I am starting my new home inspection co and was wondering if anyone could help me with pricing and what not to do thanks
See what the others fee is and go higher.
I try to soak them for as much as I can squeeze out of them… Yep!
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What is your service area in GA?
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So what happened to your “old” home inspection co?
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North Georgia I live in Helen just started the business did not have a old one
And there’s your first lesson on Report Writing! 
Nice, lucky you! I have many fond memories of Helen as a child and an adult.
I suspect you will have many unique homes. From hillside manufactured homes to sprawling vista vacation homes.
In my experience, mountain homes often require a skill set that is unique to the area. Don’t sell yourself short. I charge a shiny penny for those homes.
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Welcome to the forums and industry James!
I live in Hiawassee 30 minutes North of Helen so I’m sure you are familiar with location. Brian is pretty much spot on about our area being unique in varying reasons. We have very few, new construction Spec subdivisions especially the slab on grade, big builder cookie cutter ones. And most of the houses are built on the side of mountains, so there are some areas that will require more attention to detail in your inspecting.
The vast majority of my clients are buying second homes and/or retirement homes and most all either live out of the area or out of state. In five years I have only 1 client that was a first time home buyers and they were actually from FL. The “Northern Crescent” (Blue Ridge, Blairsville and Hiawassee) real estate has slowed down considerably, so it may be slow for you at first, but don’t get discouraged. Things will pick up again.
Consider looking at how the markets in Dahlonega and Dawsonville are doing. I would guess Dawsonville is hopping with all the new development going on there and what, 45 minutes from you? I know we like to say “I would like to keep my inspections within 30 minute drive” but that’s not going to happen in our area.
As far as pricing, you can check out the competitors in your area. I’ve tried to hold mine steady and I’m still getting undercut by the hungry inspectors trying to stay in business. If I have a potential client that I know that is price shopping, I usually quote a little higher fee knowing they most likely will be a PITA working with.
Hope this helps some.
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James, One other price factor for your charges is your level of expertise. Besides NACHI training and certification, what level of experience do you have in the building trades. Do you have any building science training. Clients will look at your background and expertise compared to the competition. Use the NACHI fee calculator so your pricing is consistent relative to your time and expenses to inspect the property.
Morning, James.
Hope this post finds you well.
James, Nick and Ben Gromicko collaborated how to calculate profitable home inspection fees as a guide for members like yourself.
How to Calculate Profitable Inspection Fees: by Nick Gromicko, CMI® and Ben Gromicko
You might also like to read an article I wrote titled, Cost of a Home Inspection, aimed at informing prospective home buyers on what fees to expect when shopping for a home inspection.
Al the best with your home inspection enterprise, James! Keep us posted how things are going.
I wish I could charge the fees that their calculator shows! I don’t have anything against it and if everyone used it, we would all make a lot more. But every market has its own fee structure and finding your slot in it depends on you, what you know, and how you present and market yourself.
Two things, in my not so humble opinion, make a great inspector.
- What you know. You have to be good to great as an inspector to get the big fees.
- Ability to communicate what you know. This is really tied with number one. If you can’t communicate what you know and observe, then what you know doesn’t do you or your clients any good.
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