Top 12 Home Inspector Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the competitive field of home inspection, standing out to potential employers or clients matters. Put your know-how front and center—technical judgment, sharp observation, clear writing and calm communication—so people see not just tools, but trust.
Home Inspector Skills
- Infrared Thermography
- Moisture Meter
- Electrical Tester
- Gas Leak Detector
- Radon Testing
- Drone Inspections
- Thermal Imaging
- Structural Analysis
- HVAC Gauges
- Plumbing Scope
- Foundation Level
- Mold Sampling
1. Infrared Thermography
Infrared thermography uses an infrared camera to visualize temperature differences on building surfaces. It’s non-invasive. It points toward hidden trouble—insulation gaps, wet materials, overheated conductors—without opening walls.
Why It's Important
It uncovers what eyes miss: moisture intrusion, energy loss, and electrical hot spots. Faster clues, fewer guesses, better calls.
How to Improve Infrared Thermography Skills
Sharpen this craft with a mix of training, equipment, and practice:
Education and Training: Take certified thermography courses. Programs from the Infrared Training Center (ITC), Building Performance Institute, and similar providers build solid interpretation skills.
Equipment Upgrade: Use higher-resolution cameras with a broad temperature range and adjustable emissivity. Features like onboard image blending help translate thermal patterns into plain language for clients.
Calibration and Care: Keep cameras calibrated per the manufacturer. Protect lenses. Store dry. Accuracy fades when maintenance slips.
Method and Practice: Create a repeatable workflow. Capture baselines, then scan systematically. Verify anomalies with moisture meters or contact thermometers before you conclude.
Software Analysis: Use analysis/reporting software (e.g., FLIR Tools and comparable platforms) to annotate, adjust palettes, and present findings clearly.
Community and Standards: Stay active with inspector associations and building science groups. Case studies and peer feedback speed up your pattern recognition.
How to Display Infrared Thermography Skills on Your Resume
2. Moisture Meter
A moisture meter measures moisture in building materials—wood, drywall, tile backer, concrete. It flags water problems and helps separate a stain from an active leak.
Why It's Important
Moisture invites mold, rot, insects, and structural decline. Detect it early and you reduce surprises later.
How to Improve Moisture Meter Skills
Calibrate and Verify: Calibrate on schedule. Use reference blocks or known-dry areas to check drift.
Use the Right Mode: Dual meters (pin and pinless) cover more surfaces. Pin for depth and precision; pinless for speed and finish-friendly screening.
Clean and Maintain: Keep pins sharp and clean. Replace worn pins. Dust and residue skew results.
Know Material Scales: Wood scales differ from drywall or masonry reference scales. Temperature compensation matters—especially in unconditioned spaces.
Context Matters: Compare suspect areas to nearby “control” spots. Always corroborate with history, thermal images, and visual clues.
Document Clearly: Record readings, locations, and conditions (humidity, temp). Photos with marked spots save confusion later.
How to Display Moisture Meter Skills on Your Resume
3. Electrical Tester
Electrical testers check voltage, polarity, continuity, grounding, and more. For inspectors, that means receptacle analyzers, non-contact voltage detectors, multimeters, and GFCI/AFCI testing tools.
Why It's Important
Electrical faults start fires and bite people. A sound tester and a steady method reduce that risk.
How to Improve Electrical Tester Skills
Use Multifunction Tools: True-RMS meters, quality receptacle testers with GFCI function, and reliable non-contact detectors cover most residential checks.
Safety First: Insulated probes, rated gear, and safe approach distances. Test your tester on a known live source before and after use.
Know the Limits: Receptacle testers can’t fully validate AFCI protection; use built-in breaker test buttons and visual confirmation. When in doubt, recommend evaluation by a licensed electrician.
Maintain and Calibrate: Replace worn leads. Calibrate meters per manufacturer guidance. Dead batteries make liars out of good tools.
Keep Learning: Stay current on bonding/grounding, GFCI/AFCI requirements, and panel inspection safety. Code changes roll in; habits should follow.
How to Display Electrical Tester Skills on Your Resume
4. Gas Leak Detector
A gas leak detector (combustible gas “sniffer”) senses methane, propane, and similar gases near appliances, piping, and meters. It’s a quick way to screen for leaks—followed by confirmation.
Why It's Important
Gas leaks can explode or make people sick. Early detection prevents the worst-day scenario.
