Thread: How much time?

Most of my inspections take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours in the field witrh about 2 hours for report writing. How am I compared to some of you out there?

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Originally Posted by Richard Emerson

Most of my inspections take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours in the field witrh about 2 hours for report writing. How am I compared to some of you out there?

RE: JP from Flahdah used to spend a week or two (so he says, but he is remembering back before he retired, so it might not be accurate). TM, right there in Fort Worth with you, usually spends 30-45 minutes chatting up the agents and sellers before he tools down the road, check in hand.

About 1.5 - 2 hours for an empty 1200- 1400, on slab, less than 20 years old, brick siding, no garage, no fp, total electric, and no one there.
Oh yeah, no deck.

Generally 3 hours for the inspection and another 1.5 - 2 hours for the report.

Originally Posted by Richard Emerson

Most of my inspections take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours in the field with about 2 hours for report writing. How am I compared to some of you out there?

8:00 to 12:00/1:00 for inspection and then walk thru with the client on an average home. Some of the report done depending how long the client was there for the inspection and sometimes the whole report will be done if the client only comes in the end and the home did not have much going on.

I hope you charge accordingly as in the time you spend on the inspection and report is not all that goes into that inspection. By the time you add everything up including all the time on your backside trying to get the phone to ring that home inspection is worth a lot more than the 4 hours you are counting. More like double that in the end of it all.

Obviously you know all that as being an inspector for many years. I am just on a roll this morning.

Oh yes. I forgot to comment on AD but I am at a total loss of words on that subject matter. I guess there is just not much to talk about

Originally Posted by Richard Emerson

Most of my inspections take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours in the field witrh about 2 hours for report writing. How am I compared to some of you out there?

My average inspection is 3-4hrs. and about an hr. on the report writing.

rick

Got some price shoppers stuck in your paw Ted?

but I am at a total loss of words

TM: Now THAT will be the day . . .

Originally Posted by A.D. Miller

TM: Now THAT will be the day . . .

That was kinda funny now wasn't it ? I don't care who you are

SF, 3.5 to 4.5 hours, but the majority of the SF properties I see are 50+ years old with attics and full basements, often unfinished.

Condos run around 2.0-2.5 hours, typically these are large buildings and I'm totally disclaiming common elements.

Multifamily? I never schedule more than one of those a day, around here I never know what I'm getting into.

One of the things I did this year which is working out well was modifying my fee schedule to include a additional charge for the inspection of any second or subsequent HVAC system "discovered" at the inspection, around here buyers typically don't know if there multiple systems installed when they call to book a job.

It's not so much the actual inspection time at the equipment as it is running up and down stairs setting and resetting thermostats, running in and out the backdoor or onto the roof to identifying the condensers, etc. - I'm now getting paid for that time, and it seems a lot of clients who would balk at paying an extra few dollars for my inspection quality when the book have no problem at all with paying an extra few dollars for the inspection of multiple HVAC systems once we get to the property.

Average home under 2500sf about 2-3 hours and then about 30 min to 1 hour for the report. The less I find and the cleaner the home the quicker it goes.

Last week I had a 1400sf home that had very little wrong with it and it was empty. The inspection took about and hour and a half and about thirty minutes to write the report. Last week I also had a 4200sf home that took about four hours to inspect and about an hour and a half to write the report. It had many things wrong with it.

IMVHO, if you are writing your reports from scratch it is going to take longer. If you are using a reporting program it should not be taking you longer than 2 hours for a good size home and about an hour or less for a smaller home.

You have to find your comfort zone and work with that. After your first 4,000 or so reports it gets a little easier!

Average on site is about 2.5 hrs and report about an hour. Of course, there's a pretty large variation from there depending on size/age and # of father-in-laws I have to bury.

After your first 4,000 or so reports it gets a little easier!

SP: Perhaps, assuming you did not learn anything new during that 4000-report period. Otherwise . . .

Originally Posted by A.D. Miller

SP: Perhaps, assuming you did not learn anything new during that 4000-report period. Otherwise . . .

So true, but alas; I passed that mark several years back and I'm just starting to really understand how to write a report!

I'm basing my average time on an average sf house in average condition and it takes me an average of less than one hour travel time. I takes lots of pictures, make general notes and then build my report. Used to have a report writing program for Palm Pilot years ago but got away from it. BTW, since I'm in Texas, have to use the TREC S.O.P. format (REI 7-2). I find that the MS 7 works good for image editing.

Originally Posted by Richard Emerson

I'm basing my average time on an average sf house in average condition and it takes me an average of less than one hour travel time. I takes lots of pictures, make general notes and then build my report. Used to have a report writing program for Palm Pilot years ago but got away from it. BTW, since I'm in Texas, have to use the TREC S.O.P. format (REI 7-2). I find that the MS 7 works good for image editing.

Average SF house? What is average in your area of operation? The bulk of my inspections are for homes 2000-3500 square feet.

Average condition? What do you consider average condition? Lots of foreclosures in "less than average" condition in the last year. The house stock in my area is generally less than 30 years old.

Average travel time? Seldom travel more than 1/2 hour one way.

Average foundation? Texas is the land of slab foundations. I operate in the land of crawlspaces. Add time to inspecting and reporting as result.

Average client participation? Some inspectors request clients while others chase away spectators. Do you add in time during the inspection to handle questions or set aside time at the end to present your findings?

Reporting style/format? North Carolina licensing board is pushing DDID: Describe, Determination, Implication, Direction. Basically 4 sentences for every defect. Checklists are quicker than DDID. Even with boilerplate, DDID still adds time to reporting.

Around here most homes are older with basements. Average time is 3-3 1/2 hours. Friday's inspection was a POS short sale 90 years old. No utilities,no client,had to climb through the window to get in, took 1 1/2 hours. Thursday inspection was a 70 year old, 2400 sq ft duplex w det garage. That took 4 1/2 hours. Basement and attic were separated by a wall so I had to do one side and then the other with client in tow.