cut inspection short

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#1

Originally Posted By: kbliss
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Today i did an Inspection on a mobile home for a lady moving here from Mass. she has never seen this home before. She found me from www.FindAnInspector.US so to make a long story short I set everything up and went to the inspection site today. Well This place was very old and not in a very good area for an older woman, there had been tenants in there before and there was damage to both baths, i was told by the owner. Well there was so much termite damage in this place around the windows and the extrior studs I could actually push on the walls and they would move back and forth. There were numerous soft spots in the floors and where the two halves, it was a double wide, were joined the piece of trim on the cieling was destroyed by termites.


I called the women up and asked if she had seen this place before and said no. I told here she did not want this house and told her all the problems. She thanked me, now do I charge her the full price, I`m not even going to do a report it was that bad. I looked around and decided it was a waste of my time because the place should be hauled off. I could not find anything positive. I`ll post some pics when I get time.

Kurt Bliss

#2

Originally Posted By: kpapp
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Kurt,


You can charge or not charge that is up to you. The way I look at it, Time is money no matter how you look at it. It cost you $$ for your time and $$ for wear and tear on you car/truck. Up to you though

#3

Originally Posted By: dbush
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Kurt, how much time did you spend on it? I would charge by the hour for it, because you know that she will call you when she finds another place. I think the good relations you get would be worth more than the full price of the inspection that you are not completing.

–
Dave Bush


MAB Member


"LIFE'S TOUGH, WEAR A HELMET"
#4

Originally Posted By: gbell
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Hey Kurt,


I would charge her just what you told her you would. You have done your job and gave her the knowledge she needed to make a wise decision on the property. I would go ahead and write a report, while the property is fresh in your mind. Someone down the road may want


something in writing.


Just my 2 cents

--
Greg Bell
Bell Inspection Service

#5

Originally Posted By: jrooff
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Kurt,


I would, and this is only me, write the report and send a letter with it saying I just could not justify charging you full price on a call like this, and charge what you need. Last but not least in the letter I would say that if she finds another property, that you would be glade to inspect it for her with the same honesty and thoroughness.


James,

#6

Originally Posted By: mpatton
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Kurt,


I had an investment property with the buyers out of town sometime back with a similar situation. The primary difference being that they were aware that I use digital photos, and they asked if I would send them some pictures, which I did. I also sent a note that basically identified that this was not an inspection and that I do not pass or fail a property that the pictures were for their use. I have since performed 4 more multi family inspections for them. In this case they offered the $100 for my time and trouble, I accepted.

I have a cancellation policy that if you cancel same day, especially after I am in route the customer owes me $100. I also inform them that $50 of this will go toward the next inspection scheduled. This has worked out well, I have performed second inspections several times, I have one this Saturday that falls into this scenario.

Long winded, but you get the idea.

--
Michael Patton
AA Home Inspection
Serving Northern KY & Greater Cincinnati OH

AA@AAHomeInspection.net
www.AAHomeInspection.net

#7

Originally Posted By: kbliss
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Thanks everyone for your response. I didnt do a "full" inspection, let me reword this; maybe it was a full inspection I just couldnt inspect the whole property because for one the bathrooms were torn apart, and the electric was shut off at the service panel. I just have never had an inspection like this. How could someone even consider selling a house in this condition. I spent about 2 hrs total travel and inspection even if I was able to do a complete inspection, a small double wide wouldnt take too long anyways so I really think I should charge what I told her and maybe knock off a little for the next one. We cant work for free and we shouldn`t.


Kurt Bliss

#8

Originally Posted By: jhagarty
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icon_question.gif

–
Joseph Hagarty


HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.
#9

Originally Posted By: jmyers
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Kurt,


I believe Joe H is making a good point. You did schedule the inspection and could not put any more in that time space, there by making this a losing proposition twice over. Once for this client and the one that you could not schedule because of it.

I have had people tell me to stop the inspection also. When they do they are still charged the full price and if they use me the second time I do offer them a $30 discount but that is all. I don't like doing the discounted inspections, it takes full price work from my fellow brothers and sisters.

The last guy that I had preformed an inspection for wanted me to discount my current fee about 1/3 of what I normally charge because this is the second inspection that he wanted done. I say thanks but no thanks! I simply state that if you are looking for a $200 inspection there are plenty of them to choose from, I am not one of them! ![icon_biggrin.gif](upload://iKNGSw3qcRIEmXySa8gItY6Gczg.gif)

Follow your head and not your heart, this is a business decision. Leave your emotions out of this decision.

Joe Myers

#10

Originally Posted By: wcampbell
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Kurt said : I called the women up and asked if she had seen this place before and said no. I told here she did not want this house and told her all the problems.


Kurt, if this house had been in Texas, you could have been in trouble for giving real estate advice with out a license.

