housing and added services push toward the top of that range.
Regional checks that change your report
Radon is a regional problem, not a national one. The EPA maps it by county, and some states require disclosure at sale. Mold, asbestos and air quality questions belong to a certified industrial hygienist, and the EPA sets the testing guidance.
Older housing stock in the Northeast and Midwest means heating systems, plumbing materials and roof layers that a newer Sun Belt home does not have. Coastal markets add wind mitigation and flood elevation forms.
None of this is a judgment about a specific property. Structural questions go to a licensed professional engineer, and code questions go to the local building authority.
Where the money actually comes from
You need enough jobs within a tight radius that travel time does not eat the day.
Track your own arithmetic rather than a borrowed benchmark: inspections per week times average fee, minus mileage, insurance, software and your own draw. If the result is thin, recheck the route and the fee.
Your inspection business plan should carry the market you chose, the evidence behind it, and the trigger that would make you leave it.
Common questions
Does a hot housing market always mean a good inspection market?
No. High sales volume attracts inspectors fast, and a metro can go from undersupplied to crowded within a year. Check the sales-per-inspector ratio, not the headline price growth.
Which market is easiest for a new inspector?
One without state licensing and with moderate inspector density, such as Houston, lowers your entry cost. It also raises competition, so your differentiator has to be turnaround time or report quality.
How do I handle radon questions from buyers?
Name the EPA guidance, recommend a qualified testing and mitigation professional, and keep your own report to what you observed. Testing conditions and documentation matter, and the EPA publishes the standard.
Do I need a license to inspect in every state?
No. Requirements vary, and some states license while others do not. Confirm with your state licensing board or a licensed attorney before you advertise services.
Is this guide specific to 2027?
No. The 2027 label is a planning horizon. Use the same checks each year and update the three market numbers for your metro.
