Inspection Fees and pricing

[Gene South]

I have my own customized way of pricing...ha..that is sometimes affected by how far I drive, how hot it is....etc.... Also there is the pricing for:

Just wondered if other are interested in how they price their work. Some inspectors do pier and beam crawl inspections for free, some charge $50. Some charge more. This is an example. What about these other catagories?

Termite
Crawl Space Pier and Beam
Sprinkler (Irrigation)
Septic
Size of house
Age of house
Difficulty of house
Pool inspection
Etc

[Nick Ostrowski]

* Termite (YES)
* Crawl Space Pier and Beam (YES - when I know about them beforehand)
* Sprinkler (Irrigation) (NO - don't inspect them)
* Septic (NO - don't inspect them)
* Size of house (YES - my main pricing criteria)
* Age of house (YES)
* Difficulty of house (can't project that so NO)
* Pool inspection (NO - don't inspect them)

[Jim Luttrall]

Irrigation sprinkler is built in to my fee structure since most houses here have them, just a bonus if there is none.

Pool - yes
Crawl space - absolutely - and almost hope they get someone else since I hate crawls.
I don't do WDI but will arrange it as a convenience so yes it is extra but to a separate company.
Septic - yes
Size of house - yes
Age - no
Difficulty - no
Distance - no unless it is outside my normal area.
I don't to radon, mold, Chinese drywall tests, etc.

[Rick Hurst]

Irrigation sprinkler is built in to my fee structure since most houses here have them, just a bonus if there is none.

Pool - yes
Crawl space - absolutely - and almost hope they get someone else since I hate crawls.
I don't do WDI but will arrange it as a convenience so yes it is extra but to a separate company.
Septic - yes
Size of house - yes
Age - no
Difficulty - no
Distance - no unless it is outside my normal area.
I don't to radon, mold, Chinese drywall tests, etc.


I do about the same as Jim mentioned except I do the WDI report if needed and I charge an extra 50. for homes over 25 yrs. of age cause they simply have more issues which add to my report.

No septic's for me. I have several septic company's I can refer out to a client if they ask. They call them, I don't set it up for them.

rick

[Matt Fellman]

Age, size and location are our criteria... crawls are included since unfortunately at least 75% of the houses in this area have them. Pest/Dry Rot is included too... it's standard in my area. We don't do septics, pools or sprinklers.

I'll kick a job up or down a bit if I can gather enough info ahead of time. Like when someone calls and tells me it's forclosure and is in horrible shape... price goes up. 4000 sq ft new house? I'll discount it a bit to stay competitive if I think they're price shopping.

Our prices vary at times depending on current work load and how much I might want a particular job - basically, I'm more likely to make someone a deal on a big new house close to my house....as opposed to driving an hour for a small old dump.

Unfortunately, these days you have to wheel and deal a bit to keep food on the table.

[Nolan Kienitz]

I have my own customized way of pricing...ha..that is sometimes affected by how far I drive, how hot it is....etc.... Also there is the pricing for:

Just wondered if other are interested in how they price their work. Some inspectors do pier and beam crawl inspections for free, some charge $50 (WAY, WAY too cheap). Some charge more. This is an example. What about these other categories?
Termite
Crawl Space Pier and Beam
Sprinkler (Irrigation)
Septic
Size of house
Age of house
Difficulty of house
Pool inspection
Etc

Termite ... I arrange coordination of WDI w/independent pest operator
Crawl Space Pier and Beam ... Yes, Dislike w/passion, charge lots extra for P&B
Sprinkler (Irrigation) ... Yes, included in base fees
Septic ... Nope
Size of house ... Primary driver for fee structure
Age of house ... Yes if older than early '50s
Difficulty of house ... huh? No idea until you drive up
Pool inspection ... I arrange coordination of pool with specialist if client wants. Else I don't inspect pools
Etc ... Nope ... stopped inspecting for "Etc" about 4 years ago ;) No radon, mold, etc. ... if that is what you are referring to.

[Jack Feldmann]

Termite ........NO don't do bugs.

