High gas prices are good for home inspectors! Let’s do a little math: I’ll use numbers that make the math easy. Let’s say your average home inspection is 20 miles away and that your inspection vehicle gets 20 MPG. That means you are using 2 gallons of gas per inspection on average. A gallon to get to the inspection and a gallon to get back home. If the price of gas increased $3 a gallon this year, then you are spending an extra $6 on gas per inspection. Just $6. So use the rising price of gas as an excuse to raise your inspection fees by $20. That’s $14 additional pure profit for doing nothing extra. Americans all understand that gas prices are going up and that you need to raise prices. Now is the perfect time to bump up your fee schedules.
Nick Gromicko, I see where you are coming from but the money people make around here hasn’t raised any. Even with Virginia’s minimum wage going to $11.00 an hour, Virginians are paying out so much money. As you probably know around my area people price search and even when I try justifying my fees and explaining why they should hire me, and they cut me off saying: they’re all certified. Then they hang up.
I like your thinking. I raised my prices the first of the year. I honesty believe that we do not charge enough for home inspections.
And when gas prices normalize, you’ll make an additional $20 “pure profit for doing nothing extra.”
Seriously, if you want to raise prices, why do you need an “excuse”? Just raise your prices.
Our gas prices in Northern Indiana have only went up about $2 from a normal high end of about $2.49 gal. It’s only costing $4 more for that 40 mile round trip at 20 miles per gallon in your example. IRS is increasing the mileage deduction by 2.5 cents which means you’ll get back an additional $1.00 back for the 40 mile round trip. It’s now only costing $3 more in your example. I think I can afford the 3 bucks for now.
That is a very misleading statement!
Every December the IRS releases the Standard Mileage Rate for the following year.
Yes, it has gone down a penny or two the last couple of years (low gas prices dictated that occurring… thank you POTUS Trump!).
No, the increase of 2.5 cents has nothing to do with today’s fuel prices spiking… it is actually a slap in the face to all Americans by Biden trying to suk up to the taxpayers in an to attempt to look like the hero!
Raising prices is fine. Do what you have to do to make a living. Remember though, you and your growing competition are competing for a dwindling market as home prices rise and more consumers are opting for no inspection.
How is it misleading? Isn’t it a statement of fact? The IRS increased the mileage deduction 2.5 cents for 2022.
Don’t you think a $20 increase in fees is a slap in the face when cost only increased $3? Sounds like another scam to pickpocket the American consumer.
It’s all about ‘context’!
Your statement says “IS” increasing, when in fact it already “HAS” increased the rate!
You are inferring it is about to, or in in process of the change.
Bad on you!
I guess you got me on that one. Lol. I should have said, “your mileage deduction is increasing” (since you haven’t filed the deduction yet).
You were just using it as a lead-in to your LGB statement.
Nick Gromicko, you know I love you man but I have a difference of opinion. In a perfect world, math wise that would make a lot of sense.
It’s not a perfect world and President Joe Biden would agree with you and think it would increase his ratings. A lot of newer inspectors thinking just about money and getting their packets fat would agree as well.
The truth is it’s gonna hurt us more than help us. How many inspections can a Home Inspector do on a 20 mile radius? Not many, not everyday anyway.
If you’re in this business just to make money and nothing more then I feel sorry for any inspector that feels that way. Make a profit yes but screw your client(s), no way man. Raising inspection fees without justifying it is like landlords jacking up the rent on hard working tenant’s and with all due respect, it pisses me off.
Look at the baby formula crisis that we are facing today … over $140.00 for a $30.00 can of baby formula. Are you f****** kidding me? That makes me so mad man.
No Sir, raising our fees when gas prices keep going up is not the way to do it. Stop hurting the general public and get Joe Biden out of Office and put President Donald J. Trump back in. He will lower the gas prices, which will be good for our economy and for Home Inspectors and our Client’s.
Stop this f****** war and hold Vladimir Putin accountable. Get Joe Biden out of there before he really destroys the industry that I love so much.
Yeah, where is all of this money coming from anyway? Somebody has to pay and it’s Americans.
