Tom Axelrad, CCIM, CMI, CPI
Founder
- Licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors, Licensed Home Inspector No. 10518
- Member of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI), No. 6091498
- Certified Master Inspector (NACHI)
- Certificate of Achievement, National Home Inspector Examination
- Graduate of The Donaldson Real Estate School Home Inspection Program
- Certified Commercial and Investment Member of the Realtors National Institute (CCIM) No. 833
- Residential Inspector Member, The Foundation of Real Estate Appraisers (FREA)
- Member, Louisiana Foresters Association
- BA Degree, Economics, University of Texas
- Real Estate Broker and Property Manager for over 40 years
- Former Real Estate Trust Officer, Hibernia National Bank
- Former Real Estate Property Manager, Tulane University
- Inspected over 5,000 homes and commercial properties since 2005
A native of New Orleans, Tom attended the University of Texas, Austin, where he earned a degree in economics. He entered the real estate business upon the recommendation of a friend, and had a successful career in commercial real estate, specializing in income/investment properties. Next, he worked for a large regional bank, managing real estate trust accounts whose properties included shopping centers, office parks, farms, timber enterprises, homes, and more throughout Louisiana and nearby states. Next Tom joined Tulane University where he managed an extensive portfolio of property assets ranging from real property to oil and gas leases. He worked there until Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005.
Although retirement beckoned, Tom decided to take a home inspection class and explore that element of the real estate business. Despite not intending to build a business out of it, Tom began doing home inspections on his own and as demand for his services grew, hired additional inspectors.
Tom was proud of his team’s diversity of skills, and the high standards they bring to the work. When looking for new team members, he valued experience and skills in related fields such as real estate, construction, and building/remodeling. Most importantly, he sought people who are handy, who can figure out how things work and how they’re put together. It isn’t necessary to have training in home inspections. That usually means people need to be “untrained” and taught the Axelrad way. Team members work together and learn good practices from each other. Collaboration and mutual learning go hand in hand on the job.
A little-known fact about Tom is that in the late 1970s he won a national award from the Junior Chamber of Commerce, “Best Member,” in the entire country. Tom started and taught at a school for people seeking to earn their real estate licenses. And he was the second person in Louisiana (eighth in the nation) to be named a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) of the Real Estate Board. A CCIM-designated individual is “a recognized expert in the commercial and investment real estate industry, proficient not only in theory but also in practice”
In his free time, Tom enjoyed photography and fishing, and he spent hundreds of hours coaching youth sports when his children were younger.
Though he is no longer with us his guidance has prepared the way for the future.