Crawl Space Pier and Beam.......NO price difference between slab, crawlspace and finished or unfinished basements. I win some, lose some.

Sprinkler (Irrigation)........Do not do sprinklers
Septic........Do not do septic
Size of house.....Primary basis for pricing
Age of house....Upcharge if its over 50, BIG upcharge if its over 100.
Difficulty of house........Not so much difficulty, but I will upcharge if there is more than 1 kitchen, and more than 4 bathrooms, or any other systems that will take more time.

Pool inspection... Dont do pools or spas

Etc...I do radon testing.

[wayne soper]

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!!

[Ken Rowe]

Termite We don't do them. No termites this far north
Crawl Space Pier and Beam No extra charge
Sprinkler (Irrigation) We don't do them
Septic We don't do them
Size of house Only thing our price is based on
Age of house No extra charge...most houses here are over 50 years old
Difficulty of house No extra charge
Pool inspection We don't do them...not many around here
Etc Extra charge for Radon and Sewer lateral scope.
Driving distance Some of my guys charge a travel fee for long hauls, I don't
Outbuildings Generally will charge $50 to $75 per outbuilding after 1 detached garage. If it's a second house, our normal square foot price minus $75 to $100 since we're already there.
Home maintenance inspection For existing home owners, non real estate transaction. Takes about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. $119.
System inspection Inspect individual systems of the home @ $125/hr. One hour minimum.

[Scott Patterson]

Termite ........NO don't do bugs.

Crawl Space Pier and Beam.......NO price difference between slab, crawlspace and finished or unfinished basements. I win some, lose some.

Sprinkler (Irrigation)........Do not do sprinklers
Septic........Do not do septic
Size of house.....Primary basis for pricing
Age of house....Upcharge if its over 50, BIG upcharge if its over 100.
Difficulty of house........Not so much difficulty, but I will upcharge if there is more than 1 kitchen, and more than 4 bathrooms, or any other systems that will take more time.

Pool inspection... Dont do pools or spas

Etc...I do radon testing.

I do the exact same as Jack, except for the bathroom and kitchen upcharge. I have found that if a home has more than 4 baths and 1 kitchen then I have most likely covered them in the higher fee due to it being a larger home....

[Reggie Russell]

I know I am new here, but I just really don't understand the mindset of not adjusting your price based on whether a home has a crawlspace, basement, etc. These same people will gladly raise their price according to square footage, number of kitchens, bathrooms, outbuildings, or anything else that takes more time to inspect. Why don't you use the "win some, lose some" belief system by having a one price fits all for inspecting every home, regardless of size, age, etc? A typical crawlspace is quite a bit more trouble to inspect than a slab, adds a minimum of 30 minutes to an inspection for a small home and 45 min for larger homes, not to mention the added section to my report. I don't see any difference in charging extra for that amount of time than charging extra for anything else involved (size, age, etc.) that will definitely take up more of my time to inspect and report on. :confused:

Like I said at the beginning, though, I am new here, and still trying to figure a lot of this operating procedure out, so if anybody can explain a little more clearly why they believe that way, and why it is consistent with every other area of their pricing structure, then I am all ears!

BTW - There are people in my area who do that as well, and I don't understand why they do it that way either, other than to undercut someone else who does.

[JB Thompson]

Termite - No, I usually will arrange this with a termite inspector
Crawl Space Pier and Beam - Yes, charge extra, wish I didn't have to crawl
Sprinkler (Irrigation) - Yes, extra charge, a lot of time involved to do properly
Septic - Yes, operational only, no extra charge
Size of house - This is how I price an inspection
Age of house - Yes, extra charge
Difficulty of house - Hard to know, but if the client tells me the house is not in good shape, then I will add to the fee
Pool inspection - I have been doing these for an extra charge, but Nolan has been talking to me. :)
Etc (extra tough challenges :D) - I charge extra for boathouses, docks, large storage buildings,
Distance - not normally, but if it is more than an hour away, I will either upcharge or recommend they find someone in their service area.

