Thread: How to charge for the new housing final inspection and one year inspection?

Dear All:

I am a new bee in the home inspection field.
My client tried to tie up the final and one year inspections.
I am just wondering how to charge for those two inspections.
Do you offer any discounts?

Thanks,

Mike

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Originally Posted by Mike Tao

Dear All:

I am a new bee in the home inspection field.
My client tried to tie up the final and one year inspections.
I am just wondering how to charge for those two inspections.
Do you offer any discounts?

Thanks,

Mike

Charge your normal fee for both. You will spend the same amount of time and time is all that you have to sell. Do not discount…

Investors use to call and request a 20% discount because they claimed they were going to be buying many houses and need many inspections. Heard of an inspector who offered them this deal. Pay full price for the first 4 inspections, and I will perform the 5th for free. Said he never had to give a free inspection. Buyers never followed up with additional inspections.

Recommend you charge full price for first inspection with a promise of discount if they call and book inspection in 11 months. If they call, honor the discount. If they never call, at least you get paid for the work you did.

Thanks, Scott.

Actually that is what I thought.
But I have not inspected a new building yet, not sure if I can discover something.
Some guy in our community is complaining that a home inspector just shadowed with the builder
and did not find anything. It seems just got there and take the money. Then the guy kind of pissed off with some defects later.

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

Charge your normal fee for both. You will spend the same amount of time and time is all that you have to sell. Do not discount…

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for your inputs.

Originally Posted by Bruce Ramsey

Investors use to call and request a 20% discount because they claimed they were going to be buying many houses and need many inspections. Heard of an inspector who offered them this deal. Pay full price for the first 4 inspections, and I will perform the 5th for free. Said he never had to give a free inspection. Buyers never followed up with additional inspections.

Recommend you charge full price for first inspection with a promise of discount if they call and book inspection in 11 months. If they call, honor the discount. If they never call, at least you get paid for the work you did.

A new home deficiency list is a slightly different animal. You find plenty of items not finished. Check the trim where it is pre-painted, cut to fit and tacked up. They forget or neglect to paint the cut ends. Missing pieces, missing the second coat of paint.
Interior paint blemishes, you wouldn't even look at in a 2 year old house, but new, they are a big deal.
Check for loose roof vents, loose skylights, subpanel with the neutral bond left in, unfinshed wiring, like the cable for the garbage disposer laying loose under the sink. Plumbing vents not connected in the attic, missing insulation.
You can get along fine with the builder if you see yourself as helping him to complete the house and make the sale. A lot of the screw-ups are by other guys, the subcontractors. The builder is working on another house and he just wants this one finished and sold. That is how the deficiency list helps him.

Hey, John:

That is great information. I highly appreciate!

Mike

Originally Posted by John Kogel

A new home deficiency list is a slightly different animal. You find plenty of items not finished. Check the trim where it is pre-painted, cut to fit and tacked up. They forget or neglect to paint the cut ends. Missing pieces, missing the second coat of paint.
Interior paint blemishes, you wouldn't even look at in a 2 year old house, but new, they are a big deal.
Check for loose roof vents, loose skylights, subpanel with the neutral bond left in, unfinshed wiring, like the cable for the garbage disposer laying loose under the sink. Plumbing vents not connected in the attic, missing insulation.
You can get along fine with the builder if you see yourself as helping him to complete the house and make the sale. A lot of the screw-ups are by other guys, the subcontractors. The builder is working on another house and he just wants this one finished and sold. That is how the deficiency list helps him.

Originally Posted by Mike Tao

Dear All:

I am a new bee in the home inspection field.
My client tried to tie up the final and one year inspections.
I am just wondering how to charge for those two inspections.
Do you offer any discounts?

Thanks,

Mike

i'd discount around 2% if they paid for both now
no discount for future work
i'd be at same price for same house 1yr
my next year cost of living/doing business increase is their discount for future work

There are a lot of variables. I don't normally give discounts, however I have told people they don't owe me anything at the end of the inspection.

If I had a client that wanted to schedule two inspections, I "might" give them a discount. Depends on the house, and the client. How far is the drive, are they nice people? There are some homes I make great money on, and others I leave knowing I didn't charge enough. Same goes for discounts. Sometimes a few dollars comes back as a lot of business in the future.

If they were willing to pay for both inspections, I would probably give them a decent discount. People in new neighborhoods talk, and you might get a fair amount of business from this inspection. Ask them to pass your business cards among their neighbors, and talk about your service.

You could consider the discount as money spent on marketing. Ask them to write an endorsement for your web site.

Thanks all for your inputs.
Deeply appreciate!