One of the unexpected gifts of retirement is discovering that your life has been preparing you for something all along. Looking back, every house I had owned, every remodeling project, every conversation with contractors, every engineering problem I had solved was pointing toward a profession I simply hadn't recognized yet.
Some careers are carefully planned. Others wait silently in the background for decades, tapping you on the shoulder when the timing is finally right. My home inspection business—West Egg Inspections and Home Services—was very much the second kind.
The seed was planted long before the business ever existed, long before an LLC was formed or a first inspection report was written. In fact, the idea goes all the way back to November of 2015, when I was laid off from 3M after many years in corporate America. At the time, I didn’t know it, but that moment would eventually redirect the final chapter of my working life.
Just prior to the layoff, I found myself house hunting in Arizona. During that process, I met a home inspector—someone I instantly hit it off with. He was nearing the end of his career and looking to get out of the business. I, on the other hand, was quietly thinking about getting in. He even had a franchise available for sale. It was intriguing… but the price tag was far more than I could justify or afford at that stage of my life. Still, the thought stuck with me. Even back then, in 2015, home inspection was already hovering in the background as a “maybe someday” idea.
Soon after, I landed on my feet professionally. I took a job at FabCon and didn’t really lose any time financially. My salary continued, albeit at a somewhat lower level, and life moved forward. I worked there for another five years, which carried me right into 2020—and into a moment none of us will ever forget.
In March of 2020, I was downsized again, this time as COVID swept across the country. The timing couldn’t have been more complicated. My mother was living in a senior living facility, and like so many families experienced during that period, isolation became a serious concern. We made the decision to bring her into our home and care for her ourselves. We did that until the final days of her life, and she passed away in August of 2020.
That season—emotionally heavy, uncertain, and reflective—also became a turning point. With my corporate career effectively behind me and my caregiving chapter coming to a close, I started looking more seriously at what the next phase of my working life could be. That’s when home inspection returned, not as a vague idea, but as a real possibility.
In truth, it wasn’t a stretch at all. Houses had been a constant thread throughout my life. From a young age, I enjoyed working on them—fixing things, maintaining them, understanding how they worked. When I bought my first house at 25 years old, I was all in. Over the years, for various reasons—career moves, life changes, new chapters—I ended up owning around a dozen different homes. Each one taught me something new.
I read about houses. I paid attention. I enjoyed the process of caring for them. I understood systems, structure, and maintenance. Looking back, it feels obvious now, but at the time it was simply something I liked doing. That lifelong familiarity made home inspection feel less like a career change and more like a natural progression—especially as I began thinking about what finishing out a 40-year corporate career might look like.
So I took a class. And I loved it.
That was one of the first clear signs that I was on the right path. Learning the material didn’t feel like a chore—it felt engaging. It felt practical. It felt useful. As I moved through the certification process, I realized this wasn’t just something I could do; it was something I genuinely enjoyed doing.
Around that time, I met with a realtor I knew, Gina Dumas, and asked her a simple but important question: What do you look for in a home inspector? That conversation was invaluable. She gave me insight into what realtors actually value—communication, thoroughness, reliability, professionalism. That feedback shaped how I approached the business from the very beginning.
It was also during this phase that I decided to pursue radon testing certification. That process was no joke. It required real study and discipline, and passing that exam felt like a personal victory. At that point in life, proving to myself that I could still learn something complex—and master it—meant a lot.
With the certifications in place, I formed West Egg Inspections and Home Services LLC. The name fit naturally alongside the other “West Egg” chapters of my life. My first paid inspection came in November of 2022—a home in Minneapolis. I still remember that job clearly. There’s something about your first real inspection that sticks with you. You’re careful. You’re thorough. You’re aware that this is the beginning of something new.
Breaking into the home inspection business isn’t easy. It’s competitive. It takes time to build relationships and trust. Inspections don’t just fall into your lap. Early on, the volume was modest. But slowly, steadily, it began to grow.
Then in 2023, another unexpected door opened. A company called Makeover Homes reached out to see if I’d be interested in becoming a HUD inspector. It was a different kind of inspection work—more structured, more standardized—and it required additional training. I was interested, so I said yes.
That decision changed the trajectory of the business. With HUD inspections, I wasn’t responsible for generating the work myself. Another company handled that side, and I focused on what I do best: inspecting homes. It took me down a slightly different path, but one that suited me well.
The business has continued to grow ever since. I’m probably five years into this journey now, and I’m still busy. In fact, I just had my busiest January ever—something I wouldn’t have predicted early on. It was encouraging, validating, and a reminder that persistence matters.
To be fair, I probably became a home inspector at one of the most challenging times in the housing market. There were periods when homes weren’t selling at all. Then there were times when they sold too fast, with buyers waiving inspections entirely due to competition. Neither environment is ideal for an inspector. But even through that volatility, I stuck with it. And I still enjoy it.
This work keeps me connected to houses—something I’ve always loved. Through HUD inspections, I also get to work closely with contractors, another long-standing passion of mine. Throughout my corporate career, I enjoyed collaborating with contractors and tradespeople, and I continue to respect the skill, knowledge, and craftsmanship they bring to the table.
Home inspection became much more than a business. It became another opportunity to serve people during important moments in their lives. And as satisfying as that work has been, another dream had begun taking shape—one that wasn't about inspecting homes, but about helping people build meaningful lives.
