1. Complete a Texas-Approved Home Inspection Course

Prospective home inspectors must enroll in a school that offers courses approved for Texas home inspection certification. Some schools offer online courses, while others have live classroom options. All schools must include “practicum” hours that provide you with field training for hands-on inspection experience in real homes. The education program you should select depends on the license level you want to hold. Each license level has different training program requirements.

2. Complete Your 40-Hour Practicum

Applicants will need to complete 40 hours of field training with a licensed Texas home inspector, otherwise known as a practicum (or sometimes referred to as the “ride along”). This is an excellent opportunity for fieldwork that will serve you throughout your home inspection career. This field training also fulfills the licensing requirements for inspecting homes under the direct supervision of a licensed home inspector. During this field training, students will learn and use the REI 7-6 correctly and write six inspection reports, just like the real deal. Five of your reports must meet the standard criteria and be good enough to be given to a client!

3. Apply for Your Texas Home Inspection License

You should now be ready to apply for your license in Texas! The application fee for a standard Real Estate Inspector License is $100. For the Professional Real Estate Inspector License, the cost is $120. You can find the application on the TREC website. Good luck with your new career!

4. Pass the National Home Inspector Exam® and the Texas State Law Exam

Once you have met the experience and education requirements, you will be sent an exam approval notice with instructions for scheduling the exam and obtaining a copy of the Candidate Handbook.

The Texas Real Estate Inspector Law Exam can be taken at any Pearson Vue testing center. Visit their website, find a location near you, and sign up to take the exam. Enrolling in Exam Prep courses can significantly improve your odds of passing the test on your first attempt, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars in exam retake fees. You will also be responsible for taking and passing the National Home Inspector Exam. The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions (25 of which are not scored) covering three major domains, or sections, that every home inspector should know. Those domains are:

• Property and Building Inspection/Site Review
• Analysis of Findings and Reporting
• Professional Responsibilities

Test takers are given 4 hours to complete the national portion, and 45 minutes to take the 30-question state portion. If you take both exams at the same time, the cost is $199.

5. Submit Proof of Professional Liability Insurance

You must submit proof that you have purchased Professional Liability Insurance. Your policy must provide coverage for violations of Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1102, Subchapter G ($100,000 per occurrence) and $100,000 aggregate annual total of at least $100,000 before you can become a certified home inspector.
Send the TREC Certificate of Insurance form or Proof of Financial Responsibility form to Documents@TREC.Texas.gov.

5. Submit Your Fingerprints and Get a Background Check

Applicants are required by law to have fingerprints in the Texas Department of Public Safety database. To complete this step, you’ll need to visit the Texas Division of Real Estate website to learn more about submitting your fingerprints. TREC has set of qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity that you will need to meet. If you’re unsure of your qualifications you can request a Fitness Determination. You should use the fitness determination to find out if a past criminal, civil, or disciplinary action could impact your ability to be licensed.