Pricing Inspections

I constantly receive phone calls, the first question being, how much does your inspection cost? My best answer is, not enough! Let me explain.

I understand that a prospective client naturally wants to know what the cost will be. But you can give me all the information you have on the house but you still haven't told me what is going to take up my time and that is how I determine the cost - hours times $105. After 25 years of inspecting, I have determined that neither size nor travel really costs my time. Rather it is the accessibility of the crawl-space, examination of problems to determine their extent, the plethora of occupants' personal items and furniture, compiling your specific 13 or 14 page report, time spent on the phone before and after the inspection, and, especially, how many questions are you going to ask me on any house and unrelated subjects during the inspection. I am happy and willing to do all the above - but be prepared to pay me!

I am an honest inspector and will undertake the inspection and report in as thorough and economical a way that I can. But I really cannot know what a fair cost will be until the report is completed.

On the size question, ponder this. The realtor tells you that the house is, say, 2,000 sq. ft. To me, as an inspector, that represents 24,000 sq. ft - a multiplier effect of between 10 and 15. Don't believe me? Well I have to evaluate all floors (both sides), all ceilings, all walls (both sides), and the roof (both sides). Do the math. And then there are systems and appliances, panel boxes and HVAC. Phew! All that in 2 ½ - 3 hours?

Simply put I have not seen your prospective home and I cannot tell how long the inspection will take. I will give you a ball-park estimate but if I give you a report packed with items you can take back to your seller for a cash rebate, please don't quibble about a few extra dollars.

The good news is that, for many years, I have given a guarantee. If your report does not contain repair costs at least equal to the cost of the inspection, then your inspection with me is free. I have never had to honor this because my reports usually (although I cannot guarantee it!) contain many times the cost of the report in repairs. You can then go back to the sellers for restitution at least equal to the cost of the report. Thus my report - whatever its cost - is free! The same applies to environmental testing - for the cost and peace of mind, you might want to get the bad news BEFORE you buy - so that the seller can bear the cost. Buyer beware!

So, with that slight detour, back to original question, how much? I have a reputation for being thorough and my inspections take time, so expect to pay around $350/400 for a 2000 sq. ft. house. Don't expect to save much on a smaller house though. I still have to drive there and back, inspect essentially the same items and write the report. A small house is probably cluttered, taking an inordinate amount of time, and can often have more faults that a larger one which means more time report-writing.

Many inspectors do a 40-minute inspection, give a check list and find very little wrong with a house. Is that what you want? Please phone around to compare apples with apples but how much can you save on the cost of an inspection? Ask my competitors - how long have they been in business (a low NC license # will tell you this), are they members of the BBB, how long will their inspection of the house take, are their reports check list only/hand-written (avoid these), when can you expect the report, do they give repair estimates, can you see a sample report etc.

The very last question should be, what is the cost? Do your due diligence and select your inspector. If you are trusting him with the responsibility of inspecting your new house, also trust him to charge you a fair price too - it makes sense.