Originally Posted By: denni
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Questions to ponder for a discussion.
Why is it commonly accepted that real estate agents receive a 6% commission for selling a house?
Do prospective home sellers go around price shopping to select an agent to sell their house?
18 years ago it was commonly accepted that real estate agents received 6% for selling a house. House prices have quadrupled since then. An agent who received $6,000 on a $100,000 house 18 years ago is now poised to receive $24,000 on the same house 18 years later.
18 years ago it was commonly accepted that a home inspector charged $125 to $200 to inspect a house. House prices (i.e.: liability) have quadrupled since then. The average home inspection fee has only doubled to around $250 to $400 over the past 18 years, why?
Why has the idea of a percentage, such as 1/10 of one percent of the selling price, plus a base fee never caught on for home inspectors?
18 years ago E & O insurance was available for $500 with a $500 deductible, what is the cost of your E & O now?
18 years ago home inspectors carried a small tool bag with very basic testing equipment, today most of these tool bags include CO testers, gas detectors, circuit testers, moisture meters, cameras & more. 18 years ago most reports were hand written and took less than 45 minutes to complete. Today most inspectors use computers to prepare reports and many add photo documentation.
Which "stakeholder" takes on more liability in the real estate sales process, the real estate agent or the home inspector?
Which "stakeholder" earns the least in the real estate sales process, the real estate agent, bank / mortgage company, attorney or home inspector?
Why do prospective homebuyers consider one of the most important criteria of a home inspection to be the cost?
When you need good legal or medical services, is your top criteria for a service provider, price?
How many weeks of paid vacation do you take each year? If you were working for a major corporation and had 10 or more years of service, how many weeks of paid vacation would you receive?
How many paid sick days do you get each year? If you were working for a major corporation and had 10 or more years of service, how many paid sick days would you receive?