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As the housing market improves, millions on homeowners are finding themselves needing to make repairs and want to do remodels that they have put off for years. This is excellent news for the construction industry. But what if you aren’t in the construction industry? What if the only hammer you have ever swung was the one you use to break crab legs?

You can still benefit from the housing boom, even if you never put on hard hat. There are thousands of jobs that the construction industry relies on to keep it going.

Office staff – If there’s one thing contractors hate worse than bad weather, it’s having to do all the paperwork that’s involved in running a small business. If you are able to handle light bookkeeping, invoicing, schedules, phones, and everything else that goes into a small business office, then you can probably help a small contractor to make a lot more money.

Driver – Construction is about being in constant motion. There is equipment to be moved, crews to move to job sites and away. There are papers to be moved from place to place. If you have a good driving record and you own a reliable vehicle, you might touch base with some local contracting companies and offer your services as a runner for them. If will be much less expensive to pay you to run to the hardware store than to have a $20 an hour finish carpenter do it. It might be a hard sell at first, but it will make sense after they try it once.

Real Estate Agent – Someone needs to sell those houses. In many places, your real estate office will pay for your licensing. This can be a tough job with not a lot of money early on, but the earning potential is nearly unlimited. Most agents make it look simple, but this a job that takes up 20 hours a day, 7 days a week for the first few years. Golf courses and trips to the islands are down the road. (Let’s not forget all the support staff these folks need, like assistants, office staff, drivers, etc.)

Title Company Staff – This is one of those places that no one ever really thinks about, but title companies need runners, secretarial staff, etc. They are generally on a fairly quick turn-around and their job can cost somebody hundreds of thousands of dollars if they are wrong. This is a great place to offer your services, especially if you can offer them some office support background.

Hardware Store Staff – These are not the glory jobs in the business, but some of the money can be good, especially outside of the big box stores. If you have great customer service skills and you are able to learn about the business, this can be a great place to get a job where there are lots of contacts.

Home Inspectors – This is a job that requires some training, but it can be lucrative if the housing market is good. These folks inspect houses before the bank will issue mortgage papers. Once you have the training, it can be a great way to make money, since every mortgage needs a home inspection (or three) before the money can be released to anyone ever.

Mortgage and Banking People – Obviously, despite recently getting its teeth kicked in, the banking and mortgage industry is bouncing back. There are lots of new laws and rules for their conduct. Now is a great time to get in and learn these skills. They will be looking for people with banking experience first, but if you can highlight your customer service experience and show some enthusiasm, this might be a great place to make a lot of money, eventually.

These are only a few of the businesses that you can get into that are part of the construction industry. Think creatively and there is bound to be a job out there for everyone.

By: Bob Peryea