How to Improve Gas Leak Detector Skills
Choose Sensitivity Wisely: Look for devices with ppm sensitivity and an adjustable tick rate, so tiny leaks don’t slip by.
Bump Test Before Use: Expose the sensor briefly to a known gas source to confirm response. No response, no trust.
Confirm Suspected Leaks: Use a soap solution on joints after an alert. Visual bubbles beat guesswork.
Mind Cross-Sensitivity: Some cleaners and vapors trigger sensors. Ventilate, rescan, and verify.
Maintain the Tool: Replace sensors as recommended. Keep filters clean. Store capped and dry.
Separate Hazards: Remember: CO alarms and combustible gas detectors are different tools serving different dangers. Carry both when needed.
How to Display Gas Leak Detector Skills on Your Resume
5. Radon Testing
Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps from soil into buildings. Invisible. Odorless. Testing measures indoor levels to determine if mitigation is warranted.
Why It's Important
Long-term radon exposure increases lung cancer risk. Testing informs action. Action lowers risk.
How to Improve Radon Testing Skills
Get Certified: Training and certification through recognized radon programs keep your protocols current and your results credible.
Use Approved Devices: Continuous radon monitors (CRMs) and approved passive devices, calibrated at required intervals, deliver reliable data.
Honor Closed-House Conditions: Maintain closed-house conditions at least 12 hours before and during short-term tests. Document compliance.
Place Tests Correctly: Lowest livable area, away from drafts, high humidity, and exterior walls. Follow device-specific placement rules.
Report With Context: Note weather events, HVAC operation, and any deviations. State the action level (4.0 pCi/L in the U.S.), and mention that lower targets (e.g., around 2.7 pCi/L) are often recommended when feasible.
Retest When Needed: After mitigation, renovations, or seasonal changes, retesting confirms outcomes.
How to Display Radon Testing Skills on Your Resume
6. Drone Inspections
Drones bring roofs, chimneys, and steep gables into view without climbing. Safer. Faster. Often clearer.
Why It's Important
They expose damage that hides from the ground—cracked tiles, lifted flashing, clogged valleys—while keeping feet on solid earth.
How to Improve Drone Inspections Skills
Get Legal and Current: Hold the appropriate certification (such as FAA Part 107 in the U.S.), comply with Remote ID, airspace rules, and local restrictions.
Use Quality Optics: High-resolution cameras with good dynamic range and stabilized gimbals reveal subtle defects.
Plan the Flight: Pre-check roof pitch, wind, and obstacles. Use checklists. Keep logs. Batteries don’t argue, they just run out.
Analyze Smartly: Use software to tag, zoom, and annotate images. Create consistent shot lists to make reports comparable over time.
Maintain the Fleet: Inspect props, motors, and firmware. Replace suspect parts before they become regrets.
How to Display Drone Inspections Skills on Your Resume
7. Thermal Imaging
Thermal imaging translates surface temperatures into color maps. It pairs beautifully with moisture meters and good judgment.
Why It's Important
It reveals leaks, missing insulation, and overloaded circuits that standard photos can’t show.
How to Improve Thermal Imaging Skills
Raise Resolution: Better sensors produce cleaner, more interpretable images, especially at distance or on small targets.
Train Interpretation: Emissivity, reflectivity, and environmental conditions can fool you. Training prevents misreads.
Use the Right Delta-T: Greater temperature differences between indoors and outdoors sharpen contrasts. Time your scans to take advantage.
Calibrate and Verify: Keep devices calibrated. Confirm suspicious patterns with secondary tools before calling a defect.
Report Clearly: Include context photos, annotations, and plain-English explanations. Clients value clarity over color palettes.
How to Display Thermal Imaging Skills on Your Resume
8. Structural Analysis
Structural analysis for inspectors means assessing how foundations, framing, and load paths are performing—signs of settlement, deflection, decay, or distress—and knowing when to recommend an engineer.
Why It's Important
Structure holds everything up. Catch issues early and you head off expensive, cascading failures.
How to Improve Structural Analysis Skills
Build Knowledge: Study basic statics, framing methods, soils, and building envelopes. Short courses and professional seminars help.
Track Codes and Standards: Stay familiar with current residential codes and common regional amendments.
Use the Right Aids: Laser/optical levels, zip levels, and good measuring practices reveal differential movement you can document.
Observe Methodically: Map cracks, note widths and directions, look for patterns (heave vs settlement, racking vs rotation), and connect symptoms to causes like drainage or expansive soil.
