People Often Ask, “Why Don’t You Have A Set inspection Fee?”
Simple answer, in home inspection, one size does not fit all.
Some homes or condos can be inspected in around 2 hours but some can take over 4 hours and it takes around 2 hours to complete a report on some homes or condos and over 4 hours on others.
Money: Let’s put things in perspective: If you’re buying a $1,000,000 house and the inspection costs $1,000, that’s less than 0.001% of the cost of the house! Most real estate agencies charge around 5.00% to sell a home, that would be $50,000 for a $1,000,000 house! The cost of a home inspection is a bargain compared to the real estate agent’s commission.
If the inspection finds serious problems, your $1,000 could end up saving you many thousands of dollars. If the inspection turns up little wrong with the house, you’ve bought some relatively inexpensive peace of mind.
Potential home buyer: How much does your home inspection cost?
Home Inspector: $1,000 dollars.
Potential home buyer: That’s too expensive!
Home Inspector: How much do you think it should cost?
Potential home buyer: $500 max!
Home Inspector: Sorry, my service is more valuable than that.
Potential home buyer: People in your line of work charge too much.
Home Inspector: I’m sorry you feel this way. Why don’t you do the inspection yourself?
Potential home buyer: I’m not licensed and I don’t know how or what to inspect.
Home Inspector: Okay, I can teach you how to inspect. Normally I charge $2500 for beginning home inspectors to apprentice with me for a month, then you can sign up and take the required 40 educational credits (at $25 per credit) to obtain your junior home inspector license. You’ll need to purchase the state required insurance coverage that will cost you $3000 and after you finish your educational courses, you will need to buy inspection tools, including a drone. Oh, and you will need to either purchase or subscribe to an inspection report writing program, all told, will probably take a few months and only cost you around $12,000.
Potential home buyer: Well, it sounds a bit time consuming and expensive to be a home inspector. Maybe $1000 is a reasonable fee for a professional home inspection. How quickly can you schedule an inspection?
Remember: You’re not just paying for an inspection; you are paying for knowledge, experience, tools, time, family sacrifices, and other things a licensed home inspector brings to the table.
Remember, home inspectors know the value of their service and charge accordingly. (FYI, in Massachusetts, if a real estate agent, other than a true buyers agent, recommends or steers you to a particular home inspector, they are violating the real estate licensing law). For a quote or appointment click Inspection Quote / Appointment Request Form.