Adding auxiliary services like mold testing, home safety inspections or radon assessments can boost your bottom line, but so can thinking outside the box. Here are a few ways that working home inspectors are bringing in some extra dough.

Signing Off

When there’s a lull in business, Gregory Pomp, owner of Just Right Inspection Service in Orland Park, Illinois, relies on his side gig as a notary public to bring in extra bucks. A licensed home inspector for the past seven years, Pomp offers basic home inspection, mold and radon testing and termite inspections as well as notary public services which may include notarizing deeds, affidavits, wills, loan paperwork and other documents.

“[Notary services] don’t take a lot of my time and I can do it very quickly,” Pomp says, Currently, notary public work brings in about 10 percent of Pomp’s income, but he says that the work also introduces him to future home inspection clients. “It is a good marketing opportunity,” he adds.

Though regulations vary from state to state, becoming a notary public is fairly easy. Most states simply require that you prove state residency, have a clean criminal history and forking over a fee. Some states like Texas also require future notaries to submit proof of a bond which acts as a kind of security deposit in case any clients are filed against you. A breakdown of each state’s eligibility requirements is available right over here.

Heading the Class

When Jack McGraw left contracting in 1999, he spent about two weeks being officially retired then found himself “bouncing off the walls.” Becoming a home inspector later that year, McGraw found that he not only had a talent for investigating properties, he could also teach others to do the same.

“It helped that I had a background in construction and firefighting,” says McGraw, who splits his time between teaching at running Jacks Home Services inspection firm in Hickory Hill, Illinois. “…it took off very very well, being an inspector and a teacher.”

13 years after becoming a teacher, McGraw is now National School Manager of ASHI Education Inc, a division of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). For home inspectors who are looking for either training or teaching opportunities, now is the time since The ASHI School is looking to hire instructors, and enrolling students in their 120-hour home inspection classes.

“We’re looking for someone who has been in the indstury for a couple of years and has 500 to 1,000 inspections under their belt,” he says. Experience in the construction fields also help. “…Any knowledge whether an electrician, plumber, roofer, that’s going to enhance their ability to be a good instructor,” he adds. “They also need to be a good communicator, not afraid to speak in front of a crowd and understand the nine components of home inspection.”

To find out more about becoming a teacher, contact The ASHI School at 888.884.0440 or at TheAshiSchool.com.

Becoming a Ref

Home inspections also lend themselves to other types of home-related services. Gregory Pomp of Just Right Inspection Services is also adding referral services to his list of income-generators. Signing on with ADT security systems, Pomp says that earning a kickback from ADT is as easy as suggesting their products to home inspection clients who are already in the market for home security wares.

“If a client is at all interested in an alarm system, I pass [ADT’s] information along. If they’re not, I don’t,” he says.

If you’re interested in joining a referral program in your area, reach out to other home performance professionals to figure out if they’re offering or belong to one.