Frank, just tell everybody to bite you or go f*ck off! They will get the picture.
Thanks James!
Ask yourself, would he still be your hero if the old woman was your mother/ grandmother who paid $800 for a condo inspection??
I have another hero for you. A plumber who charged my 81 year old neighbor $500 to change her kitchen faucet.
Yes he would.
As long as you feel like taking me to task…why were you not consulted on the kitchen faucet. You could have stepped in to save the day. After all you have the answers, or opinions.
I do not view this guy as a predator. He is a high priced home inspector who is working. That is what I admire. I don’t feel we charge enough as it is.
Have a nice day.
You are worth what you are paid. Not a dime more.
The highest I have been able to get on a 850 sq ft condo was $475 in St. Louis. There are plenty of guys around here who would have charged $225, or less. There is nothing “dishonest” in being the highest paid inspector in your market.
New Jersey was (I haven’t seen the recent stats) the highest priced real estate in the U.S. and why should it not deserve the highest priced home inspections. Only a fool would charge less if the market will bare the full price.
Honesty is charging what you are worth. I have read posts from inspectors who would be “dishonest” to charge this lady $125 for their particular services.
Let’s all strive to be worthy of $800 for the condo. Maybe someday we will.
It sounded predatory to me…
I agree. Would this inspection be “sad” or “predatory” if the buyer was **not **a senior?
Jim, in NJ we’re licensed. I think the $800 is the exception rather than the norm.
I think this first statement about says it all…
“wanted extensive experience” and "done with all her “questions”; This makes me think it was well worth the price paid!
When will you all learn? It’s not about the building your inspecting, it’s about what the client wants to know about the building!
I’m sure 45 pages of information is just what the client was looking for. It may be fluff to you, but what about the client?
When someone calls and asks; “how much do you charge”?
What is the first thing you ask?
a. How big is the house?
b. What do you want to know about the house?
If you answer (a), your in the group of HI’s that will never make it to the $800 condo level.
It’s no wonder why sales are up on used: Thermal Cameras, Blower Doors, Radon testers, mold sampling equip etc…
You can’t just buy it and expect the phone to ring!
And you’ll never make it giving it away for free because it’s just a marketing tool !
The polled “average wage” for a level II thermographer is $985/day, $135/hr for building inspection. It takes 20 min (average) to set up a blower door. Two trips to conduct a Radon Test.
I really think that with all the research the client conducted in this case, they found just what they were looking for.
David, I actually stood up and cheered your post! That was spot on and a good dose of reality.
I, myself, have done my fair share of whining because I lost a job to someone, or am sitting home while others are working. My sitting home was by and large my own fault and the ability to raise my prices WILL be my own doing.
I made a post earlier in this thread about licenses and that being the reason why prices are low in NJ. The Lic. really has little to do with it. If you raise your game, the prices will follow suit.
Can I sit back down now!:mrgreen:
Well said.
Perhaps the client wanted/needed all of that information.
I’m still waiting to see where he was dishonest.
Seems you’re upset about one or more of the following:
The fee: $800
The inspection time: 4 hours
The report length: 45 pages
If he spent 2 hours on the report and drove 30 min each way, he made about $115/hr. That doesn’t seem obscene to me, rather what we should all be striving for.
Now, if the client complained that she got 45 pages of crap and didn’t need to listen to 4 hours of the inspector telling/showing her about every item in her home, then it’s a different story.
Perhaps, though, her late husband took care of all home maintance items and she had no clue about anything in the house or what she should do if rugs get wet. In that case, it may be the best $800 she ever spent.
Point is, we don’t know what the client expected or if that expectation was met or not.
To call someone dishonest simply because he took 4 hours on an inspecton with a little old lady, charged for his time and delivered a detailed report, is irresponsible, IMO.
If you have additional evidence to suggest otherwise, by all means let us know. What you have shown, so far, IMO doesn’t qualify as dishonest.
You guys are nuts, you all know damm well that $800.00 for a small condo is on the high side of things… But then from an Older Woman too???’
Sounds like theft to me???
Remind me to watch my wallet if we encounter each other…
C’mon, Brian, you know inflation is creeping up again…must be 1% this year…these guys gotta keep up!!
Blunt and to the point. Well said!
Me, too.
$800 for a two bedroom condo does seem high. So does spending 4 hours. I’m not saying the inspector did not take advantage of the client, but I can’t be sure he did, either.
IMO, putting out that someone is dishonest because he charges roughly $115/hour is irresponsible.
How much should he have charged in order to be considered honest?
What if he charged $200 and the inspection took an hour and a half, but the client didn’t get all her questions answered? IMO, that is worse.
Again, we don’t know all the details. I have a feeling that there was a lot more 'consultation" than “inspection”, in this case.
If I put out there that I took 4 hours on an inspection and 2 more on the report, drove 30 miles each way and charged $250, half the membership would call me a lowballer.
Oh, and if we encounter each other, leave your wallet behind. I’m buyin’ 
I might add that if this inspector does a four hour condo inspection and charges significantly less for non-seniors, then ceratinly there would be an issue.
Was it RR doing a tech inspection and sitting down with the lady for a few margaritas? 800 sounds about accurate.
I agree with this Rick… and you are correct there really was not enough info One way or the Other…I just took another Certified Inspectors word on the matter…
It has been my Experience that often times Seniors and specifically Senior Women get overcharged by less than scrupulous People working at their home…