[Bruce Gow]

Hi Gene,
We only inspect for termites and other timber pests here in Sydney Australia, and quote either $250 for a visual inspection or $470 for a Thermal and Termatrac inspection.

Builders the building report and charge around $500.

Job distance and size of house we generally charge extra.

Cheers Bruce

[Ted Menelly]

Hi Gene,
We only inspect for termites and other timber pests here in Sydney Australia, and quote either $250 for a visual inspection or $470 for a Thermal and Termatrac inspection.

Builders the building report and charge around $500.

Job distance and size of house we generally charge extra.

Cheers Bruce

As in American dollars or Pounds (which would be much more than dollars). Funny thing about the Termitrac. It cannot be used (here) to show results from to a client. One cannot say that there is termites in the wall by using a Termitrac. It has to be a visual in a home you are inspecting for a buyer or a visual/invasive for an owner of a home. Still no findings can be put forth as a show that there are termites.

[Ricky Wells]

My base price is based on square footage of the property.
I then will add for a pool or a pool/spa combination- here in Arizona we have alot of pools
If the house is over 30 years old a small fee will be added
There is a fee for a outbuilding with or without utilities

I do not charge for crawl spaces and I do not have trip charges.
I do not do WDI inspections but can arrange to be at the property at the same time I am there.

[Ted Menelly]

As far as a break down, that goes on in my head as I am talking with the potential client. Size, age, out buildings, crawls, sprinklers, termite etc all comes into play when I give a final price. The only thing i break out is the termite and I explain that someone else does it and that fee goes directly to them, not me.

As far as the crawl thing I can understand if you live in crawl heaven and there is automatic pricing included in the price but the amount of time involved under that nasty home and creatures encountered and then of course all the pictures and finally the going over with the client and the actual report writing for that crawl is insane. Way to much going on down there to look at and of course be liable for. Again, it may not be broke out but the time involvement is discussed with the client. Many have told me it is not worth trying to make the sale and if they add to the price they will not get the inspection. To me that is just starting off with that bad taste in your mouth thing.

[Ken Rowe]

I know I am new here, but I just really don't understand the mindset of not adjusting your price based on whether a home has a crawlspace, basement, etc.

Reggie,

Here in MN about 75% of all homes have a full basement. 20% are slab on grade. The remainding 5% will have crawlspaces. Of that 5%, 4% are over 100 years old and have less than 8 inches of clearance which cannot be accessed. So we charge one price, based on a home with a basement. If it has a slab, that's great for us. If it has a crawlspace, most of the time it cannot be accessed. But that 1% that can be accessed nearly always has a concrete foundation and floor and 4 feet of head room.

What you'll find on this site is a vast number of inspectors from a vast number of areas. Every area is different in their building techniques so the inspectors have to do things differently in each area. The same goes for the criteria for which buildings are inspected. What is allowed here in MN may not be allowed in California, Texas and Florida and vis-versa.

[Reggie Russell]

Hey Ken,

Thanks for the reply. Here in North Alabama it can be a mixed bag. In Decatur, Athens, Hartselle and even some in Huntsville, it is about 60% to 70% crawlspace, very few basements. In Madison, however, which is where a lot of my business comes from, slabs rule the day. I haven't counted or anything, but I would venture to guess my ratio is about 50/50, give or take a few. I generally charge $25 extra for homes with a crawlspace up to 3,000 square feet or so and $50 for homes with a crawlspace over 3,500 square feet. Clients with slabs seem to like my prices better, I guess, because I do seem to get more than my share of them. :D

[Scott Patterson]

Hey Ken,

Thanks for the reply. Here in North Alabama it can be a mixed bag. In Decatur, Athens, Hartselle and even some in Huntsville, it is about 60% to 70% crawlspace, very few basements. In Madison, however, which is where a lot of my business comes from, slabs rule the day. I haven't counted or anything, but I would venture to guess my ratio is about 50/50, give or take a few. I generally charge $25 extra for homes with a crawlspace up to 3,000 square feet or so and $50 for homes with a crawlspace over 3,500 square feet. Clients with slabs seem to like my prices better, I guess, because I do seem to get more than my share of them. :D

In my market about 60% of the homes have a crawlspace, about 30% are basements and about 10% are slabs. Although we are seeing more slabs with new construction.

