People in different careers come together and for professional bodies. These bodies are then charged with certain collective duties and responsibilities which an individual cannot do. Professional inspectors are no different. While it is not required by law that an inspector be a member of a professional body, there are many benefits to be enjoyed from joining one as we see below.
Networking
The simplest way to get acquainted with people in your industry is through networking. Now, it is not possible for one property inspector to organize a networking event alone. There needs to be a collective effort by a committee of like-minded people. Professional bodies have the capacity to bring together property inspectors in a networking event where individual inspectors interact with each other and get the opportunity to mentor or be mentored by their colleagues. For an inspector who is starting out, networking events are perhaps the only opportunity for meeting the top inspectors and learn from them.
Training
Professional bodies have a finger on the pulse of the property and home inspection industry. They know when changes are about to happen and generally have a very good understanding of the trends within the real estate industry. As a result, when there are ground breaking changes like the migration from paper to digitized reports, the professional body is able to organize for its members to get some form of training and subsequent certification. This ensures that the members are on top of things. A good example would be the entry of complex property inspection software. Instead of having to go and pay for training alone, a member of a professional inspector’s body can attend the workshop organized by the body. Typically, the member will pay very little compared to what he or she would have paid if he or she bought the training alone.
Professional identity
A property inspector whose business card includes his or her membership to a professional organization is likely to be judged more favorably than one who is not affiliated to any body. This is because people hold professional bodies in high regard. The respect that is given to the body extends to its members, making them stand out from inspectors who are not affiliated with a professional body. This professional identity will impact on the quality of jobs that an inspector gets, especially corporate jobs since corporate like to deal with people affiliated to professional organizations.
Tax benefits
Professional bodies require that members pay a certain amount of money annually to keep the organization going. In addition, they may encourage their members to buy insurance through the body, pool funds for legal representation among other contributions and payments. These payments are tax deductible in some states.
Other benefits that can be enjoyed from being a member of a professional body include developing close friends with people who understand your work, information and advice from seminars and taking part in fulfilling corporate social events that are not possible to organize individually.
