Getting Into Field Inspections

You do not have to have special licensing to be an independent field inspector.  If you have a digital camera and transportation, you are almost there. My advice on how to break into the business is as follows:

1) Find training for doing inspections.  Learn about how to take inspection pictures and how inspection firms want you to do the inspection.  The best training online I have found is on the inspection sites themselves.  And, better yet, it is free. 

2) Familiarize yourself with types of inspections, terms and forms used for inspections. Several of them have forms they use to collect information.  While you are looking at these sites you should download the forms and see if you can find the information they will expect from you. 

3) Create a marketing package you can email to firms in PDF form.  That seems to get the proper attention for me each time.  You'll need to include information in your marketing package which will show them you have the right equipment and know how to use it. 

4) Sign up with as many firms as possible.  Some have an online form and some require you to email them a query letter and marketing information in the form of a business pamphlet or resume. 

On my list of firms who hire field inspectors, several of the companies have forms, instructions and lists which you can access to see the kind of information you will be expected to gather.  

The types of inspections available to the independent contractor are numerous.  Some pay $75 and some pay $10. Most of the time, the lower amounts are negotiable.  You'd have to get quite a few of the lower paying inspections in a day to make them pay, in my opinion.  It takes awhile to build up your volume.

My List of Inspection Firms

As mentioned above, I have created a list of 135-145 field inspection firms and a list of tips on how where you can find forms and training information, as well as how to create a business pamphlet.. The tip sheets will come to you in *PDF form.  The list of firms will come to you in a zipped *.html format which you will unzip it and install on your computer. 

That way, you do not have to type the information into the URL -- you will simply click on the link.  It took me a few months to get part of this list together.  The other part of the list came from a year of working as an inspector and doing deep research to find these places.

I have tried to avoid the sub-contractors which whittle down the fees when creating my list.  My list is one of solid nationwide firms--not subcontractors of the firms.  If you find one that is, please let me know and I will remove it.  However, this is not to say you should not sign up with sub-contractors.  You do what you need to to get experience, but I just find their fees to be too low.

None of the firms on this list only cover a small region.  They either cover a large part of the US or they are nationwide.  If you want to purchase this information while it is still in the test mode, it's $14.95.  You can get it by sending your payment to bsstone@ureach.com via PayPal.com.  This is currently FREE - get it at http://groups.google.com/group/Fitalk/ - just join the discussion group.  It's there in the archives under "H Files."

Some of these companies are easily found by doing a Google.com search, but about ½ of them came from researching and from having a client list of inspection companies.  I have been working on this list for several months.

TIP:  Just like signing services, you  will find that inspection fees are negotiable in many cases.  The other day a job was offered to me at $13, and when I refused it, the price was immediately raised to $20.  

My signings have slowed a bit and I am also working on another type of field service list which I like to do.  I don't want to go into the kind of work this is until I make sure it is available nationwide.  This type of job It pays between $9 and $15 per hour, but you are usually required to be on site for three to five hours at a time.  In one job that I am doing a couple of times a month, I get $60-$75 for spending  four or five hours doing something I enjoy.  When my list of these firms is ready I will post more about this.  I am seeking more of these opportunities to fill in the days when I have nothing to do...like at the beginning of the month.

I realize it will annoy some that I am charging for the list I have generated, however, information is part of my business.  I have already upset notaries in the recent months by having to let them down that I cannot do mentoring any longer except for a $25 / hour tutoring fee. 

If you need mentoring or tutoring to boost your business in Texas, give me a call, but please understand that I will charge $25 an hour. 

If you want to do that, get a list of questions ready and I am yours for an hour and I will tell you all that I know.

Now, I am sorry if that gives anyone heartburn, but a person who wants to work for herself...a person who is truly an entrepreneur, does not sit around and wait for opportunity.   And, when they have specialized or niche information that others you realize that you are foolish to give it away if you have something valuable.  People don't give away diamond rings or cars...why are they expected to give away truly valuable information with the power to help people earn?  I give away what I want in that respect, but I reserve the right to sell my stock in trade, as well.  

Long before I was a notary signing agent, I was an information broker...even before the days of the internet

People like me develop ways to earn, no matter what.  They inventory their abilities, resources, time and talent and make opportunities come their way.  Information brokering is only one of many little things I do to keep myself financially secure.  Telling other people how to make a business work is a piece of my business inventory.  To  my knowledge, I am one of the few people who have mentored who have actually set up an archived newsletter to keep the tips I give out in a static location where others can learn from it.  I am okay with my decision to sell information I feel is valuable.  And, the income from being an information broker is earned honestly and by the experience I have gained in my life.  I enjoy the heck out of it, too!

When I saw a need for a collection of everyday information that others needed, if I could collect it, I did and I provided it for sale.  When eBay came on the scene, I also sold lists sought for people involved in certain activities and I did pretty well with it.   So, as my signings have slowed down, I have not let this get to me.  Being an NSA is a great way for self-employment, but the facts are that it will not continue to support all the notaries who are in the business now.  In the future my business will not keep me happy for full-time employment.  Being an NSA is not my primary goal.  Self-employment is.   I have simply found other ways to make the money to cover the slack. Brokering information is one of the ways I do so.  I cannot apologize for making a living. 

In the past I have worked with several to help them get started and I have enjoyed the relationships.  However, there are so many with questions now about these things and how to start a notary signing agent business, or how to get into inspections that I have started blogging answers to common questions and collecting information which is valuable to others.   If you have read my blogs you know that I don't put out fluff.  My list is a good one ! 

Information brokering is fun and I enjoy it.  It's challenging.  And, it provides people a way to save time and pay a small price for something that would otherwise take them hours to learn. 

If you want to know more about earning through brokering information click here - You too may realize the opportunity to earn with information is larger than you would have dreamed.  There are some real opportunities for those who want to learn and are willing to roll up their sleeves and work. 

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL! 

Happy self-employment.