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PaperclipPerfector  23hr ago (text post)   648 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 22, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I'm not sure the premise is correct. AFAIK, you generally don't need a license to provide professional services to yourself.

I've been told some home improvements require permits, and you must pass the inspection when it's done, and I suspect the inspector would probably be inclined to double and triple check stuff if they learn that the project is DYI and no licensed professional has been involved. So unless the matter is trivial, you'd still have to learn the codes and the regulations to the point that passing the exam may not be that big of a deal.

I think the premise is valid for the four examples I gave. Some are softer/harder barriers, but they're there for all of them. Like, yes, you can sell your house on your own, but you will have The Mark of The FSBO and the cartel will go to great lengths to prevent their buyers from even looking at your house (and warn them off very strongly if they find it on their own; maybe let's not get into details of MLS access). There are similar barriers for buying "unrepresented". You can't do your own AC work without passing the test (no quibbles with @hydroacetylene's statement; that is the nature of the barrier; you can just get the certification and not have to deal with contracting it out). Having someone with a law degree does open some barriers (in fact, in some states, having an attorney is required for real estate transactions, and in others, you can automatically get a real estate license, just for one example). And of course, the biggest one of all is that you absolutely cannot provide professional medical services to yourself... at least not anymore, anyway.

Perhaps I've managed to hit on the only four examples of certifications/licenses that are like this at all. I'd be a bit surprised, because those are four that just came to mind briefly. That's kinda why I was asking; I figured there would be other examples.

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