Home inspection chief executive officer job description
A home inspection CEO picks the markets and add-on tests the company takes on. The CEO leads the general manager and CFO, signs off on the client agreement and report rules, and handles big claims with the insurer and lawyer.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, engineering and inspection firms · BLS, May 2025
Residential - Home Inspection - Chief Executive Officer
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Executive
Reports to:
Owners or board of directors
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
You'll lead our residential inspection company. You decide which markets and services we add, protect the company's standing with real estate agents and clients, and lead the General Manager and CFO. The General Manager runs daily operations; you set direction, approve major spending, and own the response to serious claims.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Set the company plan: new markets, added services such as radon, sewer scope or mold testing, and inspector hiring targets.
Lead the General Manager, CFO and Marketing Manager, with clear yearly goals for each.
Build relationships with brokerages, agent teams and relocation companies, within RESPA and [State] rules on referral fees and gifts.
Approve pricing, the pre-inspection agreement and the company's report standards with legal counsel.
Own the response to serious complaints and claims, with the company's insurance carrier and attorney.
Approve major spending on vehicles, testing equipment, software and new offices.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review weekly numbers: inspections booked, revenue per inspection, add-on services and online reviews.
Meet with the General Manager and CFO on staffing, cash and growth projects.
Meet agents, brokerages and partners in each market.
Review escalated complaints and claim notices.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Company revenue: [your target].
Net profit: [your target].
Inspections from repeat referring agents: [your target].
Add-on services per inspection: [your target].
Claims and formal complaints per thousand inspections: [your target].
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
[10+] years of business leadership, including [5+] years running a multi-market service company.
Experience with real estate services and agent referral relationships.
Ability to read financial statements and set budgets.
Experience managing business risk, insurance and claims.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience as a home inspector or inspection company owner.
Experience opening new markets or buying inspection companies.
Bachelor's degree in business or a related field.
7. Physical Requirements
Office work at a computer and on the phone for long periods.
Ride along on inspections and visit offices in each market.
With or without reasonable accommodation.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Based at [main office location], with regular visits to each market.
Travel to markets, brokerages and industry events [how often].
Busier in spring and summer, when more homes sell.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Pay: [range and hourly or salary basis].
Additional pay: [overtime, bonus or incentive terms, or none].
Benefits: [health, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and when they start].
10. Company Culture and Overview
[Two or three sentences on what your company does, the area you serve, and the support a new chief executive officer gets in the first 90 days.]
11. How to Apply
[Apply link or email]. Our process: [phone interview, in-person interview, and next steps]. Contact [hiring contact] if you need an accommodation during the application process.
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Any chief executive picks a course and builds a leadership team. Here the year follows home sales, most clients arrive through an agent, and each report can sway a buyer's biggest purchase.
A brokerage stake needs a written disclosure
Agent teams and brokerages sometimes ask to buy into an inspection company. Federal rules allow it only on three terms. The agent who refers must give each client a written note of the ownership tie and the likely charges. No one may require the client to use you. And apart from a few listed payments, the agent may gain only a return on what they own. State rules can add limits, so have counsel review the deal first. Source: eCFR: 12 CFR 1024.15, Affiliated business arrangements.
Florida's wind form can be its own service
In Florida, insurers must accept the state's wind form when a licensed home inspector signs it. The inspector needs at least 3 hours of approved hurricane training and a passing exam. Owners send the form to ask for wind insurance discounts. So it can bring work from people who aren't buying or selling. Count your trained inspectors in each Florida market first. Source: Florida Statutes 627.711: Uniform mitigation verification inspection form.
Set hiring targets in the fall
A new inspector who starts in April can't carry a full load in May. In states that license inspectors, the course and exam come first. Then come ride-alongs with a lead. Set each market's hiring goal in the fall, so new people are ready before agents get busy. A market that can't inspect this week loses agents to one that can.
Claims start with the agreement
A buyer who finds a leak after moving in may file a claim long after the job. Your defense is the signed agreement, the report's stated limits and the photos. Review the agreement with counsel in each state. Keep photos as long as a claim can be filed. When a claim notice lands, call the insurance carrier before anyone replies.