Know Your Line: When findings exceed the scope of a visual inspection, recommend evaluation by a licensed structural engineer.
How to Display Structural Analysis Skills on Your Resume
9. HVAC Gauges
Understanding HVAC pressures and temperatures helps interpret system health. Most home inspectors do not attach manifold gauges during a general home inspection because it’s invasive and can release refrigerant. Instead, they assess performance using temperature differentials, visual inspection, and non-invasive smart probes when appropriate and permitted.
Why It's Important
HVAC issues drain comfort and money. Knowing how pressures, superheat/subcooling, and airflow tie together clarifies what you’re seeing—even without cracking the system open.
How to Improve HVAC Gauges Skills
Go Non-Invasive First: Measure supply/return temperature split, observe coil/fan condition, verify filter fit, and listen for short cycling. These basics reveal a lot.
Smart Tools, Smart Use: When qualified, wireless temperature/pressure probes and clamp thermometers can provide snapshots without full manifolds. Follow local rules and your SOP.
Know Refrigerants: R410A, R32, and others have different pressure/temperature relationships. Use correct P–T charts and safety practices.
Airflow Matters: Poor airflow mimics refrigerant problems. Check blower speed settings, filter restrictions, and evaporator cleanliness before leaping to charge issues.
Stay in Scope: If signs point to a charge or mechanical fault, recommend evaluation by a licensed HVAC technician.
How to Display HVAC Gauges Skills on Your Resume
10. Plumbing Scope
Often called a sewer scope, this is a camera inspection of the building drain and lateral line to the street or septic. It uncovers breaks, bellies, intruding roots, corrosion, and improper materials.
Why It's Important
Underground problems get expensive fast. A few minutes with a camera can save thousands in surprises.
How to Improve Plumbing Scope Skills
Use the Right Camera: Self-leveling heads, distance counters, and locators make findings easier to pinpoint and repair.
Prep and Access: Find cleanouts in advance. Run water to carry debris and improve visibility. Wipe the lens often.
Record Everything: Video with timestamps, call out material transitions, slopes, and defects. Provide stills in the report with measured distances.
Know Materials and Defects: Cast iron scaling, Orangeburg deformation, clay joint offsets, PVC/ABS transitions—each tells a different story.
Recommend Clearly: For significant defects, recommend evaluation by a licensed plumber and discuss repair options like spot repairs vs. lining vs. replacement.
How to Display Plumbing Scope Skills on Your Resume
11. Foundation Level
“Foundation level” refers to assessing the foundation’s condition and relative elevations—looking for displacement, rotation, cracking, or moisture that signals movement.
Why It's Important
Foundations set the tone for the whole structure. If the base shifts, the symptoms ripple through the house.
How to Improve Foundation Level Skills
Measure Differentially: Use a laser or zip level to spot elevation changes room to room. Note thresholds that bind and doors that rub.
Read the Clues: Step cracks, tapered gaps, bowed walls, sinking slabs—each pattern hints at cause (settlement, heave, lateral pressure, or poor drainage).
Control Water First: Grade away from the home, extend downspouts, manage surface and subsurface water. Many problems start with runoff.
Track Over Time: For minor movement, recommend monitoring with dated crack gauges and periodic re-checks.
Refer When Needed: Significant displacement or ongoing movement warrants a structural engineer’s evaluation.
How to Display Foundation Level Skills on Your Resume
12. Mold Sampling
Mold sampling collects air, surface, or bulk samples to identify spores present and their concentrations. It complements a moisture-focused inspection, not a replacement for it.
Why It's Important
When health concerns, legal requirements, or unclear conditions exist, lab analysis clarifies what’s in the air or on the surface—and whether it’s elevated relative to normal background.
How to Improve Mold Sampling Skills
Lead With Moisture: Find and address water sources first. Sampling without moisture control is just measuring a symptom.
Select the Right Method: Spore trap air samples, tape lifts/swabs for visible growth, and outdoor control samples for context.
Chain of Custody: Label meticulously. Maintain airtight documentation from sample to lab.
Use Accredited Labs: Work with labs that participate in recognized proficiency programs. Clear, defensible results matter.
Interpret Carefully: Compare indoor results to outdoor controls and building conditions. Color ≠ species; counts need context.
Standards and Scope: Follow accepted guidelines for mold assessment, and explain limits. If remediation is needed, recommend qualified professionals and post-remediation verification when appropriate.
How to Display Mold Sampling Skills on Your Resume
