That is not my experience. TT is great if you can respond to the client while they’re still at their computer or sitting there looking at their phone. I have an 82% success rate when I respond within 2-3 minutes, 0% if my response is 4 hours after they posted. And it’s my price, which is $800-ish. But I also do commercial inspections almost exclusively, and only look for 2-3 home inspections a week April
thru November. I’m not relying on TT to fill the whole week, week after week.
You’re doing this all wrong if you’re competing with a guy who does a commercial report for $500. You’re fighting in the gutter at the base of the curb. Get up on the grass. There are better clients up here that understand a $500 report is worthless.
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Even when I reply quicker and give discounts, the shoppers go to someone else because of the lower price, so either I keep dropping prices or get zero jobs from TT. I know everyone that’s been in the business for awhile keep saying to not play their game but it’s either that or sit at home.
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David the trick is convincing them they are going to get what they pay for and most important deliver on it. Be more expensive and convince them to pay more. Is $200 more worth spending as long as it takes to complete a proper home inspection?
When you can convince the cheapest penny pincher you have succeeded and will deliver a proper inspection.
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I think this has probably been covered in the thread but wanted to reiterate. When I was working for a Geotechnical Engineering Company my company had trended toward the do more projects for less mentality. It wasn't until one of the Principals got sick of that and talked about how we had become Walmart in our market. That conversation always sticks in my mind when I price out an inspection Fee, do I want my business model to be a Walmart or do I want to be say Ferrari? Two different but successful companies. But I'd rather model my services after more per inspection with fewer inspections. Its simple Math when you factor in Expenses and Time. Time with my family is way more important than performing 3 or more inspections in a day.
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Exactly! Work smarter, not harder!!
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Having done this for a long time one thing is for sure that as long as the profession is dominated by independent home inspectors working for themselves prices will remain low. Corporate owned inspection monopolies will one day drive out the independent operators and prices will then rise to cover the high salaries corporate CEO’s demand, but until that happens people like me will continue to take down enough money to live well while cherry picking jobs. Add that to my SS and I live like a king.
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I always say you don’t know the back story of the other inspectors. I see a lot of people posting on other sites “Do you think I can do this part time” or “I only want to work nights and weekends”. You really don’t know perhaps they are retired and do this to keep busy or they have a spouse that brings in a good salary. I will say that the general approach for new inspectors is to keep lowering the price until they are getting jobs. Most new or up and coming inspectors like to highlight their experience as a reason why they would be a good inspector almost none of them talk about their business skills or their business plan if they even have one. The established and experienced inspectors know that you don’t want the price shoppers as they seem to be more trouble than they are worth.
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We do what we do with what we get handed to us. Did one last week that I was trying to figure out how to get a bulldozer into the house with out destroying the exterior. The end of this week I spent 2 hours in a home and had to actually search for something more wrong that the lack of hand rails leading up to the second floor.
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Everybody charges what their worth. Is that how much your worth?
Michael,
Do some research and be aware of what the market is.
However, as someone told you, you’re too low. Being competitive initially is fine but hone your skills, increase knowledge and training so you can offer and charge more.
In over 24 years, I have never, ever, charged that low of a fee for a full inspection!!
After looking at the Fee examples of the two homes on your website I’d have to agree with them. I think those prices would be at the bottom pretty much anywhere in the United States.
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Mike - first you shouldn’t put your pricing online. It allows customers to get your pricing without talking to you. This is a big mistake. You want to talk to them so you can answer their questions and try to differentiate yourself.
Second, your prices are way to low. I charge the same amount for condos as you charge for a large home. Think about that…
Third, if you really want to be serious about this business, you should become an InterNACHI member and take advantage of everything they offer here.
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There are advantages and disadvantages to putting prices on a website and not putting prices on a website.
I did not have pricing on my website for years for the reasons you mentioned. I grew tired of price shoppers and other inspectors calling to ask my prices so I put my prices on my website. My website is all that is needed to differentiate me from my competitors. Visitors see my qualifications first. They need to go further into the site to see my prices. Most people who hire me don’t look at my prices until after they hire me. They already expect to pay more once they see my qualifications. My clients aren’t people who will quibble over a few hundred dollars when making one of the biggest purchases they will ever make. That’s the way I like it.
Too many inspectors put a lot of fluff on their websites. If they list their credentials, they are usually on some back page. Often, they don’t highlight their credentials because all they have is a license which is about as difficult to get as the prize from the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. Well informed consumers know that a license means almost nothing. The inspector’s credentials are the first thing the site’s visitors should see (along with contact information).
Inspectors with solid credentials can put their prices on websites and save time by not dealing with people who are shopping on the basis of price alone. Whether the prices are on the website or not, the price shoppers are not going to hire well qualified inspectors. They are going to hire the cheap inspectors.
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
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Leaders like Nick, and his enemy, ASHI, etc. need to invest in PSA announcements, whevever possible, to inform the public of the new normal with pricing.
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Hank, it’s not a “new normal” it’s just the American Way. Most of us know that pricing is based on local market conditions. From my perspective, if you don’t feel that going up or down for that matter on pricing will make a difference, then you cannot sell it to the consumer. I’ve been wrestling with increasing my fees for sometime and just now I have to take the plunge. I’ve been doing HI full time since 2011 and I have not increase my fees once. The market has dictated that decision. However, with increase education, knowledge, certification and yes, some humble pie from my peers (this group included). I can justify an increase in my fees.
Lastly, if it does not, then you can lower your fees. That’s why I love America, if a mistake is made, we can try another way.
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What is the new normal? I did not get the memo.
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Just continuing this thread and here’s another reminder that we are not charging enough:
This is the invoice from the appraisal of a property I recently inspected. Small ranch house with basement in Silver Spring Md. The appraiser got $725 for this house. The appraiser also had to call me a get my opinion on the deck and porch (which had to be removed due to safety hazards).
I am currently raising prices again due to gas prices. I will be implementing across the board increases for all services and I hope you guys are too. I spent a lot of $ on gas last month and refuse to eat the cost.
CHARGE MORE. PERIOD.
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$800 last month for me. That’s nearly double per month from past years. If you are in a 12-15 per gallon truck like many, it could be significantly more.
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