Arizona Specialized Short Course
This distance-delivered program is the general equivalent of 115 hours of classroom instruction as approved by the Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education. Upon completion, graduates receive a certificate attesting to these hours. Although these modules are designed for the entry-level student with no background to the subject matter, an experienced individual may find himself or herself progressing through the course at a rate above a beginning student. This course is fully transferable into the Sonoran Desert Institute’s Home Inspection Diploma program.
This course begins with an introduction to the home inspection business. You’ll also learn about building structures and the walls, floor, ceiling, and roof of a house are constructed and how to inspect their condition. You’ll learn how to inspect chimneys and flues. Next, you’ll learn how to inspect the electrical, plumbing, heating, and air conditioning systems of a house. You’ll learn how to spot lead pipes, asbestos insulation, and faulty wiring. When you’ve completed the module, you’ll be able to tell the age of the furnace and air conditioner. Next you’ll learn about energy efficiency and experience an overview of business practice development that will assist you in setting up your Home Inspection business.
Click for Current Arizona License Requirements.
Course Modules Include:
2463 Introduction to Home Inspection
2579 Building Structures
2473 Interior Finishes
2581 Chimneys and Flues
2582 Roofing
2583 Exterior Finishes
2467 Plumbing Systems
2588 Electrical Systems
2590 Heating, Ventilation, and A/C Systems
2592 The Energy-Efficient Home
2204 Setting Up a Business
5009 Comprehensive Final Exam
Tuition and Fees:
The total program cost is $498, plus a shipping and handling fee. Tuition covers all course materials, exams. We also provide a demo copy of 3-D Inspections Report Writer software – an industry leader in electronic home inspection reports.
Simply register on line, or download and print the enrollment agreement and mail or fax it to our admissions office.
Introduction to Home Inspection:
Your first lesson provides an overview of the home inspection business: why it came about, what kinds of people need home inspections, who pays for them, and how the Sonoran Desert Institute at-home training can help you take advantage of the growing demand for this service. Plus you’ll see how easy it is to get started fast in this money-making field…doing home inspections in the evenings or on weekends without having to give up your regular job!
Building Structures
Based on what you’ve already learned about building materials and foundations, you now examine design characteristics associated with types of buildings. You find out, for example, why a builder might have chosen steel beams over wood ones...why brick instead of stone, wood, or concrete…what can go wrong with prefabricated structures...and how having that knowledge will help you offer clients the kind of experienced observations they’re looking for.
Interior Finishes
Now you move back inside the house for a discussion of interior finishes such as drywall, plaster, and wallpaper. You also learn how to inspect different kinds of floors – from wood block and plastic to concrete – plus you find out how to evaluate the condition of a home’s windows and doors from the inside out. Wrapping up, you cover lighting fixtures for hallways, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and family rooms.
Chimneys and Flues
Here you learn how to determine the condition of a chimney. You find out how to examine chimney flues and their linings...look for cracked or deteriorated masonry...spot stains and discolorations caused by leakage of soot and flue gases. In the process you study chimney design and operation – examining sizing, connections, construction, insulation, and more.
Roofing
There’s a lot more to a roof than what meets the eye! First you find out how to observe and report on types of roof-covering components – from shingle, wood shake, and tin to metal, tile, and more. Moving on, you study roofing support systems and the materials they’re made of, including plywood, chipboard, and planks. You learn why, for example, a flat roof requires different care than a steep-sloped roof and you find out how to determine when and if a roof should be replaced. Also includes information on fire resistance ratings for roofing.
Exterior Finishes
While ivy-covered brick walls may look great, there could be trouble lurking beneath all that beautiful green. This lesson gives you guidelines for inspecting the outside of a house. From siding, wood, vinyl, and brick to shingle, shake, paint, and plaster, you find out to spot problems in a home’s exterior finish. You also learn what to watch out for when you're checking window finishes, exterior doors, soffits, fascias, overhangs, guttering, vents, porches, and stoops.
Plumbing Systems
A plumbing problem – even one that starts with a simple drip under the kitchen sink – can lead to serious and costly repairs for the homeowner. Here you learn how to check operation and identify leaks, corrosion, and other plumbing deficiencies. You find out what clues to look for when examining things like the water supply, pipe and fittings, hot water heaters, waste disposals, water treatment installations, water pressure and temperature, plus fixtures, faucets, and drains.
Electrical Systems
Electrical installations are highly regulated by local authority and frequently must meet stringent requirements. Here you learn how to test and evaluate electrical service to ensure that it’s adequate for the number and type of appliances present in the house. You study the components of an electrical system, learn about national electrical code, and examine in detail the workings of electric circuits – from conductor size and wiring methods to raceways and overcurrent protection.
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems
A soundly built house will last indefinitely, but many of its parts require regular replacement. Heating and air conditioning equipment deserves an especially thorough inspection since it’s among the costliest mechanical equipment in most homes – and can be equally expensive to maintain if not kept in good working order. Here you learn about different types of heating and air conditioning units as you study components for inspection plus procedures for evaluating the condition of a system, based on its normal life, use, and requirements for air flow and temperature.
The Energy Efficient Home
As fuel costs rise, more and more homeowners are looking for new ways to stretch their energy dollar as far as possible. Many of today’s homes are designed with this goal in mind, using things like solar heating, heat pumps, vapor barriers, insulation, nonstandard wall thickness, alternative-fuel heating systems, plus a full range of high-efficiency appliances and conservation items to help keep utility bills down. This lesson surveys some of the special checks home inspectors perform in today’s energy-efficient house.
Setting Up a Business
Now that you’ve covered the steps involved in performing a home inspection, it’s time to focus on some of the business skills you need to succeed in this fast-growing field. This first lesson in a series of several covering business topics guides you through the basics of getting a business up and running. You learn about choosing a business structure, setting up an operating budget, getting insurance coverage, obtaining licenses and permits, zoning laws, taxes for the self-employed, and more.
Graduation Information
Upon completion of the program, and satisfactory completion of all financial and other obligations to the school, the student will receive a certificate of completion. Additionally, the student will receive a certificate and transcript suitable for submission to the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration as documentation evidencing completion of the required hours of instruction for certification.
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