All we are allowed to do is give the condition of the property and let the client make up their own mind what they want to do with the information.

--
This Ole House-Home Inspections
William A. Campbell TREC # 6372
Serving the Texas Coastal Bend
(361) 727-0602 (home)
(361) 727-0055 (office)
(361) 229-4103 (cell)

#11

Originally Posted By: kbliss
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Will


Ya I thought about that part of giving real estate advice and I probably shouldn`t of done that, I rationalized it being a FSBO. I`m going to do a report and charge the full amount, after all it was my time and someone else said that filled up that spot so that I couldn`t schedule anyone else.

Kurt Bliss

#12

Originally Posted By: jmyers
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William,


What do you do when the client asks you if the house is a dump?

Maybe you could explain to us how telling her the house was a dump and she did not want it would be considered giving her "real estate advice".

Joe Myers

#13

Originally Posted By: kbliss
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Joe


Ya Joe, I looked at it like this, I was just being honest with her. If that means that I was giving advice well then all I was telling her was what I was reporting.

Kurt Bliss

#14

Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley
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Kurt,


I have been in a couple of similar situations, as I am sure we all have. Unfortunately, with all of the snowbirds down here, about half of my inspections are without the buyer present. Heck, some of the agents are so lazy they don't show up either. I simply do a complete report and call out all of the major defects. When I talk to the buyer, I simply tell them the way it is. I don't think I have ever told a buyer not to buy the house in so many words, but I have gotten my point across so that the buyer didn't buy the house. I am paid for my knowledge and opinion of the property, and have never considered it giving real estate advice without a license.

Ain't life fun walking on the fence and not falling off on either side? ![icon_lol.gif](upload://zEgbBCXRskkCTwEux7Bi20ZySza.gif) ![icon_lol.gif](upload://zEgbBCXRskkCTwEux7Bi20ZySza.gif) ![icon_lol.gif](upload://zEgbBCXRskkCTwEux7Bi20ZySza.gif)

Blaine

#15

Originally Posted By: kbliss
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Blaine,


I`m in snowbird alley here in N. Central Fl. and yes Most the time the buyer is not present and if they are they seem to be proccupied. Actually it really doesn`t bother me if the realtor does not show up, I have a lock box key. I work better without distractions. I basically gave her the facts about the home and that is it, I`m looking out for my client.

Kurt Bliss

#16

Originally Posted By: wcampbell
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Joe, here in Texas calling a property a dump is making an opinion about it. We are only to report on the CONDITION of the systems.


We are not allowed to make an OPINION either way good or bad. We are not allowed to answer the question "Would YOU buy this house?"

These are considered to be giving real estate advice.

Hey. I didn't write the rules, OK?

--
This Ole House-Home Inspections
William A. Campbell TREC # 6372
Serving the Texas Coastal Bend
(361) 727-0602 (home)
(361) 727-0055 (office)
(361) 229-4103 (cell)

#17

Originally Posted By: kbliss
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Will


I understand. The rules are sometimes stupid, no common sense used in making them especially in the litigious era we are in.

Kurt Bliss

#18

Originally Posted By: jmyers
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William,


I am not saying you are wrong or anything like that, I was just curious how calling a house a dump was considered giving real estate advice.

I understand they require you to report only the condition but I really do have to say that stating things are in poor condition is essentially calling the house a dump! Know what I mean! ![icon_biggrin.gif](upload://iKNGSw3qcRIEmXySa8gItY6Gczg.gif) Who are we to question that kind of wisdom!

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if I would buy this house!

Joe Myers

#19

Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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Will’s approach is correct for Texas. I’ve had to bite my tongue plenty already. Sometimes you just want to tell them the place is a dump but one mans trash is another mans treasure.


I inspected a place yesterday with FPE panel, aluminum branch wire and friggin bolted burglar bars on all the windows and doors. Man, I wanted to shout "death trap". Can't do it. Can only inform them of the facts.

If a person is used to living in a cardboard box, moving into a termite invested, mold forest may be an upgrade. Who do we think we are if we tell them to run don't walk away. We should just tell it like it is, observe and report. It's not our responsibility to determine whether or not a deal is a good one. Personally, I don't want that responsibility.

--
Inspection Nirvana!

We're NACHI. Get over it.

#20

Originally Posted By: tgardner
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I inspected a $500K house last week that had a stone fireplace that had moved 1.5" in the last four years. (You know paint doesn’t stretch well.) PLUS had WDI evidence, PLUS had wet rot on a majority of the joists in the crawl, PLUS had rainbow colored mold and fungus growing 12 yeaqrs worth of dryer lint that vented to the crawl. I wrote it up - recommended a structural engineer (I am a PE but, Whew!) be hired to check out the crawl space and the the stone chimney.


The buyer followed my suggestion, and what do you know? the PE he hired gave the place a clean bill. Go Figure. Well I CMA.

tg