There are some real s h i t bums out there, too, like the agent today that stood next to me and my client as I was pointing to the black ooze flowing down the hill from the septic system toward the neighbor’s backyard…explaining how maybe we can convince the seller to split the cost of having it pumped.
It was installed two years ago…one bedroom home.
In Missouri, our septic installers are licensed (registered). This is how well our government programs work in Missouri. Just last year, they cut the education requirements for installers and inspectors. I can only see more problems ahead. A State Representative even asked me about the State Sewer Program, last week. I told him what was going on and he just shook his head and said “the government can about screw up anything”. Sad but true.
Installed by a licensed septic installer and inspected by a city code official.
Licensing solves nothing.
Especially when the people writing the laws (see previous post) have so much disconnect with the on the ground effects of their actions.
“Hey, don’t blame us. We passed a law.”
There has to be enforcable follow-up.
And these guys have to take responsibilty for their actions.
Oh, and “registration” is not the same as state licensing.
Hope this helps;
It is a numbers game James. You just need to keep marketing YOURSELF. Let everyone you know you are a Home Inspector. 
It does take some time to start up a successful HI business.
Me? I have posted my prices from day one but I find that this is one of the most foolish threads that could ever be posted on the public side of the message board, ask yourself one simple question… Who does this conversation serve? ](*,)
Who does it harm? Most buyers choose a home inspector in 10 seconds or less. No consumer researches us any more than that. Within that window of opportunity, the most diligent of consumers may notice your logo or picture, read one sentence on your brochure or website, and get a quick glimpse at your fee schedule… and that’s if you are lucky. Nine out of ten times, if they pick up your brochure at all, it only takes a glossy heavy-weight paper to cause them (in seconds) to look for your phone number so they can schedule. To quote a fellow member… “Sad but true.”
Trying to increase your value proposition by lowering price is bad math in the end (bottom line), for inspectors.
Try getting away from set pricing.
When a price shopper calls give them the best price and when a serious buyer calls back by a soiled referral make up the reduced price you gave the price shopper.
Set pricing can cost you more through this recession. Be flexible and KNOW YOUR MARKET AREAS.
10 seconds or less, BS Nick. Well maybe just the Move In Certified Inspectors…
Few consumers research inspectors to death. So the number of bean-counting clients you’ll gain by increasing your value proposition by lowering your price… doesn’t compensate for… the number of clients you’ll lose by appearing startlingly cheap. Who wants fewer clients, each paying less?
Don’t “stand out” with a silly low price structure. It conflicts with the first 6 sentences of post#1 of this thread.
Ask any Missouri licensed sewer inspector, the difference is only inspectors has to take four days of clasees instead of two days to hold a license. I have been behind enough licensed sewer inspectors to know the two extra days does not seem to help.](*,)
If your prices are generally lower than your competition I say post them on your site. You won’t have to sell your services because there will be no need to justify why you charge what you do.
Rarely do I receive a call with the potential client wanting to know where I received my training, what my background is, if I carry insurance, how long my inspections take, what my reporting looks like or anything like that. They ALWAYS want to know how much I charge.
My prices are not posted because I know I’m not the cheapest inspector in the area. I want clients to call me in an attempt to make them feel comfortable with my services and to explain that not all HI’s are the same. If I am able to schedule the inspection it’s because I was able to justify my fee.
There are of course exceptions but for the most part you get what you pay for. Then there are those inspectors who charge substantially more than everyone else for whatever reason. I consider my fee structure to be upper middle.
so now the choice for clients researching HI’s is somewhere between 10 seconds and until I die. Hahahahahaha. pretty wide band Nick.
Let us ponder what you have said about the 10 seconds, lets say this is true.
Why then would I spend any time at all with any of the INACHI provided marketing if only ten seconds of it is going to be looked at. just saying…
My expereince tells me people take a litlle longer than ten seconds.
I would agree 10 seconds decides if they will look or pass.
My average bounce rate, from my web sites index page, runs about 1:20 - 1:45 minutes. The lowest was 15 seconds, per Google analytics.
I don’t see any problem with inspecting a tiny condo for $250. Actually, it’s much better per hour revenue than a gritty home inspection for $400…
Brian, to answer your question… so that you are the inspector, or at least one of the inspectors, they look at for 10 seconds before hiring. It’s all about marketing, not offering a better “deal” than your competitor. If you aren’t marketing, you are not in the game, you aren’t on the field at all. Your competitors are.
Consumers aren’t sitting down for an hour to research all the local inspectors and decide which one will do the best inspection for the least amount of money (some don’t even spend that much time in a house before they decide to buy it)… so don’t try to improve your value proposition by cutting price or offering a lot of additional services for free. That just leaves you with less margin to devote to marketing… and as I said, it’s all about marketing.
It is much, much, more important to generate enough profit to reinvest into marketing, marketing that is hitting the targets,… than to provide the best deal that no one ever hears of.
Nor do I ,However since I have not had any discussion of prices with Mr Decker, nor do I publish fees for many of the reasons mentioned above one can only construe the above as an unsolicited attack.
Anyone following this forum sees the pattern repeated by the above member ,and it is really poor ethical and business judgment on his part to speak ill of other businesses in his market.
Smart guy and real asset to NACHI, but poor judgment at times in my opinion.
Even have referred thermal business his way and once tried to get him a radio spot.
As before I ask Will to give me a call and explain,though that was a call never received.
Come on Will ,you are bigger than that.
Fleshed out your position makes perfect sense to me.
Jeff, I just booked the rest of the week off my site. The Espresso is on me!:mrgreen: