Home Inspection

Upon successful completion of these courses, you will be able to:

• Describe the systems and components of a home, including roofing, structure, electrical, heating, air conditioning/heat pumps, plumbing, interiors and exteriors.
• Understand the function and operational principles of the systems and components in a home.
• Identify common problems, failure modes and the life expectancies of various systems.
• Understand why problems occur and the implications when system malfunctions or breaks down.
• Perform requisite home inspection activities and operational tests to meet industry standards of practice.
• Describe the home inspection process, communicate inspection findings to the client, and prepare a written report.

These comprehensive, easy-to-follow online courses are designed for self-paced learning. You have 52 weeks to complete each course and you can register in multiple courses at one time. The passing grade is 70%.

During each course, you will receive:

• Access to a personalized online training portal
• Reading materials with colour illustrations and photos
• Videos, real-world case studies and interactive field exercises
• Quick quizzes to check your progress
• Inspection procedures and practical field exercises
• Tutors to help you when you need it
• Free use of Carson Dunlop's Horizon Reporting Software

Home inspection is a consulting service that helps homebuyers make informed decisions about their prospective new home. It is a great time to be a home inspector in Saskatchewan. Home inspectors play a pivotal role in the real estate transaction process. They provide an unbiased, professional assessment of the property’s condition, which helps buyers make informed decisions. Services are in demand whenever a home is being sold because a home inspector’s report can influence the negotiation process, the final purchase price and even the decision to buy the property. The IBIS World forecast for the 2024-29 timeframe suggests growing demand regardless of interest rate fluctuations.

You will learn how to perform home inspections as a professional consultant in compliance with industry standards of practice. 

The systems and components of a house include roofing, structure, electrical, heating, air conditioning/heat pumps, plumbing, exterior, insulation and the interior. These ten courses have been organized to address each of these, as well as to provide you with the communications skills and knowledge of professional practice required to be successful in this growing profession. Emphasis in this program is on very practical knowledge of the performance of the systems and components of a house, not on theory.

The curriculum has been organized into courses that describe the materials used in the construction of each house system and how they are assembled. The courses discuss what may go wrong as well as the causes and the implications of problems that are typically found as part of the inspection process. You'll receive clear direction concerning what to look for during an inspection (e.g., signs of non-performance due to old age, deferred maintenance, weather damage and poor workmanship). The courses discuss ways to address these issues and how to report your findings to your clients. 

The courses are offered entirely online. Once you successfully complete all ten courses, you will receive a statement of achievement.

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Examine roofs and know what to watch for
• Assess roof coverings installation and deterioration
• Explain problems, causes and implications for common roofing materials
• Understand how the components of a roof system function and perform
• Describe defects observed at the roof system to client
• Inspect and report on the different types of residential roofing

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Clearly explain the home inspection process to clients
• Serve diverse groups of people
• Provide well written reports
• Understand what defines good customer service for a home inspector
• Evaluate the verbal and reporting skills of a professional home inspector

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Understand the basic principles of air conditioning and heating systems operations
• Understand how systems fail
• Inspect and report on common air conditioning systems and heat pumps in residential buildings as a professional home inspector

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Examine the major four exterior components of a residential plumbing system.
• Describe supply piping, water heaters, drain, waste and vent components, plumbing fixtures and faucets.
• Understand the basic principles of water physics.
• Inspect and report on residential plumbing systems as a professional home inspector.

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify common architectural categories, house styles and building features
• Recognize and inspect exterior cladding systems
• Examine attached structures to buildings
• Assess water control with respect to roof water, window wells, walks, driveways, retaining walls and other landscaping conditions 
• Inspect and report on residential exteriors as a professional home inspector

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Understand the basics of electricity to perform a professional home inspection
• Examine the configuration of service boxes and the operation of grounding systems
• Identify common concerns related to distribution panels
• Assess the branch circuit wiring systems of a typical house
• Recognize safe distribution of electricity to switches, lights, outlets, junction boxes
• Inspect and report on residential electrical systems as a professional home inspector

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify elements of good construction of all the structural elements of a building
• Detect the common problems found with foundations, floor, wall and roofing systems
• Evaluate the seriousness of the conditions and the implications of non-repair
• Inspect and report on residential structural systems as a professional home inspector

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify elements of furnaces and boilers
• Understand how to perform operational tests and identify common failure modes
• Estimate life expectancies of the various systems covered
• Inspect and report on residential heating systems as a professional home inspector

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Recognize common heating systems and how they work.
• Investigate common problems found in each type of heating system and boilers.
• Explore how to find common conditions in each type of system.
• Evaluate the seriousness of these conditions and the implications of non-repair.
• Inspect and report on residential heating systems as a professional home inspector.

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Recognize types of insulation, air and vapor barriers and how they affect heat movement
• Understand how insulation is installed in finished and unfinished areas
• Explore indoor air ventilation systems
• Determine inspection procedures for typical components of a residence interior
• Inspect and report on all interior elements of a house as a professional home inspector