Thread: Inspection Start Times

I don't get these requests often but it never ceases to amaze me when somebody asks me to start an inspection at 4pm or later at this time of year. After daylight savings kicked in, it gets dark at 5:00pm around here. I finished one inspection in the dark where I was trying to wrap up the exterior and said never again.

Do any of you start inspections when nightfall is only 1 hour away?

My start times are 9am and 1:30pm. I will sometimes adjust my start times if my morning inspection is going to take longer, and move the pm job till 2:30 or 3pm. I won't start later than 3pm
I will sometimes start earlier than 9am if there isn't a problem getting in early.

I remind clients to the limited hour of sunlight for afternoon inspections. However since I arrive one half hour early at all inspections I have never had a problem.

1/2 hour early?? What time do you start?

The problem I have found with starting an inspection early with a good bit a time before the buyer arrives is that while I may get a lot done before they get there, I end up taking them around and going over the same things I just looked at without them there and spending the same amount of time with the recap. So while I think I am getting done early, I am actually adding time to the inspection. But getting the roof done before their arrival works well because they aren't coming up there with me. And showing them the pics I took on my camera satisfies them.

Originally Posted by Nick Ostrowski

The problem I have found with starting an inspection early with a good bit a time before the buyer arrives is that while I may get a lot done before they get there, I end up taking them around and going over the same things I just looked at without them there and spending the same amount of time with the recap. So while I think I am getting done early, I am actually adding time to the inspection.

Ditto...but I still do it.

In winter, I won't start after 3:00 and in summer, I won't start after 4:00 just because I hate working later than that. So, I often start before the buyers show. I try to make inspections at 9:00 and 2:00 but I try to be flexible. I try hard to avoid Saturdays, but did two last Saturday including one that had very cool ruins of an 1860's stagecoach stop in the backyard.

Jack

If the inspection is scheduled for 3:30 or 4 pm I arrive one half hour early as I do with any of my inspections regardless of the time scheduled.

I'm pretty much the same as Jack. If it is within 10 miles I will start at 9am, but if it is towards downtown it is 9:30 start due to traffic on I-65 that I have to deal with!

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

I'm pretty much the same as Jack. If it is within 10 miles I will start at 9am, but if it is towards downtown it is 9:30 start due to traffic on I-65 that I have to deal with!

Within 10 miles? I can count on one hand the inspections I have done inside 10 miles over the course of 14 years. Most of mine are 80-100 miles one way, so I normally schedule at 10 and 2.

My start times are 10am and 3pm year round. That way I miss rush hour getting to the inspections. In the winter the roads are typically plowed by 10am and I have a good hour before it's too dark to see outside.

Being in Minnesota, I'd have to have a noon start time if I wanted to finish the inspection by the time it was dark outside.

Years back, when I worked for a national company based in Georgia, I was ordered by the Regional Manager, Vice President, and President of the company (on separate, consecutive days) to start inspections at 5pm in the winter. I explained to them, in a rather harsh tone, that by 5pm it's been dark for an hour and questioned how the hell I was supposed to inspect the exterior of a house in the dark.

Originally Posted by Duane Nelson

Within 10 miles? I can count on one hand the inspections I have done inside 10 miles over the course of 14 years. Most of mine are 80-100 miles one way, so I normally schedule at 10 and 2.

You beat me. Most of mine are 30+ miles one way but rarely over 65 miles one way. It's part of the price of living in paradise----like propane, or the electricity going off every other week or it's 45 min away to get that 13 cent part to fix the sink faucet Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.

Taking time off from work isn't always easy for some people, often due to difficult employment situations. I have found that trying to accommodate people leaves favorable impressions and can lead to more referrals.

Sorry, working after dark is outside my comfort zone. Hats off to you guys that are comfortable doing it though.
Actually, with my aging eyes, dusk is the worst time of day for me.

Typically I schedule inspections for 9:00 am and 2:00 pm slots. In summer will go out as late as 4:00 if needed. This time of year it gets dark quick, so I try to schedule large complex properties at the 9:00 am slot.

