Profile on Jim Hamilton

JIM HAMILTON GOT MORE THAN AN INSPECTION

When he was selling his home 15 years ago - he got a career.

“I was going through a difficult period in my life around that time and I was unemployed. I was selling my house and I had an inspector come and look at the home,” says Hamilton, who has worked for HomeCrafters Home Inspection Services Ltd. since then and in 2009 bought the company.

“I had heard about home inspectors before and I thought it was intriguing, so I decided to become one.”

With his extensive experience in building construction, Hamilton decided to change his career path and began inspecting homes.

“It’s not what people think it is,” Hamilton says. “Most of the time you’re dealing with people, whether it be homeowners or Realtors. That, along with doing the inspections and the paperwork involved, make it pretty busy.”

Home inspectors visually inspect house and/or apartment systems and components, looking for damage or evidence of deterioration, amateur maintenance work or improperly installed components.

Hamilton’s day generally starts at 8:00 a.m. “The night before every shift, I pick up my inspection orders, which tell me where I have to go for my inspection the next day.”

With three inspections every day, Hamilton leaves directly from his home. “I usually get there around five to 20 minutes early so I can take a look around the outside of the home before anyone else gets there,” he says. “Then, once I’ve met with the Realtor and the homeowner, we go over the entire house, starting at the basement and working our way up to the attic.

“We look for major defects in areas such as the roof, the structure, plumbing, heating, electrical systems and the exterior,” says Hamilton. “We also give clients an idea of how the home works and where system controls are located.  We tag all emergency shut-offs in the home so they can be located quickly when needed.”

In order to be able to spot defects in a home, people who want to become inspectors must have a well rounded knowledge about the structures of homes and buildings and how they work. This can be acquired through a combination of training and work experience in areas such as power engineering, construction or architecture. They must also have good oral and written communication skills, good problem solving skills and be able to understand common building codes.

Once the inspection is complete, Hamilton prints out a report outlining the flaws in the home, describing in detail the methods used to identify problems in the home as well as what may be the result if repairs are not made.

While there are no set requirements for those interested in becoming inspectors, most companies require them to be certified carpenters, engineering technologists or have expertise in a similar field.

The Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI) have a voluntary training program that many inspectors take.  "You can work in this industry without that training, but then you can't call yourself a Registered Home Inspector," Hamilton says.

Jim is a Journeyman Carpenter, is certified by CAHPI, ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) and is also a Level I Building Investigations Thermographer.

With more than 15 years in the Home Inspection industry and 10,000 plus inspections under his belt, you can trust that Jim Hamilton and HomeCrafters Home Inspection Services will keep you in good hands!