Price volume accounts by market
Relocation firms and big agent teams can send steady work across many metros. But they set fees, turnaround and report format up front. Price those deals against what a job costs in each market, not the company average. Walk away from terms that only work in your busiest city.
How much home inspection chief executive officers make
The closest BLS group for home inspection chief executive officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for architecture, engineering, and inspection firms earned a median of $219,190 a year ($105.38 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 3,180 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for engineering and inspection firms.
A salary, often with a bonus based on yearly profit. An owner who serves as CEO may also take distributions.
Engineering and inspection firms
$219,190$219,190 median Middle half $149,480–$342,870 10th–90th $99,990–$450,100
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Engineering and inspection firms
$99,990
$149,480
$219,190
$342,870
$450,100
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for home inspectors on their own. These figures cover architectural, engineering and related services, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has run a service business across more than one metro market
Spots a weak market or service in the P&L and moves on it
Builds lasting ties with brokerage leaders and agent teams
Stays steady with insurers and lawyers when a claim arrives
Sets standards that hold when the CEO isn't in the room
Teach these on the job
The inspection standard your company follows
Each state's rules for licensing inspectors
Radon, sewer scope and mold testing basics
Your scheduling and report software
Which agents and brokerages drive each market
A CEO here lives in the P&L for each market each month, the dashboards in the booking and report platform (often ISN, Spectora or HomeGauge) and the claim log. A few ride-alongs early on teach them to read a report the way a buyer and an agent will.
Home inspection chief executive officer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Referral rules
A large brokerage offers to put us on its preferred list if we pay a monthly marketing fee. How do you decide?
A strong answer: Reviews it with counsel against RESPA and state rules, accepts only a fee that pays fair value for real advertising rather than referrals, and documents it.
Behavioral · Leading leaders
Tell me about a time you held a manager accountable when report quality or claims got worse.
A strong answer: Clear goals, an honest conversation using the data, a plan with dates, and follow-through.
Base the template's targets on your own past seasons, one market at a time. A new market needs a full spring and summer of data before its targets mean much.
Company revenue
Inspection and add-on revenue from the monthly books. Hold each month up against its twin from last year, since spring always looks like growth.
Net profit
Profit after inspector pay, drive costs, lab fees, insurance and overhead, from the monthly close. Look at it for each market as well as company-wide.
Inspections from repeat referring agents
Tag each booking with the referring agent in the scheduling software, then count inspections that came from agents who had already sent you work before.
Add-on services per inspection
Add-on tests sold, divided by home inspections done, by market and by inspector, from the booking records.
Claims and formal complaints per thousand inspections
Count claim notices, licensing board complaints and lawyer letters from the claim log, set against inspections done in the same period.
Should the CEO of a home inspection company be a licensed inspector?
It helps, but it isn't required. A CEO who has inspected houses wins trust with inspectors and agents faster. They can also judge a claim on its facts. A CEO from another service business can learn the trade on ride-alongs and report reviews. A licensed lead inspector should still own the technical calls.
How much does a home inspection chief executive officer make?
Chief executives who work for architecture, engineering, and inspection firms earned a median of $219,190 a year ($105.38 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $149,480 and $342,870 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
When should a home inspection company open a new market?
Open one when agents there already ask for you, or a relocation client needs coverage there. You also need a licensed, trained inspector in place before spring. Check the state's license rules first. Plan for a slow first season. Give the market its own P&L so its losses don't hide in the totals.
Which add-on tests should a home inspection company offer first?
Start with what your agents' buyers already ask for. Radon tests are often the simplest to start. Sewer scopes fit older neighborhoods with aging sewer lines. Each test needs its own gear and training, and some states require their own credential. Add one at a time and track its margin.
How should a home inspection CEO use the slow season?
Late fall and winter leave room to fix what spring exposed. Read the season's complaints and claim log, then decide what changes in training, pricing or the agreement. Visit brokerages before agents get busy, and try a new add-on in one market while volume is low.