I had someone call me Wednesday At 3:00, the day before Thanksgiving, ask me if I could be at the house tomorrow (Thanksgiving Day) morning. I said No, I will be in the office Friday at 9:00am and check my calendar and will call you then. She then said (and I quote) "So you'll be there Friday at 9:00?" I said , No, I'll call; you.
I bet I'm going to be too busy for the next few days, Sorry.

I'll start as late as 4:30 until DST kicks in. During DST, I never start later than 3. I always do Site, Exterior and Roof first so they're done before the sun goes down. Although I check windows from the outside too, when the sun goes down earlier, the first thing I do when I go in the house is check the windows from the inside. Certain glass defects are more visible from the inside. after that is done, outside light doesn't matter for the rest of the inspection. If it's a really big house, I'll try and put it in the am start.

Maybe its just me, but there are many times I need to take a second of third look at something outside at the end of the inspection.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

Maybe its just me, but there are many times I need to take a second of third look at something outside at the end of the inspection.

It is you......sometimes I need a fourth look.....and I really hate that extra trip back up on the roof.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

Maybe its just me, but there are many times I need to take a second of third look at something outside at the end of the inspection.

This can be accomplished with a flashlight. On the second, third or fourth trip outside you'd be looking for a specific thing and a flashlight works just fine.

Originally Posted by Ken Rowe

This can be accomplished with a flashlight. On the second, third or fourth trip outside you'd be looking for a specific thing and a flashlight works just fine.

If you carry the proper equipment a flashlight can easily do the job. Unless you're familiar with some of the power that is now available you might doubt this.

TK35 .... Done!

This is serious thread drift, but if looking at things after dark is so easy with just a flashlight, why don't we hear of guys starting inspections at 6pm?

Again, its a comfort level thing. I'm not comfortable doing inspections after dark. Hats off to you guys that are.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

This is serious thread drift, but if looking at things after dark is so easy with just a flashlight, why don't we hear of guys starting inspections at 6pm?

Again, its a comfort level thing. I'm not comfortable doing inspections after dark. Hats off to you guys that are.

How does going back outside to look at a specific thing with a flashlight equate to easily conducting the entire exterior inspection, in the dark, with only a flashlight? The two are not the same and nobody here claimed they were.

Sorry I must have offended you. My point was meant mostly in jest.

I was just taking the comment about going to look at one thing with a flashlight being so easy, and taking it to the next step. If you can look at one thing just fine with a flashlight, then you should be able to look at 5 things with a flashlight. If you can look at 5 things, then why not do the entire inspection after dark with a flashlight? Sorry, you didn't get my sense of humor

Like I said before, its a comfort zone thing for me. I'm not comfortable doing inspections after dark. Good for you guys that have no problems with it. Dusk is the worst time of day for me as far as vision goes (its hell getting old), so I like to finish around 4:30 - 5:00.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

Sorry I must have offended you. My point was meant mostly in jest.

I was just taking the comment about going to look at one thing with a flashlight being so easy, and taking it to the next step. If you can look at one thing just fine with a flashlight, then you should be able to look at 5 things with a flashlight. If you can look at 5 things, then why not do the entire inspection after dark with a flashlight? Sorry, you didn't get my sense of humor

Like I said before, its a comfort zone thing for me. I'm not comfortable doing inspections after dark. Good for you guys that have no problems with it. Dusk is the worst time of day for me as far as vision goes (its hell getting old), so I like to finish around 4:30 - 5:00.

You didn't offend me at all. But as soon as I added my previous post I figured someone would respond by accusing me of inspecting houses in the dark..blah, blah, blah.

Here in MN, if I didn't finish after dark, I could only do one inspection per day in the winter.

I don't start unless I have at least an hour of daylight left - that puts it around 3:30 at this time of year. If I have to go back outside after it's dark I have a strong enough light to take care of a second look. Doing a full inspection of the exterior in the dark is another thing.

3pm is about the latest I'm comfortable to start at this time of year, even with condos I prefer to have some daylight for looking at the windows. The times that I started later than prudent are strong memories.