How many of you offer inferred with your inspections?
If so, when do you perform them. After interior inspection or during your interior inspection? Thanks!
I use them as a supplement to my inspections, meaning that I use them as a tool to confirm particular insights such as water leaks, etc. Using it as a stand alone service, I think at times can be a bit misleading, as many things will not show up with thermal imaging unless under particular specific situation‘s. So while they can help with our inspections, they aren’t magic tools. Just like a moisture meter can be misleading in certain circumstances.
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I have to agree with Brandon. I don’t see it as an additional service for a regular home inspection. It can be a specialized service used in Energy Efficient Audits, but you would need to have all the proper training and equipment which can run into the high $$$.
I do use my Flir on occasion in my inspections, but I don’t refer to it or use pictures in my reports. I may show the client what and why I’m looking at something, but tell them it’s only for my evaluation and will not be included in the inspection.
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I use mine for specific tasks during the inspection, like checking for heat at all the registers, etc. I do not make it a practice to do general scanning looking for issues. But sometimes I’ll do that if I get done early and the client hasn’t arrived yet. More as a way to pass the time and practice with the camera than anything else. Also you look cool to the client when they walk in. 
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Since I’m picky, I will say that I infer most of the conditions on my report.
The keyword for this thread is “infrared” as in beyond red, infra red. (as in infrasonic or infrahuman).
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I use the same approach as Brandon, Thomas, and Ryan - I use IR as another tool to augment or confirm/validate certain aspects of the inspection. They come in really handy, by the way, to verify that radiant in-floor or in-ceiling heat is operational and to show the client visually.
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Thermography is included in every inspection I perform.
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Finally, someone that understands infrared…!
Kudos to Brian…!!
A popular quote…
“the habit does not make the monk”
…or…
“the infrared detector does not make the home inspector “
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After I took the CRT course, I started trying to charge $100 for a full IR survey with my E6. I got almost no takers. I went to $60 and have almost covered the cost of my E6 in the 8 or so years since. Today, I mostly use the IR as another of my tools that I pull out when I think it will help me with diagnosing something.
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Thanks, I was probably going to include IR with all my inspections and just charge a little more.
Do you do your IR during your regular inspection or after?
I only charge for using the IR if I am doing a full survey of the house. Typically, if I use the IR to help diagnose something, I walk around with it for a few minutes to see if I see anything else that might need further evaluation. IR, for me, is basically my most expensive tool in my box that I use to speed up evaluation of radiant and hydronic heating or suspicious things.
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What are you looking for in your inspections with IR? Moisture? Missing insulation? Electrical overheating? Increased income? Missing insulation requires a 20*F temperature difference, inside to outside wall surface temperature. Moisture requires a changing temperature, meaning you have to turn up the heat for an hour or two prior to your scan. A good IR scanner runs several thousand dollars.
If you want to increase your income, up your fee! Do it now without adding more services. How price sensitive is your market? Have you actually experimented with adding a $25 or $50 premium to your normal fee? Did they take the inspection with the higher fee? Try it first on high end homes to gain confidence with increasing your fees.
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Good advice, Mike!
It works…I did it regularly…less work more income!
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