Thread: Realtors lying about house size

I have to double check every booking lately. Today an agent booked an inspection for a 1700 sf house, looking it up on Zillow it is 2700 sf, a difference of $150 for me and of course the client doesn't understand why they were quoted one price and the inspection is $150 more. Told them oh well, the agent told me the wrong SQ Ft.
Anybody else running into this?

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Originally Posted by Benjamin Thompson

I have to double check every booking lately. Today an agent booked an inspection for a 1700 sf house, looking it up on Zillow it is 2700 sf, a difference of $150 for me and of course the client doesn't understand why they were quoted one price and the inspection is $150 more. Told them oh well, the agent told me the wrong SQ Ft.
Anybody else running into this?

A Realtor once and a few clients over the years. The one with the Realtor I was asked by the Realtor if I could keep the price the same because the clients were on a budjet I told her I was on a budjet as well, no. The clients understood with the exception of one and that client said a home inspection was not worth that much so If I could keep the price the same I could still do the inspection I told him no thanks.

The one with the Realtor had the client out of town. She also told me that the inspector she usually refers was getting too pricey and if she liked my inspection my prices were great, she would refer me. Needless to say I do not get referrals from that Realtor

Happens all the time.... I look up most houses on the local tax records search and on Zillow/Redfin, etc. I particularly like getting pictures before I give a price. I'll regularly bid a house higher or lower depending on what I see in the pics. I don't know about others but I think my time on a newer 3000 sq ft place is about the same as an old 900 sq ft dump.

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to just not knowing the specs. Honestly, I get just as many buyers and agents overstating sq ft as under.

I really try to not ever focus too much on any one house. Over the long haul for every one house you get screwed a bit on there's one you get off easy.

I check the listings for upcoming inspections all the time and I see square footage discrepancies sometimes. Sometimes there is unfinished basement space not included. Sometimes the info is so screwed up, you wonder if you're looking at the right house.

It used to happen all the time when I worked for a national company. Now that my wife takes the inspection orders she looks up the square footage while taking the order.

i charge the same for anything under 5000 sq feet so I don't really worry about square footage. If the buyer is there I plan on being there about 3 - 3 1/2 hours regardless.

Whenever I find a realtor lying about the house, I give them a kick and tell them to get on their feet and look alert.

JAMES

don't understand the pricing you stated--same price for a 1100 sq ft inspection and a 4900 sqft inspection. can you explain how that works ?

thanks

cvf

Correct...I charge the same for a townhouse or a 4900 sq ft house. They take about the same amount of time so why bother with square footage or age. The agents who refer me know what I charge without asking. Has worked great for several years and so far things have averaged out fine.... I guess my price is high for a townhouse and low for a big house.

james

i just don't get that pricing- i think it is great to get $500 for the small one--but i would not be doing any inspection here if i charged that-and it takes the same ammount of time for a 1100 sq ft as it does for a 4000sqft--about how much time is that if you don't mind me asking. maybe i need to change my ways

cvf

Not sure how a 1100 SF townhouse can be close to the same time for a 4900 SF house.

I have a minimum fee, and it covers anything from 500SF to 2500SF. After that, its based on size and age.

Back to original topic....
I usually look up the house before I e-mail the contract. If there is a big difference, I will bring it up to my client. If its not a big difference, I don't care.

Couple of years ago we were scheduled for a 6,000 SF home. Turned out that is was the basement that was 6,000 and the home's total was "a bit" more. I think that more often than not it's just carelessness when it comes to entering the listing info.

If I do a small house I work slower so I don't get finished too quick and if I do a big house I work faster so I get finished in three hours or so. Same per hour....and a house is a house to me. Never have been impressed with big and showy...lots of wasted space..

james

are you kidding me with that reply ? or are you serious ?--you are there to serve your paying client and you cannot put a time frame on an inspection. milk it or zoom thru it

slow to satisfy you--fast to satisfy you.
have to admit that is the most unprofessional attitude i have ever heard from an inspector.

that's all i have to say about this

cvf

If I forced myself to get through an inspection of a large house (3,000+ sq ft) in three hours, I wouldn't be speaking to my client at all. No time for questions, no explanations given, nothing.

Not sure what the 3 hour thing is all about and how you can make that happen every time. I had two inspections on the same day a couple weeks ago where the 1st one was 5 hours and the 2nd one was 4 hours. It sucked in a big way (with reports still to be completed) but I don't know that there was any other way I could have gotten through them faster without shortchanging the buyers.

"If I do a small house I work slower so I don't get finished too quick and if I do a big house I work faster so I get finished in three hours or so. Same per hour....and a house is a house to me."
Sorry, but that makes very little sense to me.

Happens all the time to me. Their like,"oh..I forgot about the 2,000 sq ft unpermitted addition". I dont care, I just shoot'em the new price on the spot. If they dont want to go forward, I get a partial day off. Win/win either way for me.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

"If I do a small house I work slower so I don't get finished too quick and if I do a big house I work faster so I get finished in three hours or so. Same per hour....and a house is a house to me."
Sorry, but that makes very little sense to me.

