Home inspection guides & resources

Practical, accurate answers to the questions buyers, sellers, and inspectors actually ask — from the team building InspectAI.

2026-07-02

How to Choose Home Inspection Software: A Working Checklist

A no-vendor-hype checklist for picking inspection software: report quality, mobile capture, AI that drafts vs autocompletes, template portability, and exit terms.

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2026-07-01

What Home Inspection Software Really Costs in 2026

Sticker prices, verified July 2026: Spectora $109/mo, HomeGauge $89/mo, InspectAI $79/mo. Plus the costs that don't show up on the pricing page.

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2026-06-29

Importing Your Templates: How to Switch Inspection Software Without Starting Over

Templates are why inspectors stay with software they've outgrown. How template migration actually works and what to check before you switch.

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2026-06-27

HomeGauge After the Spectora Acquisition: What Users Should Know

Spectora acquired HomeGauge. What that kind of consolidation usually means for users, the questions worth asking, and how to keep your templates portable.

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2026-06-25

Spectora Alternatives in 2026: An Honest Look

Looking past Spectora's $109/mo? The 2026 alternatives landscape for inspection software, what actually matters in a switch, and how template migration works.

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2026-06-23

How Solo Inspectors Fit More Inspections Into a Week

For a solo inspector the ceiling isn't demand, it's evenings lost to reports. Where the hours go and how to get one inspection slot per day back.

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2026-06-20

How to Become a Home Inspector in Tennessee (2026 Requirements)

Tennessee's 2026 home inspector license: 90 hours of approved training, the NHIE, insurance requirements, fees, and biennial renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-20

Ditch the Laptop: A Phone-Only Inspection Workflow

Inspectors are finishing reports without ever opening a laptop. A phone-only workflow: capture, dictate, scan, review, deliver, all from the iPhone in your pocket.

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2026-06-19

How to Become a Home Inspector in Arizona (2026 Requirements)

Arizona requires home inspector certification through the AZBTR: 84 hours of training, the NHIE, 30 parallel inspections, financial assurance, and annual renewal.

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2026-06-18

How to Become a Home Inspector in Washington (2026 Requirements)

Washington's 2026 home inspector license: the 120-hour course, 40 hours of field training, the two-part exam through PSI, fees, and renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-18

How to Write Defect Narratives That Protect You

A weak narrative is a liability magnet. The four-part defect narrative (location, condition, implication, direction) and how to write it fast without boilerplate soup.

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2026-06-17

How to Become a Home Inspector in Virginia (2026 Requirements)

Virginia licenses home inspectors on a 15-point system. How the points work in 2026: courses, experience, the NHIE, insurance, fees, and renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-16

How to Become a Home Inspector in New Jersey (2026 Requirements)

New Jersey's 2026 home inspector license: 180 hours of coursework with supervised field training, the national exam, E&O minimums, and biennial renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-16

How AI Photo Defect Detection Actually Works

AI can flag a missing GFCI or a corroded valve in your inspection photos. How vision models do it, what they catch, what they miss, and why you still sign the report.

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2026-06-13

How to Become a Home Inspector in Michigan (2026 Requirements)

Michigan has no home inspector license. What actually applies in 2026, the LARA confusion to avoid, and how Michigan inspectors build credibility without a mandate.

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2026-06-13

iPhone LiDAR for Home Inspectors: What It's Good For

Your iPhone Pro ships with a LiDAR scanner. What it actually does on an inspection: room scans, floor plans, measurements, and findings anchored in place.

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2026-06-12

How to Become a Home Inspector in North Carolina (2026 Requirements)

North Carolina's 2026 home inspector license: the 200-hour pre-licensing program, the state exam, insurance options, fees, and annual renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-11

How to Become a Home Inspector in Georgia (2026 Requirements)

Georgia has no home inspector license as of mid-2026. What that means in practice, the licensing bill that almost passed, and how Georgia inspectors build credibility.

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2026-06-11

Stop Sorting Photos: Fixing the Worst Part of Report Writing

200 photos, 50 findings, one long evening. Why photo sorting eats inspectors' nights and how location-anchored capture kills the problem.

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2026-06-10

How to Become a Home Inspector in Ohio (2026 Requirements)

Ohio's 2026 home inspector license: 80 hours of education, parallel inspections or peer review, the NHIE, insurance minimums, and the 3-year renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-09

How to Become a Home Inspector in Illinois (2026 Requirements)

Illinois home inspector licensing in 2026: the 60-hour course, supervised field events, the IDFPR exam through PSI, insurance, fees, and renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-09

Dictate Your Inspection: From Voice Notes to a Finished Report

Talking is faster than typing on a ladder. How voice-first capture works for home inspectors, and how dictated notes become a structured report.

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2026-06-06

How to Become a Home Inspector in Pennsylvania (2026 Requirements)

Pennsylvania has no home inspector license, but the Home Inspection Law still sets real requirements: association membership, 100+ inspections, an exam, and insurance.

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2026-06-06

How Inspectors Cut Report Writing From 6 Hours to Minutes

The report is the bottleneck: a 2-hour inspection can mean 6 hours of writing and photo sorting. Here's a workflow that gets the draft done before you leave the driveway.

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2026-06-05

How to Become a Home Inspector in New York (2026 Requirements)

New York's 2026 home inspector license: 140 hours of approved training (40 in the field), the state exam or NHIE, insurance minimums, and DOS fees, step by step.

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2026-06-04

How to Become a Home Inspector in Florida (2026 Requirements)

Florida's 2026 home inspector requirements: the 120-hour course, state-approved exam, $300K liability coverage, DBPR fees, and biennial renewal, step by step.

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2026-06-04

AI Report Writing for Home Inspectors: What It Actually Does in 2026

What AI report writing really does for home inspectors in 2026: narrative generation, photo defect detection, and what stays your job. No hype.

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2026-06-03

How to Become a Home Inspector in California (2026 Requirements)

California has no home inspector license. What the law actually requires in 2026, what's banned, and how inspectors build credibility in an unlicensed state.

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2026-06-02

How to Become a Home Inspector in Texas (2026 Requirements)

Texas licenses home inspectors through TREC in three tiers. The 2026 path: required courses, the two-part exam, sponsorship, insurance, and renewal, step by step.

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2026-05-29

How Long Does a Home Inspection Take?

How long a home inspection takes and what makes one run longer — home size, age, foundation type, and add-ons — plus when you'll actually get the report.

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2026-05-27

Home Inspection vs. Appraisal: What's the Difference?

Home inspection and appraisal sound similar but answer completely different questions. Here's who orders each, what they cover, and why you usually need both.

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2026-05-24

Top 10 Red Flags Home Inspectors Find

The defects that show up again and again in home inspection reports — from roof wear to electrical hazards — and how seriously to take each one.

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2026-05-21

LiDAR & 3D Scanning in Home Inspections: What's New

LiDAR and 3D room scanning are changing how inspectors document homes. Here's what the technology actually does, where it helps, and what it means for the reports buyers receive.

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2026-05-18

The Home Inspection Checklist for First-Time Buyers

A practical home inspection checklist for first-time buyers: what inspectors check, what to look for yourself before you even make an offer, and the questions to ask on inspection day.

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2026-05-15

How to Read a Home Inspection Report (Without Panicking)

Every home inspection report looks alarming at first. Learn how to read one like a pro: how findings are categorized, what severity labels mean, and which items actually matter.

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2026-05-12

How Much Does a Home Inspection Cost in 2026?

A clear, no-hype breakdown of home inspection costs in 2026 — what drives the price, typical ranges by home size, and which add-on inspections are worth paying for.

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