Hello everyone,
Strongly considering getting an IR camera and could use some help. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth the expense.
How do you justify the expense? How do you recover your investment?
Did you 1) Raise your prices? 2) Charge extra for pulling the camera out? 3) Just hope for an increase in biz due to the camera?
Also, how do you market it?
Thanks for the help.
It paid for itself and I raised my prices while doing it.
Even some of the naysayers are getting into IR along with energy audits. I wouldn’t count on buying it just for energy audits. Do your research.
Linus is 100% correct, if you are only buying IR for one application then the road can be rough. If you look at IR as its own business and fill as many applications as you are comfortable with then it is a profitable endevour.
JJ
Do you intend to feed your family with inspections or not? My answer to your question is different depending on your answer to this question. Is the inspection business your main profession?
Albert, I did this debate, and would love to share my decision with you. Would you like to call me? I can transfer information much faster that way.
Had my camera 1.5 years.
Has not done anything for my business.
Some buy a camera and wait for the phone to start ringing and people banging on the door to let them in…
Doesn’t work that way.
Sorry David -
Should have qualified my comments. Went to John McKenna’s class; went to Flirs Level I Training; Started advertising to RE agents; mailers to past clients; local insurance agents; other inspectors; on my Stucco / EIFS ads; etc.
Did jack squat for my business. Don’t know ANYBODY around here that it has significantly helped their business.
Several agents and other inspectors have told me that they STEER customers away from IR because of the added problems it generates in the sales transaction in an ALREADY dead market.
SO … In another area it may work better.
Dan,
Try this, plus it will help your regular HI business. Join IFMA then BOMA. Make up some nice marketing materials on electrical scans. Go to their functions and anything else that gets you contacts. Insurance companies have been mandating electrical scans for commercial properties for a while now. These are normally larger jobs that can often times yield inspections in the $5k to $10k range sometimes higher.
JJ
Hey Jason,
Nice tidbit…would like to get some more information from you if I could. Shoot me an email at midwestpro@inbox.com when you get the chance please or if you prefer I can get a hold of you, either way would love to chat. Thanks!
For me personally IR has helped increase sales per inspection and additionally opened up new opportunities for me in the area. The above posts are both correct. Personally, marketing to agents is not the route to go. Agents as a whole from many I have spoke to as well as delt with directly do not like the idea of a new tech that may reveal additional problems. If I pull it out during an inspection and they ask I just let them know how it can help further verify if an issue is or is not occuring and then I tell them how it can help locate other issues such as moisture, energy loss etc. and that I work with home and property owners for those types of services when in need.
Essentially, I don’t scare them with IR but express the positives of the technology for the home inspection process. This generally puts agents at ease and realize I am just staying on top of the cutting edge technology and industry I am in. This is really the approach more should take. This allows you to make the agent feel like you take your job serious and try to do the best for your clients and additionally when they have a client that is really concerned with a home that may have moisture problems or is old and may have high energy costs they will keep you in mind.
IMHO, pitch the service to your clients and position yourself well. Not agents. No different for many other services much like radon. Radon was something that when I first started testing agent didn’t like. But I didn’t ask agents I spoke directly to the client on the phone and pitched it to them, clients choose to test and now I have this approach down pat to the point where nearly 60% of the inspections I perform have radon testing. It is slowly becoming the norm, at least for me, and this is exactly what I want to see happen with IR for me in my biz. In this industry and really in this economy you have to become the obvious expert and a one stop shop for your market or you just aren’t going to survive or better yet thrive. 
I got 4 jobs this morning and 3 yesterday “Demanding” IR Testing (all residential), one is on another Home Inspectors House this afternoon!
I totally agree with you, owning one of these things will not make the phone ring.
However…
I have many Realtors send their clients to me (I do not market to Realtors) because of what they have seen me do. I am very sure that there are a bunch of Realtors that would not even consider this “support of their clients concerns”! I know it’s that way in my home town. I can’t get a HI referral here to save my life! I drive 40 miles and the world changes!
Quoted
LMAO…thanks John.
Al, did you ever get a camera? If so what kind did you buy?
Works for me, but as others said, it can be tough. I also raised my prices with no issues.
Went to John McKenna’s class; went to Flirs Level I Training; Started advertising to RE agents; mailers to past clients; local insurance agents; other inspectors; on my Stucco / EIFS ads; etc.
Did jack squat for my business.
I also did the same and then sold my Camera.
We have about 40 Homies in my area and none have an IR Camera that I know of .
I think it lost business as the agents did no longer want to recommend us .
I see many other Homies have advertsied their for sale .
… Roy
s .
My experience is different. In 6 years, I can remember only 1 phone call asking if I had and IR camera. Conversely, 70% want to know “how much does a home inspection cost”.
Dan I am going to jump on this old thread I high lighted 6 things you did wrong in trying to market your IR some would say one out of seven is not bad but not my way of doing things. I am just getting ready to add another IR service to my list. I don’t buy that saying(In another area it may work better) Dan this IR will work anywhere wished I lived in a city as big as yours you gave up before you even got started.
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**[FONT=Arial][size=2]Unfortunately, that about says it all right there!
I’m not picking on you Mr. Bowers, I’m sure you know how to market your company.
Adding to this thread (although I don’t understand why I bother) I just got off the telephone scheduling an inspection for $200 more than it was worth because the client “demanded” thermal imaging.
While typing this, I also just got off the phone (I’ve been on the phone all day by the way) with a corporate client that also demanded thermal imaging for me to do their home inspection yesterday.
I’m currently writing a report for a $2700 job for a “thermal imaging” home inspection for a country music celebrity.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, camera ownership does not make this work. Obtaining the cheapest camera and the cheapest training to “get by” gets you nowhere.
Thermal imaging is a different animal and it requires different marketing. The bottom line is that no one is going to spend $200 more on anything if they cannot perceive what they’re gaining for their investment. That is the short and sweet of it all.
How much do you charge for thermal imaging?
How much do you have to lose if you don’t do it?
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