After thinking about how he stated that I might almost agree in slight sense. If it is a small home/condo etc and it is the only job for the day or I have another small one in the afternoon I hang out a bit more, chat a bit more and more or less mozy around at a more relaxed pace knowing there is no hurry in anyway to get done.. That does not mean I run thru the next one because it is bigger. It also does not mean that if someone tells me it is 2400 square feet and it turns out to be 3400 that I don't charge more at that time. Yes, I charge more or it stops there. It is not my responsibility to dig into the sq ft of the home before I get there or pull up MLS listings or check on Zillo or what ever. Quite simply when I pull up and I see visually it is much larger they get a call and I ask them if they are almost there and if they are coming later I tell them to bring the extra check or cash for the difference in size.

There is no more or less to it. I house is a house is a house at 150,000 or 400,000, they pay accordingly.

A couple hundred feet more or less and I can care less.

I has caused me to add a clause to my contract stating that extra charges apply if the home is over xxx square feet. After all, you have accepted their signature on a contract for a certain price, you can't just walk away if you don't have a reason!

Originally Posted by Benjamin Thompson

I has caused me to add a clause to my contract stating that extra charges apply if the home is over xxx square feet. After all, you have accepted their signature on a contract for a certain price, you can't just walk away if you don't have a reason!

Well, me personally, I dont get signatures on my contract before the inspection date. So, I can walk away at any time. Cant speak for anyone else in here.

Originally Posted by Marc M

Well, me personally, I don't get signatures on my contract before the inspection date. So, I can walk away at any time. Cant speak for anyone else in here.

I don't get a contract signed so I can walk away any time I want and even if I did I could walk away any time I wanted. Why? Who wants a pissed off Home Inspector inspecting their home? That's right, no one. Way, way, way too much stock is taken with all the formality of a contract. In most cases today I see that contract or no contract, if you screw up , you are going to pay. I have heard of contracts actually protecting folks but that is limited, extremely, and that is slowly going away. Maybe in unlicensed states but I was in two unlicensed states before here and that never made a difference. I have heard of single inspectors having a Lawyer on retainer at all times . Maybe a company with multiple businesses or multiple inspectors and paid staff.

Payment because you have a signed contract. Never kept me from getting paid. One slider in years that did not pay me. One! So much for a need for the contract for that.

Originally Posted by Ted Menelly

I don't get a contract signed so I can walk away any time I want and even if I did I could walk away any time I wanted. Why? Who wants a pissed off Home Inspector inspecting their home? That's right, no one. Way, way, way too much stock is taken with all the formality of a contract. In most cases today I see that contract or no contract, if you screw up , you are going to pay. I have heard of contracts actually protecting folks but that is limited, extremely, and that is slowly going away. Maybe in unlicensed states but I was in two unlicensed states before here and that never made a difference. I have heard of single inspectors having a Lawyer on retainer at all times . Maybe a company with multiple businesses or multiple inspectors and paid staff.

Payment because you have a signed contract. Never kept me from getting paid. One slider in years that did not pay me. One! So much for a need for the contract for that.

I agree, contracts are useless. I think it may be manditory for E&O to have a signed contract to cover a claim?

Originally Posted by Marc M

I agree, contracts are useless.

I won't debate that contracts have their limitations - but useless? I still find substantial security in mine. What I'm constantly surprised by is how readily people sign things that are put in front of them. I guess their signatures don't mean as much to them as mine does to me.

Originally Posted by Marc M

I agree, contracts are useless. I think it may be manditory for E&O to have a signed contract to cover a claim?

I have E+O. I have even had to debate it with folks about story telling and I must have a contract.

My contract is the TRECS pre amble at the beginning of the state mandated formatted report. My contract is also the TREC SOPs. What more could I possibly need.

What I do not agree with is having to have on all advertising that there is a recovery fund thru TREC. That is worse than saying

"I have Professional Liability, come get me. Also there is a Texas recovery fund so if you have a foolish notion that I owe you something even though I don't, put a complaint into TREC. Even if you don't get me TREC will find a t not crossed or a misplaced picture and fine me a couple thousand or more." I heard someone got in trouble or was levied a dollar amount against him because "He told someone something that was not in the report" How could they possibly prove he said anything. One word against another.

Foolishness.

Originally Posted by Ted Menelly

I have E+O. I have even had to debate it with folks about story telling and I must have a contract.

My contract is the TRECS pre amble at the beginning of the state mandated formatted report. My contract is also the TREC SOPs. What more could I possibly need.

What I do not agree with is having to have on all advertising that there is a recovery fund thru TREC. That is worse than saying

"I have Professional Liability, come get me. Also there is a Texas recovery fund so if you have a foolish notion that I owe you something even though I don't, put a complaint into TREC. Even if you don't get me TREC will find a t not crossed or a misplaced picture and fine me a couple thousand or more." I heard someone got in trouble or was levied a dollar amount against him because "He told someone something that was not in the report" How could they possibly prove he said anything. One word against another.

Foolishness.

Hey Ted, what's TREC?

Originally Posted by Marc M

Hey Ted, what's TREC?

Texas real estate commission

Originally Posted by Ted Menelly

Who wants a pissed off Home Inspector inspecting their home?

You don't let them piss you off, do you, Ted?

Originally Posted by John Kogel

You don't let them piss you off, do you, Ted?

Pissed is fine. We just don't want to get angry