States

How to become a
home inspector in
New Mexico

When you begin the journey to become a home inspector in New Mexico, you might feel as lost and confused as if you were in a desert. What do you need to buy? Where can you learn the tricks of the trade? And most importantly, how can you get licensed? We can help you avoid the confusion with our list of New Mexico home inspector requirements. With this list, and InspectorPro’s help, you can start this endeavor with confidence.

New-Mexico-home-inspector-requirements

What are the New Mexico home inspector requirements?

The New Mexico home inspector licensing requirements are enforced by The New Mexico Home Inspectors Board. The major requirements are as follows:

  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • Complete 80 hours of classroom/online training for home inspectors.
  • Complete an additional 80 hours of field experience, including 30 parallel inspections with a licensed home inspector.
  • Pass the National Home Inspector Examination.
  • Submit fingerprints for state and federal criminal background checks.
  • Provide a proof of insurance with limits of $250,000 aggregate for both errors and omissions and general liability coverage.

Once you have everything ready, submit your application online, along with the application fee, and you’ll be ready to go! Now, let’s break down the major requirements first.

Education

There are two components to the education component of the New Mexico home inspector requirements: coursework and experiential. You are required to complete 80 hours of classroom/online education courses for home inspectors. Check the application for which topics and courses are approved for this requirement.

The experiential portion of the New Mexico home inspector requirements ask that you get 80 hours of field experience inspecting houses. During those 80 hours, you must have 30 parallel inspections with a licensed home inspector. A “parallel inspection” means the licensed inspector will directly supervise you during the inspections. You will document these field inspections on the Field Experience Log Sheet that is attached to the application.

Fulfilling these two requirements takes time, but it is worth it. To become a home inspector in New Mexico who can stand out, you want a solid foundation. As such, take the chance to utilize these hours of courses and inspections to hone your craft. Ask questions, network, and get mentors who can help you for years to come.

Pass the National Home Inspector Examination.

After passing the education component of the New Mexico home inspector license requirements, you should be ready to take the state-approved exam. You are required to pass the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE).

The NHIE contains around 200 questions and will cover various aspects of home inspections, including certain business-related topics. To prepare, we recommend that you take the exam after you have completed the education course or inspections. Further, ask other inspectors about how they prepared (and how they would better prepare with hindsight). Finally, consider studying the prep material that NHIE offers. We know that you will pass it with flying colors!

Submit fingerprints for criminal background check.

As you get closer to submitting your application to become a home inspector in New Mexico, you will need to submit a Fingerprint Certification Form to the New Mexico Home Inspectors Board. This will help you obtain a criminal background check, which you will submit along with your application. For information on how to obtain this, consult the application at this link.

Obtain insurance.

The New Mexico home inspector insurance requirements require you to carry both errors and omissions insurance and general liability insurance.

The required limits are:

Professional Liability / Errors and Omissions (E&O)

Limits of $250,000 (per occurrence)/ $250,000 (aggregate) or more.

General Liability / Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability

Limits of $250,000 (per occurrence)/ $250,000 (aggregate) or more.

Apply for E&O and GL Insurance

Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance for home inspectors protects you when your clients accuse you of missing something during their inspection—or, at the very least, leaving it out of your report. In other words, you’re protected when clients accuse you of not doing your job right. Obtaining E&O insurance is one of the most important steps on the road to become a home inspector in New Mexico, or anywhere for that matter.

General liability covers any property damage or bodily injury to others caused by your inspection. For example, whether you leave a running faucet on and cause water damage, or someone hurts themselves after following you up your ladder (which we do not recommend), you will be covered with general liability.

Insurance limits represent the total dollar amount your insurance company can pay toward your covered claims in a given policy period. You have two limits: your occurrence limit, which is the maximum amount the insurance company will pay per claim, and your aggregate limit, which is the maximum amount the insurance company will pay during the policy period.

Congratulations from InspectorPro

We are excited for your journey into home inspection, and we are excited to help however we can. Reach out if you have questions, need help, or want to protect your business with the best coverage available. We at InspectorPro are always grateful to serve you.