[Rolland Pruner]

Caution: inspect per your SOPs Standerd inspection one cost per SF i.e 1500, 2000 2500 etc. Recommend added items charge extra and or longer driving distances. Don't pick and choose from being lazy. Do your job!!


Rolland Pruner

[JB Thompson]

Caution: inspect per your SOPs Standerd inspection one cost per SF i.e 1500, 2000 2500 etc. Recommend added items charge extra and or longer driving distances. Don't pick and choose from being lazy. Do your job!!


Rolland Pruner

I'm sorry, but what does this mean?

[Gunnar Alquist]

I know I am new here, but I just really don't understand the mindset of not adjusting your price based on whether a home has a crawlspace, basement, etc.

Reggie,

In my case, the vast majority of homes that I inspect are crawls and I will see a slab home maybe once a month. I have found that when someone tells me that the house is on a slab, they are usually wrong. Therefore, all prices are based on crawl and a slab is a nice little vacation for me. If a slab takes a lot less time than a crawl, then I might give a discount on-site, but this is rare. Increasing the fee on-site is difficult as it is more likely to create a grumpy client.

As far as Gene's list, I have recently changed one thing in my business practice. I will now walk away from a house that is too big of a mess to inspect. Something I have never done before.


I'm sorry, but what does this mean?

It means that he can't spell or construct a coherent sentence.

[George Russell]

Size is the biggie for me. I will add $25 for 25 year old homes and $75 to $100 for P&B. I'm finding I'm willing to do new construction homes a tad cheaper than pre-existing homes as the report does tend to run shorter. For instance I did a new home yesterday for $295 when I wouldn't think of doing a pre-existing home of the same size for any less than $325. I love the clients who call and say "I'd like to schedule a home inspection" without asking anything about price :-) My peeps!!

[Janet Campbell]

I'm just wondering how some of you figure driving time and distance into what you charge your clients. I do radon testing and I live in a very low population region. I set a small travel fee for any work that's more than 25 miles one way driving distance. (A test 25 miles away will be at least 100 miles driving distance for me) This is pretty much a "win some / loose some" issue for me. as far as I know, there are only two other Mane registered radon testing businesses within a 100 mile radius of my home. One radon test could easily cost me 8 hours or more in driving time. My time is the main issue here. I do not feel justified charging clients for my travel time the way some lawyers do. I do encourage people to find a Maine registered radon tester close to the home they want tested.

[Scott Patterson]

I'm just wondering how some of you figure driving time and distance into what you charge your clients. I do radon testing and I live in a very low population region. I set a small travel fee for any work that's more than 25 miles one way driving distance. (A test 25 miles away will be at least 100 miles driving distance for me) This is pretty much a "win some / loose some" issue for me. as far as I know, there are only two other Mane registered radon testing businesses within a 100 mile radius of my home. One radon test could easily cost me 8 hours or more in driving time. My time is the main issue here. I do not feel justified charging clients for my travel time the way some lawyers do. I do encourage people to find a Maine registered radon tester close to the home they want tested.

For radon testing I will not travel more than 50 miles. For home inspections I cover a 125 mile radius. I do not tell my clients that I'm charging them more due to the distance, I just increase the price of the job.

My suggestion is to only due radon testing in a limited area as the fees are fairly low when compared to a home inspection. If this is not an option then you must pass your travel time on to the person that wants the radon test. It is not your fault that they live so far away! :)

You might consider bumping the fee up $50 for every 50 miles of travel over your base area.

[Erby Crofutt]

I once did a radon test for $550 way down on the Kentucky / Tennessee border. About 120 miles away. Set it at 8:00 AM Friday, picked it up at 8:00 AM Monday. Was back in Lexington doing inspections by 10:00 AM both days.

$150 for the test
$200 to drive there and set it
$200 to drive there and get it.

I tried to convice them to let me help them find someone closer but the buyer insisted I do it and the seller was paying. May have been some bad blood there somewhere.