When “bare minimum” is not good enough and “top of the heap” is your bare minimum, than advanced elective and optional courses are for you.
PLI is a comprehensive home inspection and learning center. PLI provides both pre-licensing and continuing education (“CE”) credit courses. In addition, PLI provides supplemental courses and seminars, as well as special events. Some states do not approve licensing credit for courses or seminars on topics such as building code updates and history, or radon testing. They are vital to first-rate inspection, and to understanding homes as a whole, not to mention healthy housing. PLI meets this need with cutting edge courses competitors may not take, since they are not required, but that the public we serve wants and needs.
For pros and others more concerned with learning all they can, or building a business that takes a back seat to no one, or putting the broadest range of services possible to work, elective and optional PLI studies are just the ticket.
Credentialing and badging are opportunities are ways to let customers and the general public know about advanced skills and training that go beyond the bare minimum of licensing rules and regulations. Licenses have a way of suggesting everyone with a license is the same, even though most people know that cannot be true. Credentialing and badging through PLI elective and optional curricula lets the differences stand out. Successful graduates are awarded certificates — and may also receive distinct emblems that can be used on a web site or in brochures, and badges that can be worn on uniforms and work clothes.
Elective and optional courses are a rich learning resource for all professionals involved with homes, housing, and real estate. A few examples, now available to all enrollees, including pre-licensing students, are described below.
Communication/Business Practices
Home inspection neither begins nor ends at the home that is inspected. This course is designed to give the inspector an understanding of the full inspection process, including the reasons for home inspections, their place in real estate transactions, the structure of inspections, and step-by-step office procedures. It will provide the home inspector verbal communication skills and understanding of strategies for managing liabilities as an inspector. The course is designed to learn and retain the key concepts of home inspection and management of the process from start-up to historical record. It also helps the inspector identify and focus upon best practices for conducting inspections, in the context of various markets and business scales.
Environmental Inspections & Radon Inspection
The course begins with the physics and science of radon — what is radon, how it was discovered, where it comes from and how it affects our health. Through a movie, power point presentation and lecture this subject will be discussed in detail. Different testing methods and the different equipment available will be on hand for viewing. How to read the results and interpret the information will be covered. A lecture about the various mitigation systems and how they are installed will be part of the class.
The course moves to broader issues of environmental inspection – ranging from abandoned septic systems and oil tanks to wells. The impact of EPA regulations and flood plain and flood plain insurance issues is touched upon. The second half focuses on home issues, ranging from newer construction materials to newer concerns as houses become increasingly air tight.
Introduction to Mold Inspections and Sampling
The purpose of this class is to teach the home inspector their limitations when facing, discussing, and sampling mold. This course will define mold, its health concerns, teach how to properly take a mold tape lift or collect a swab sample and fill out a Chain of Custody Record. Through a power point presentations, and hands-on sampling the inspector will learn enough to stay within the home inspector guidelines. No intrusive testing will be taught. Guest presenters from mold and WDO labs are included.
The focus is how to write a general home inspection report, within the Standards of Practice, and providing proper recommendations for any further professional evaluation an inspector determines is needed for a client. Samples of various kinds of home inspection reports are provided, in addition to an overview of leading home inspection software systems. Methods of quality control in the production of home inspection reports are considered, along with record retention policies and verification libraries (such as unused site photos, additional data received in the course of inspection, etc.).
Wood Destroying Insect Inspection
Learn to identify a variety of wood destroying insects and recognize visible signs of damaged caused by each insect. Through visuals (real insect samples) slides and power point presentations, a thorough review of types of insects, their habits and living conditions. Examples of wood damage, structural damage and infestation will be displayed for a look, touch and feel. Sources of food for each type will be discussed. Different treatment methods, chemicals and methods used will be covered.
