How do I become a draw inspector?

What the job is.

A draw inspector visits a construction site when the builder asks the lender for money, and records how much of each line on the budget is in place. The report pairs a percent complete for every line with photos that carry a time and a location stamp, so the lender can compare what was claimed with what is standing. The inspector documents; the lender decides what to fund. The site visit is usually short, with travel and reporting around it: see how long a draw inspection takes and what a draw inspector looks for.

People who do this well tend to come from construction trades, home or property inspection, appraisal, insurance adjusting, engineering, architecture or project management. The common thread is the ability to recognize the stages of a build, photograph a site thoroughly and follow a lender's instructions line by line. Reliable transportation and a smartphone are the day-to-day tools; the equipment list is short.

Why it matters for inspectors.

The work rewards accuracy more than speed. A report that says 60 percent of the roofing is complete when the photos show decking and no shingles sends the lender's reviewer back to the inspector, and a pattern of that ends the relationship. Inspectors who read a draw sheet carefully, photograph each line and submit on time keep getting orders. Pay per inspection and how it reaches you is its own question: how much draw inspectors get paid. Whether you need a license depends on the state, the lender and the scope: do draw inspectors need a license?

What RAZE requires.

The RAZE Inspection Network publishes its standards on the Vendor Application page, and every inspector and inspection firm is screened against the same list:

• Identity verification: government-issued ID verified through a third-party identity provider.
• Competency assessment: a residential draw inspection questionnaire with a minimum passing score.
• Watchlist and AML screening against U.S. and international sanctions and wanted-persons lists, including OFAC and Treasury's SDN list.
• Insurance and approval: proof of coverage on file, then verification and approval by RAZE before any assignment is visible.

Each inspection company or contractor needs at least three years of residential draw inspection experience, or backing by a referral or recommendation. The standards apply for as long as you are on the network.

How RAZE handles it.

Apply as an independent inspector or register your firm on the Vendor Application. Once approved, Marketplace inspections appear, with their distance in miles, in the RAZE Mobile App, where you review the job and lock it, capture the photos and the draw sheet on site and submit the report from the property; the Mobile App guides walk through each step with screenshots. The companion post, how to become a draw inspector, covers the screening, pay and tools in more detail.