Home and Building Inspector Schools in West Virginia

Prospective home and building inspectors in West Virginia enjoy several advantages on the journey to start their careers after securing job placement. Their path to the profession is quite straightforward, with minimal inconveniences and mandatory requirements.

Secondly, candidates have a lot of great training programs to consult for robust and professional opportunities. Below, we provide an in-depth analysis of how to start a home and build an inspector career in West Virginia and how to leverage things like proper education and professional organizations for career opportunities.

We also reveal the annual average salary figures and factors that can influence these numbers.

How to Become a Home and Building Inspector in West Virginia

Home and building inspectors in West Virginia typically enter the profession following the path below.

High School Diploma or GED

The first step to becoming a professional home and building inspector in West Virginia is to have a high school diploma. Candidates without a high school diploma may utilize their GED test result in its place.

Completing an Approved Program

Candidates with a GED or high school diploma can secure admission into a training program. However, residents must ensure that the state approves their chosen program.

Candidates who attend an unapproved program may not be able to pursue a license. One of the conditions for a program to be approved for home and building inspection training in West Virginia is to contain at least 80 hours of instructions.

This should cover technical topics, codes, ordinances, regulations, professional development, and preparation for the national examination.

Background Check

In West Virginia, home and building inspections require a background check. Candidates must submit their fingerprints to the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s office for checking.

Here, their criminal history record will be validated.

The NHIE

Lastly, West Virginia residents must pass the National Home Inspector Examination before they can officially request a home and building inspector license from the state.

This exam contains 200 questions (25 of which are not scored) and tests a candidate’s knowledge of property inspection, site review, report writing, and professional responsibilities, among other things.

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Licensure & Certification Requirements

The West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal sets the requirements for becoming a home and building inspector in the state. Currently, anyone who wishes to enter this profession must be certified.

After obtaining training and following the steps outlined above, the licensing application process includes providing proof of general liability insurance of at least $250,000. Candidates must also apply for a West Virginia business license and pay the licensing application fee of $150.

Additionally, even after getting licensed, candidates must continue to improve themselves to maintain their credentials by participating in 16 hours of continuing education every year.

Top Home and Building Inspector Schools in West Virginia

Residents may consider any of the following institutions for top-class home and building inspector training in West Virginia.

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• Home and building inspector schools in Charleston

Salary & Career Outlook

There is a disparity between the annual average salary of home and building inspectors in West Virginia based on factors like experience level, credentials, nature of employer, employment capacity, and location. Without looking into any of these factors in abstraction, the lowest-paid professionals in the state can expect to take home an annual average salary of $22,838.

The median earners can expect an annual average salary of $46,71,8, while the top-paid can earn at least $69,288 in annual average salary.

Focusing on one of the factors, location, we see that the annual average salary for home inspectors in West Virginia is highest in Harpers Ferry, at around $64,290 per year. Those in Morgantown and Martinsburg are also significant, with annual average salaries of $62,089 and $61,799, respectively.

As for future projections, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the employment rate for home inspectors to maintain the rate it’s on, leading to tens of thousands of job openings across the country every year for the foreseeable future.