Tired of a 48 that is not actually yours?
Stay on the department. License the skill. Inspect on the 48 that is actually yours.
Prefer to talk first? Call 281-917-7360 · Talk it through
- TREC-Approved Provider #701080
- 80% first-time pass rate
- 100% tuition-back guarantee
- Built to fit a 24/48 — keep the job
Get the Texas Home Inspector Career Guide.
Name and email. The guide shows up in your inbox. No trial, no account, and no call required.
You do not have to quit the job
The 48 is supposed to be yours. Staffing took it.
You already know how houses fail. Get licensed to say so for a living. Study on the off days that are left. Grow it into the second career when you are ready.
- Tired of short staffing — again?
- Tired of mandatory OT eating the days you were supposed to recover?
- Tired of brass who do not ride?
- Tired of a pension that is real and still not a full plan?
- Tired of waiting on a retirement date to use the building brain you already have?
You already know how houses fail — construction, fire protection, the stuff that kills people when it is wrong. That knowledge sits on the truck and does not pay you a second time.
A 24/48 is still the best study-and-side-business calendar in this line of work, if any of the 48 is left. Enroll. Pass. Take inspections on the days that are actually yours. Step off the department if and when you want to. It is not the same as the job. We will not tell you it is.
80%
first-try pass
The transfer is not a stretch
You already know how houses fail. License the skill.
Teachers and a lot of officers start from zero on building systems. You do not. You still have to learn the inspection process, the report, and the exam. The head start is real.
Building construction and fire protection
Structure, electrical, dryer vents, egress, detectors. You have been trained to see the failure modes. Inspection is naming them in a report for a buyer.
A methodical walk-through under pressure
An inspection is slower and quieter. The habit of not skipping a side of the building is the same habit.
Ladders, attics, heat
The physical part of the job is not a surprise. You have already done the unpleasant parts in worse conditions.
First in, then the report
You are the first person through the house for the buyer. You tell them what you found so they know what to do next. Facts first.
The path
Side business on the 48. Full replacement when you choose.
This is the only one of these pages that should start with “keep the job.” Enroll, study on your off days, pass, then take inspections on the 48. Grow the book. Step off the department if and when you want to.
- 01
Enroll while you are still on the shift calendar
Online, self-paced. A 48 is enough time to move a module and a practice block if you treat it like an assignment, not a hobby.
- 02
Three to six months is typical if you use the off days
154 hours of qualifying education plus exam prep. Firefighters who protect the 48 finish faster than people squeezing an hour after a desk job. Firefighters who let the 48 evaporate do not.
- 03
Sit the exams when the practice scores are there
Five full-length practice exams at 75% or higher on the national exam and the Texas exam. Then you schedule. Not after a long shift because you felt ready.
- 04
Inspect on the 48. Decide later about the department.
Once you are licensed you can take jobs on off days. Some firefighters keep both for years. Some use it as the landing after retirement. You are not required to pick on day one.
Texas still requires a practicum, two exams, insurance, and a background check beyond the coursework. We walk that on a call. The full TREC outline is on Become an Inspector.
The money, honestly
A second check on the 48. A full book if you want one later.
On the department, you are not trying to replace the salary in month three. You are adding inspections on days you already have. Year one is a ramp either way — a few jobs on the 48 first, a full calendar only if you choose it later.
Part-time is a real version of this job
A few inspections a month on the 48 is income on top of department pay. A full calendar is a later decision. Do not let anyone sell you only the full-time story.
Pension stacking when you retire
Same story as other first responders: the pension is the floor, inspections are the second engine. Confirm DROP, medical, and outside-employment rules with your department and your plan. We do not interpret pensions.
Tuition is a known number while you still have the job
You do not need to leave the department to afford the school. Payment plans exist. Pricing is on a separate page — we will walk it on a call if you want the breakdown.
What you earn depends on your market, your off-day volume, and the book you build. We do not quote student incomes we cannot stand behind.
Why this school
Online on purpose. A published pass rate. A refund if you qualify and fail.
01
Self-paced so the 24/48 still works
No week-long classroom that collides with your shift. Matt Warner is a licensed Professional Inspector (TREC #24038) with an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology. The courses are built for adults who study in blocks, not for people who can sit in a hotel ballroom for ten days.
02
80% first-time pass rate. Texas average is about 57%.
TREC publishes the numbers. Career-changers are the typical student, including people who already know buildings and still have to pass the exam.
03
Pass on the first try, or get 100% of tuition back
Finish the courses, hit the practice-exam milestones, take the exams on the agreed schedule. Fail that first attempt and we refund the tuition.
Payment plans available. Ready to look at the numbers?
See pricing & enrollReal students
Career-changers pass this exam. Firefighters already inspect on their off days.
Robin came to TIA with no construction background, finished the system, and passed the national exam on her first try. You likely have more building knowledge than she started with. The exam still has to be passed. Watch the conversation if you want to see what the prep looks like.
Firefighters around Texas already run inspection businesses on their off days — including active-duty firefighters who built a book while staying on the department. That is a common pattern in the industry. It is not a claim that those inspectors trained here.
Common questions
Questions from the floor
Practical answers. If you should stay on the truck and ignore this, we will say that too.
Get the guide. Then decide.
Name and email. The Texas Home Inspector Career Guide shows up in your inbox. If it looks like something you can work on the 48, call. You do not have to decide about the department to start.
Pass on your first try, or get 100% of your tuition back.
Ready to enroll? See pricing & enroll · Talk it through · Call 281-917-7360