Can anyone tell me where I can get an average up to date list for home repairs to help my clients have an “about” price idea for repairs?
Thanks in advance
Although many of your customers will appreciate your effort, any guesstimate may fall far too short to help them negotiate the purchase. Repair costs consider the contractor’s cost of labor, cost of materials + markup, and hidden costs revealed at the time of repair / disassembly. These three fluctuate wildly and are very difficult to predict. The best course for the consumer is often the free estimate offered by many legitimate contractors. IMHO - YMMV
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I get that but they are just asking me for a general standardized list.
No such thing ! In fact, distributing such a list only helps the Realtor who will use those prices to negotiate the sale and then throw you under the bus when the prices are wrong after the sale.
My feeling is: Don’t do the Realtor’s work for them, it always comes back to hurt you.
My guess is a Realtor put you up to this by saying, “So and so inspector provides repair prices.”
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I agree with Bob there are too many variables to provide any type of accurate list… Who is they?
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I like the Craftsman Books they are a good rule of thumb guide
Here is a sample.
But I also just googled “online home repair estimator” something else to explore.
Estimating construction costs is both a skill and an art, way before I was a home inspector it was the way I made a living, good luck on your search, think big, drill down and don’t get lost in the minutia.
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Mariann:
DON’T even go there! Stick to the SOP.
Cheers
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Even though I was a contractor for many years before becomming a home inspector I always told my clients recieving a cost estimate from anyone that is not willing to do the job for You is a waste of time. Things change daily including material costs and availability as well as labor costs. If You are not a working contractor willing to provide the service requested You have no business quoting prices. This will bite You eventually if you continue to do so…
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Thank you!
I have found it’s best to stay out of the pricing game. Sometimes you never know what could be involved and many times the process of dealing with one issue leads to otherwise foreseen issues that need correcting, meaning more $$$.
I always tell my clients that I recommend they call at least 3 different contractors for quotes, and that those quotes may vary widely depending on the contractor and the different options to repair or replace that they may offer you.
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