Hi All,
Newbie here. Been hired to do a stand alone pool inspt. Seller is paying. Realtor tells me I will be paid at closing. How common is this. Realtor is an agent for largest firm here. Stoked to get foot in that door, worried about getting PAID. Have signed contract.
I would never do it…Get paid at or before the inspection.
Your relationship is with your client. What happens if it doesn’t close and falls through for some reason. I never did it, ever.
Listen to Roy.
Or, at least get a valid credit card that you will be charging if you don’t get paid at closing.
But, I’m with Roy, get paid before or at the inspection. Talk to you client!
I’ve done a couple inspections recently for people I knew so I wasn’t worried about not getting paid until afterward. But if it’s someone else, I would get paid up front. It’s been mentioned before on the forum that if waiting for closing to get paid, they can let it slide and you wouldn’t be able to put a lien on the property because it would then belong to someone else. Plus, filing and going through the court process for a relatively small amount may not be worth it. So, get paid up front. Getting in with that realtor would be good but simply asking for payment upfront like the contract says is setting precedence, not being difficult to work with.
Make sure you have credit card info, that way you can run it through at closing date, regardless of what happens.
Your contract (aka PIA) is supposed to spell out exactly! how you will be getting paid so it’s not up in the air for others to decide and argue. Closings can take months, your job is done! why would you want to wait this long? Think! GL.
Think of it like this. You go to buy a car from a dealership and tell them “I’ll take this truck, im already pre-approved so ill drive this home today and you can receive my money as soon as the bank sends your funds”.
No dealership would ever do that. Why should you be that dealership?
Newbie here. Been hired to do a stand alone pool inspt. Seller is paying. Realtor tells me I will be paid at closing. How common is this. Realtor is an agent for largest firm here. Stoked to get foot in that door, worried about getting PAID. Have signed contract.
When I first started, I would do it on occasion. Then one particular time, I didn’t get paid. The deal didn’t go through. And, the buyer of the property, ended up being Baker acted at the closing table!
Ever since then, I get paid at or before the inspection. If I don’t get paid, the report doesn’t get released.
One of the options you could use to prevent this from happening in the future, is $150 surcharge for payment at closing.
Victor, use this as a learning experience. In our business, we should always require payment before or at the inspection. Listen to Larry and Roy
Thanks for the replies. I am sure there will be many teachable experiences as I get going. Even if I do not get paid I will have the joy of meeting another realtor and some homeowners.
I like the idea of a surcharge.
Check this out…
I did this only once, early in my career. I did get paid as I was supposed to, but I decided it was too much hassle to get track of. I did charge an additional fee for the wait. Get credit card backup, be very clear that payment is NOT contingent on the sale. Payment is due at closing, termination of the existing sales contract or a specific date, whichever comes first.
Wait… youse guys get paid? WTF did that start 
Ask them why the appraiser gets a check upon arrival, and not at closing.
Just do a crap inspection that doesn’t kill the deal 
…joking of course
One of the realtors here suggested I offer free inspections to get started, I asked if she sold her first couple of houses commission free to get started.
Hahaha I never even thought of this but God damn is this such an obvious point to make.
Don’t do it…get paid before you give them a report. That’s how you ensure you get paid for the hard work you do. Now days everyone has a credit card…so why?..card companies will bill you in 30 or more days anyway…if they can’t afford an inspection they cant afford a house. In life and in business you’ll find people will ask you to do all kinds of silly stuff…just got to learn to say “I’m sorry I can’t help you in that way”…
Done, Good call. Thanks
Early in my career, I was approached by a used-house salesman, with a “large investor group”, buying up houses. They wanted me to inspect for them, and get paid top-dollar at closing. I agreed because I wanted to “get my foot in the door”… did 2 big houses, both times, the investor killed the deal and they never closed. When I tried to collect, I received their bankruptcy notice… Never…
On the other hand, if you need tax write-offs, a bad debt is a write-off if you’re making too much and need some deductions… just sayin…