Do you write a cost estimate for repair after inspection?

I usually tell clients in the inspection that an inspection is not to create a detail maintenance or repair list, they would have to look for the contractor for that matter.

Many people ask for cost estimates. I never give them unless it’s something really minor. (new GFCI, etc.)

Ditto what Eric says, but I will add that I don’t give any estimates in writing, only verbal on minor things like downspout extensions…

I’ve never given an estiamte in writing, but as I have been a contractor for 10 years i can/do give ball park ideas. (ie: a new roof can cost around $7000-8500, or new service panel will run around $2000)…

Nope, I talk about it with them but nothing in writing.

I give a written cost estimate with the repair list on every report I have written from the git go in my 16th year of doing so, never had a problem

I have to. Every single inspector in Richmond Va does it. Even the $195 inspection guy does it. I would be out of business if I didn’t. If you don’t have to dont do it.

Hell no.

How is an inspector supposed to know what it will cost?

Each contractor has different costs and overhead.

Any time I have ever seen it done it is pure bullcrap.

I have been asked and I tell them it is crap in advance and is in no way guaranteed to be even close. Just a useless guess.

Those who do it are full of it as far as I am concerned. Unless you do it for a living you are just guessing.

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Same here…year 18! :smiley:

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Never. I’m not Mike Holmes either. I am not in the business of backing up any repair estimates either.

Neither is Mike Holmes.

It’s a TV program :wink:

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As a licensed Electrical contractor for over 25+ years I may give an off the cuff rough “Guesstimate” but NEVER in writing and always with the acknowledgement that it is only a guesstimate at best. But I mainly tell them no.

Jim

You guys are just giving a guessestimate and not the actual estimate, how would you know what contractor they might hire to do the job and how much would be the estimate for them, if you as an inspector give them an estimate of a damage roof let say you told them it will cost them $7000 to repair the roof and they go find a roof contractor and they gave them an estimate of $10000 for the repair, what happen next, they might tell the contractor that is the estimate the inspector give them, we are no contractor here, we only report for any damage an safety issue, we are a fact finder not and appraiser or contractor.

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You will be the first to know…if it ever happens.:wink:

This is what happens.

Oh yes, but we must beat out the other guy!

Oh, hell!
No one said I had to look at the crawl space!
They did’t pay extra for that’!!??

No, if it is the case you always bring up anytime this topic is mentioned, it is what happens when you operate out of the scope of inspections.
Once again, irrelevant.

As I suspected:

Here in south Florida it is as good as required. Just about every inspector does and if they say they don’t on a discussion such as here, they probably still do. The realtors, I find all ask and the clients almost always want to have a ballpark figure. 10 contractors can bid the same job and all of them will be different and range from extremely low to ridiculously high. If someone is backing out of a deal due to a bad roof, it’s not going to be because someone said it was 8700 to replace and another said it was 10300 to. Theyre pulling out period. That’s my .02.

Bert

NOT ME.

I will not do it because it is wrong and inaccurate.

Mostly because it is inaccurate. I sure am not going to go through the trouble to get their estimates for them. I will for one heck of a fee but otherwise will not.

I even state it in my contract. Unless you contract contractors and get bids it is nothing more than an educated guess and a good way to piss off a client when it is off.

Yep.