I agree, price should not be the deciding factor when choosing a home inspector. It should be the quality of your service. However, as a marketing technique, to break into the market, this low price offer for the first 6months, worked very well for me. Your results may very.
Look, Jacob…
Lowering your rates for “that reason” doesn’t make much sense. Put yourself in the ‘pants’ of the potential client. Would you hire someone cheaper knowingly that his performance is LOWER than the other guy? You can just lower your price to be more competitive, but NEVER give the impression that you come cheaper because you have less experience or less time out there doing Inspections. Supposedly, you should not take off with a plane full of people if you have no experience flying. If you are ready for your first inspection, you are READY to fly…! Just follow your procedures while complying with all the regulations and Minimum Standards of Practice for a Home Inspector. ‘Inhale and exhale’… take your time to do your job…!! Be there one hour earlier than anyone to check the exteriors in peace and without anyone looking over your shoulder. That will give you a head-start. When they get there, you can run them through the highlights of your findings. Remember, technically… you are in-charged in the field. No one there (realtor or client) has the preparation and knowledge that you have. Yes! You will feel more comfortable as the time goes by and you have more inspections under your belt, but if you feel that you are ready! DO NOT underprice your knowledge >> You will be doing yourself nor any other inspector any favors.
Blow their minds up with an accurate and rich report. Even consider going back to the property to double-check on any area that you may feel is necessary. Talk to your fellow inspectors to get a second opinion before you write down your recommendations. Take hundreds of pictures from different angles that you can re-visit to review your observations.
1 Like
Great idea!
Present yourself with an “introductory rate” for a few months or simply during any specific season: i.e. our “Fall Inspection Rates” will be 10% Lower. Print Coupons to give to Realtors.
Thanks for the advice Pedro. I totally agree with the introductory price method. Mainly because clients and agents know that it’s a temporary price.
Good informative graphic… BUT, I’m not convinced these companies aren’t using our data. Can’t imagine they’d only use it to give us graphs of our fees.
1 Like
I have another thought Alan. Would you start the 6 month introductory period with every new realtor? If you started with one realtor and then 2 months later a second realtor is using you for business, does the 6 months start over for them?
No, it was for the first six months only. If a realtor used me more than once during that 6months, they got the $125 fee every time. Every inspection for the first 6months. That is how I did it, you can do whatever you want, its your business.
That was a good one.
Here is the simple truth… If you’re any good at what you do then you will get more new clients and inspections down the road by doing more inspections today, that is the way a reputation is built.
To that end it’s your job to close as many inspections as you can in the shortest period of time when starting out, finding out how best to accomplish that task is called marketing. Pricing is more of an art than it is a science, erring either on the upside or downside is part of training which leads to experience. There is no secret sauce, yes low prices can work as part of a complete marketing strategy of trial error to keep you in the game.
2 Likes
Bingo! 
Goid points. Thanks.
Just to be clear, are you saying they should do fast inspections? (First sentence of second paragraph)
The more inspections you do is a method to do more inspections… Your best referrals come from past inspections, not fast inspections. Each inspections carries with it the potential to spawn at least four more inspections in the future, your goal is to still be in business when the referrals come marching in. They way to do that is to do more inspections today, in that case yes, price is a big picture consideration, be creative.