Jake Smith

A little about myself. I'm currently in the U.S. Navy and forward deployed on a warship. I retire from the military in about 2 or 3 years. I'm looking to start my own business when I retire. I'm originally from Shreveport, La but I'm living in California for now and plan on moving back to the South when I retire. Southeast Texas is sounding appealing right now but that might change in the next 2-3 years. So I've been doing research on HI. At first I wanted to open a franchised business. A turn key, ready to open business for $30K. Now I'm on the path to self-employment. I'm going to start at the ground up and save that $30K and 8%-11% royalty fee . Since I have 2-3 years to start educating myself and figure the business out I'm looking where to start. I want to get certified to perform HI's in California while I'm here to get training, education and experience under my belt. I want to take the knowledge and move to a state where we want to lay roots and begin the business. Knowing I'll have to relicense in a new state, but that shouldn't be a big deal. So starting at the bottom, where should I get my education? Being in the military I need a self-paced or online type school. I see there are multiple schools out there but hard to determine who is legitimate and who's not. Does it even matter? Let me know if i'm on the right track here. I'm thinking NHIE. Buying the books, study, take the exam. I believe the VA will even cover the cost of the exam. Then take the CREIA certification, find a mentor and get in on some ride-alongs. Perhaps apprentice for someone with a non-compete agreement. Looking forward to any advice!

Yes Sir, I got it. Thank you.

Checking in on RK52. How have things been moving along in the past 6 months? I'm looking to start my education in the HI field and hopefully expand into appraisals and home staging. At first I was looking into franchising. Read a couple of books on the subject and was really turned on. A turn key business that I could start for around $30K. I was looking at NPI and Posts to Pillars. My father, who has always been a self-starter and entrepreneur, has recently talked me into saving the $30K and getting certified and some type of apprenticeship, then start my own business. That sounded even more intriguing. Wondering how things are going with you and CREIA. I'm looking to start the same path. Jake