You want to talk about what’s gonna help Home Inspectors and what will not only save them money but make them money. Come off of that Home Inspection Reporting Software and make it free for All InterNACHI members as part of their membership. These software companies are screwing Home Inspectors like never before. Oh man, they see money from innocent hard working inspectors and they want to get as much of it as they can and they do.
Now if you was to release the InterNACHI Home Inspection Report Software for your members and challenge ASHI to come up with something even close, ASHI would close shop by September of this year. You and I both know it.
Sure there’s gonna be inspectors that disagree with me and wanna pay $800.00 on up a year for their software, when they could keep their prices where they are now (saving Client’s money and still making a nice profit) and make Momma happy for 1 night or buy little Matthew that computer that he needs for school.
We the people of the United States have lost our power, our say so, when it comes to the United States Government. We’ve forgotten what it really means to be Americans. You don’t screw other people trying to make a quick buck. You take your years of experience, Education and sacrifice and you do the Christian thing and you help others, not hurt anybody.
This is not 1996 when I first started. I sure wish it was. The United States is heading for some scary times and a lot of Home Inspectors are going to be outtta work.
If you were hungry and had $5.00 for luch before your next inspection and you was right at Burger King and they charged $7.00 for a Whopper and you have McDonald’s a 1/2 mile down the road and are having a special all this week: .29 cent hamburgers or .39 cent cheeseburgers (limit 2 per customer), which restaurant are you gonna eat at? McDonald’s of course. That’s what we’re facing now.
You see what I’m trying to say here.
When you go to a Home Inspection conference, When you take InterNACHI’s online Exams and score High, or when you purchase new tools or offer added benefits, that’s when you Raise Your Inspection Fees.
By investing in yourself, your employees and your company, that’s how to justify raising your prices. That way your client(s) get their money’s worth.
All you’re doing by raising your fees with raising gas prices is hurting the economy even more. Don’t be part of the problem. Be the solution.
Newer Inspectors: Until you get some experience under your belt, I’d advise you to keep your prices competitive but not over compensate, because Nick said so. Nick is smart and has good intentions and I can’t say enough good things about him. With that being said … look at everything you’re paying for … tools, software, insurace, etc. Being new you want to keep your prices about $25.00 to $50.00 lower than your competitors. You’re gonna want to take time and study every chance you get, so you know your stuff and in turn you’ll eventually be the go to Inspector. Some jobs are not profitable and some are blessings. Don’t screw yourself or your clients being after every dollar and have the I don’t care attitude. Think if it’s your child buying that home. You want them to hire the best, but God help the ones who hurt my boy or my little girl. There’s a time and a place for everything. Explaining to your clients that you have to charge for mielage, okay they all will understand that, but if you’re gonna raise your prices, you had better be able to back up why you’re worth more than your competitors. People price shop (especially when it comes to Home Inspectors). They think that we are all the same but in reality, we are not.
Listen to Nick Gromicko always but use your brain even more and trust your gut. Most of us have came from nothing and we have to work our a** off to provide for our families. Don’t do other’s wrong by taking their hard earned dollars or it will come back when you least expect it and f*** you and f*** you hard.
Home Inspectors are supposed to save their client(s) money, not cost them more.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You…!!
I thought I was alone on this gas-price-Increase-Impact, but your story telling makes so much sense and opens the door of ‘opportunity’ to adjust our rates…!
Thank you again…!
No one is forcing a client to use your services. There is value in what you have to offer or there is not. If you charge to much, they will go to another inspector. The fair market value for a home inspection is what a customer is willing to pay. Period.
When it comes to low inspection fees, there is an elephant in the room that no one usually mentions. That is the tendency of this profession to draw retired professionals and part-timers. If you spend any time on Facebook, you will see at least 3 times a day someone new to the industry who is retiring from another career. These people do not need inspection income to live on. They have a pension and/or a nest egg already built. They are usually the $250 inspectors.
FB is mostly just old people in general. 
Aka… Beer money!!
And the very young newbies because the veterans on the MB’s won’t take their stoopid sh*t questions and entitled ass attitudes!!
LOL! Tell us how you really feel! 
Remember the old saying… be careful what you ask for!