Neither have I. I also rarely do any stand alone 4-points. Mainly, because the forms as for “all deficiencies” and the only way to find those, is to actually look for them. I know of some who do not check anything as I have seen “clean” 4-points" on homes that need thousands of dollars worth of work.
I am with the Meeker on this one (with respect to charging for the inspection/report)- although for likely different reasons. I also agree that integrating software to make generation of these ancillary reports easier is logical and can streamline delivery of services and increase margins (if you charge for the service)
For me, anytime my signature goes on a report (4 pt., wind mit, roof cert, etc), I have liability exposure for that report. I want to be compensated for that liability exposure and for the value of my signature (licensee). I also believe that giving away free inspections and reports (even when made easy due to technology) cheapens our profession and undermines the long term viability of our business model. There are obviously different marketing strategies such as bundling services (think “triple gold star”) package where all the ancillary service fees are front loaded in the inspection fee and then marketed as free with home inspection. Or- simply, charging “ala cart” for ancillary services. Again, I just feel strongly about our profession and being recognized (and compensated) for the true professionals that we aspire to be.
Well, I am not in the habit of charging my client twice for the same work. As I said, the four point is automatically filled out and done. There is no extra time involved, so why should I charge my client for it?
The wind mit requires a different set of pictures which although doesn’t take much more time to complete, still is additional work for me. Especially when I have to look for shiners… :shock:
for me, the scenario you describe would be a teaching opportunity. Also it would be a way to cultivate relationships instead of trying to do as much as possible to prevent them.
