Hi,
This is my first year in business, and an agent who I’ve made a strong connection with sells luxury homes in the Atlanta area. I’ve made it abundantly clear that the 11,000 square foot home (castle) that I’ll potentially be inspecting soon is beyond anything I’ve done before, but I’ve already had access with the agent to see what reports on larger homes of this size look like,
And what I’ve noticed is that they have TWO inspectors. I’m a one man army and my inspection fee is not going to be enough to sub-contract another inspector on a home this size. My fee for an 11k sq footer would be $822.
So. Of course they have my whole day, no 8 - 1 nonsense for these clients. And I’ll point out I’ll be working on the report the next day, so there’s that. Should I be confident that that’s enough? Thank you
That would be a quote for an estate.
I usually start at $2,500.00 - $3,000.00, but it depends upon the estate.
Remember there might be out buildings and a pool or even a water front with a sea wall. Charge extra for them.
If you have the experience/expertise to be detailed, quote high and take your time building the report. Usually within 72 hours.
Hirer someone to carry your tools and take notes.
Not for the faint of heart. You have to learn.
Good luck with all your endeavors.
Robert
Way, way underpriced in my opinion, unless 6k of the 11k sq. feet is one giant empty room, lol.
I’ve done large properties as a one man show. I depend on photos more and do more of the report writing in my office. I assume you use a mobile app reporting system for efficiency. I also assume you have your report writing efficiency worked out. Those are key to getting it done. Giving yourself the next day for the report is good. Bring a lunch and take a break along the way.
As far as fee, I use the NACHI fee calculator. Here’s my low bid take on the fee for just the house and property. In fact, I’d add another 10% for an inspection like this:
Smart. Not only would I have have the whole day, I would have a second inspector with me and price accordingly. I am in the Atlanta market, it is completely saturated with inspectors so you should have no problem locating a qualified helper.
No.
Personally, I would plan on bringing another inspector with me. That’s a large house to inspect on your own, even setting aside the whole day.
We do a good number of homes every year that are over 10,000sf. Big homes tend to have big room! They are not any more difficult, but they do take more time simply due to their size, number of rooms and systems. We price anything over 4,500sf at $0.17 a square foot. I think you have way underpriced this inspection, but it is a lesson learned. From what I have seen and done, a single inspector should be able to complete this size home in about 5-6 hours. Two inspectors in about 3-4 hours.
Yep, my minimum is $0.18 sf for that type of home plus additional fees for outbuildings, etc.
11,000 sf x .18 = $1980. That’s chump change compared to what they’re spending to purchase the home. If they don’t like it, I don’t need them.
Sounds like you volunteered. 
Not trying to be an arse here, (no trying necessary), but why do you think YOU got that job?
Trust me., it likely wasn’t because of your “strong connection” with the agent. Luxury Home agents don’t typically like newbie inspectors.
More than likely, it’s so the agent can “take credit” for saving “their” client over $1,000 on the inspection!!
Just sayin’.
More complexity = more time for the inspection. Charge by the square feet and check for outbuildings, pools, etc.
Your time is valuable. And you are being paid for your knowledge.
That said, a house of that size should have two inspectors (two sets of eyes).
But one inspector can manage it as long as you have a good process.
Thank you!
Yes, my model has been $339 base, $23 for garages, basements, crawlspaces, out building with wiring or plumbing, and 5 cents a square foot over 1800 square feet. And from my feedback on this post, I will soon have a range that scales up to a higher square footage charge for the really big houses.
I’ve had no intention of being the “discount” choice, I offer a lot in my reports to be a competitive value. And thank you for the helpful answer!
Thank you for the response. I think for this one I’ll have to manage alone, I’m about to implement a higher charge for higher square footage. My process is getting there, I use drones for the roof, I have a pretty good laid out paper checklist full of stuff to make sure I can move through efficiently and not forget anything I’m looking for.
Thank you for the response! Yes now I see the need to scale up my charge (which is only 5 cents a square foot for over 1800 square feet) as it gets in to the higher range. I’ve had no intention of being the “discount” choice, but didn’t think I’d be inspecting an estate this early on and really didn’t know how to price it
Thanks for the response! Yeah I’ll be adjusting my pricing model for these whoppers. I may be contacting you again about hiring second inspector =)
Thank you for the response! Yes now I see the need to scale up my charge (which is only 5 cents a square foot for over 1800 square feet) as it gets in to the higher range. I’ve had no intention of being the “discount” choice, but didn’t think I’d be inspecting an estate this early on and really didn’t know how to price it
I am sure you will do a hellava good job for them. The money will come and go but your experience and reputation will remain. Best of luck!
As everyone said: you undercharged.
But hey, it happens. I would STILL invite another inspector on this job, and STILL give it the time that it needs. Take a big loss on it, but take lots of pictures and feature it in your own marketing.
If two two days of work is enough: that’s hard to say. It’s all going to come down to how cheap the construction is. If it’s low bidder work in every room you may have a rough time of it. The basement systems and heating could be complex, and there could be any manner of time consuming things to look at.
At this level of expectation, you should be physically on the roofs, not just behind drone.
Let me say that again: you should be physically on the roofs, that’s where your E&O risk is.
My price chart makes a pretty big jump around 4000sf. I’ve found once you get over that you start to get into multiple HVAC systems and panels. Mother-in-law quarters, outbuildings (both of which should be mentioned up front or I should see them when I look up the property but it doesn’t always happen). Also, once you get into big houses the people buying them have money and really don’t mind paying extra for your time. These people also tend to have higher expectations for perfection so it’s good to spend the extra time.
For 11K I’d probably be around $1500 but there is a lot of variation depending on how the house lays out, how old it is, where it is, how bad I want it, etc. Anything over 6K I research and give an individual quote.