Welcome back
FROM ANOTHER ONE OF “TODAYS” THREADS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kswift http://nachi.cachefly.net/forum/images/2006/buttons/viewpost.gif
I gather as much information as I can, not the least of which is the sale’s price of the property, which I’m liable for for four years.
*People who can afford expensive properties can also afford expensive attorneys, all of whom understand that conscientious inspectors carry insurance, and insurance companies will roll over rather than pay the exhorbitant fees of defending an innocent inspector. *
I ask a lot of questions, and charge a fee equal to what the average attorney is paid.
Hi Keith,
Thanks for the reply. :razz:
I am sure that this information will help the “newbies” formulate their business plans.
As for me… My rates are $150.00 per hour and I charge accordingly.
If there is going to be any “research” or excessive travel time involved then I also factor that into my price.
{Inspections start at $350.00.}
PS:
Commercial inspections are priced by the square foot, plus time, plus any sub contractors that need to be involved… Plus 15%
PPS:
My mold inspections average $1,250.00
By this point, you have already lost the appointment. You had turned him off and he was trying hard to politely end the conversation.
Begin the call with questions…leading questions…that get the buyer to tell you why they want you to inspect for them.
They ask you for a price and you return the question with a question…“What is the address of the property?” and you get them to describe the property. Get the selling price, if you can. “Wow. Sounds like you are making quite an investment. Why, exactly, do you think it is important to you to get a home inspection?”. Then, shut up and let them talk.
Let them say “So I know the house is sound, So I can bargain for a better price, So I know it is safe” or whatever. Then, ask them “Why is that important to you?” and shut up. Let them tell you the value of a good home inspection. Listen…and ask “why?” to get them to go deeper with every closed end statement they make.
“Well, there are cheaper guys out there than me…but it doesn’t sound to me like you are shopping for the cheapest home inspector. It sounds like you are looking for someone who can provide you with a complete, accurate and unbiased description of the entire house…one that you are planning to make a tremendous investment in. Am I right?”
When they agree…they are yours. Give them a glowing description of what sets you apart from the others, offer a date and time to do the inspection, and then get the rest of your vital data…and hang up.
Leave the canned verbage and advice about how “you get what you pay for” and all that aside. It never works, anyway. It just makes you feel good to say it.
Let them hang up thinking that it was their idea to hire a more expensive…but more experienced, more thorough, more objective, etc…inspector.
Thanks Jim
Very nice post!!
Excellent information Jim. Thanks.
My education. Why is the customer concerned about getting the mold tested? Most likely he is concerned about health effects. Would you go to a doctor who got his license in a couple days or would you want a doctor who took years of education? I constantly explain to my customers is that my Industrial Hygienist, I work under, is basically a doctor and am a Practicing Nurse. Most people understand, without explanation, that a Practicing Nurse can diagnose a problem just as well as a doctor but at a less cost.
The average mold inspector cannot even read a lab report correctly. If they can read a lab report, what are they going to do with the information? There is no inspectors, even most industrial hygienists, in my area that understands what it takes to write a remediation protocol, nor what mold really is.
For example, air samples can tell you where and how contaminated an area is. It is very important to understand your spore spread and how this effects future mold sampling. Each mold sample should be taken only if necessary to establish a specific goal, established by your client, such as writing a protocol for remediation. Taking more mold samples than what is needed will only cost your customer money and will put more money in your lab’s pocket. This is the easiest part of establishing a problem with mold. Trying to find why a client is getting sick in the first place is the hardest.
Ask your wife/ girlfriend change positions.:mrgreen:
Oh sorry this is the home inspection site, my bad.:shock: