I wrote a spreadsheet that breaks down my services and allows me to adjust the fees based on a specific building.
To start with, what are your business expenses (not for the inspection, the cost to keep your doors open)? What is your expected profit margin? What is the worse and best case scenario to complete? Age of construction etc.
Go to the house, use google maps satellite. What and how are to going to inspect the building?
You should be able to break everything down to an hourly requirement. What have you determined to be your hourly rates by doing the above? This may differ from item to item. Add it all up…
Much of what it cost you to do a 950sf lake house is the same if it’s 8,000sf. Like getting there. Accounting, billing, contracts, communicating with your client/agents etc.
It only take me an extra hour to hour and a half to inspect a 5k/sf house over a 1,500sf house. It biggest change is the condition of the building. How much report writing does it take to write up a dump (or new construction) over a well kept building?
You will spend a lot more time writing reports on the big ones because these clients always want to know much more than a first time home buyer, however most inspectors don’t even consider report preparation as a billable item. How many posts do you see here about “How can I do the report faster” (on site and be gone)? The big money on big houses comes from writing reports. Yup! I spend 20% more time inspecting and 350% more time in writing the report.
Meet the clients expectations and you will keep getting referrals. Charging $1,000’s extra and presenting a crap canned narrative report talking about all the contractors that must follow you to “Investigate Further” will not make an impression.
Along with the report time, I consider the time I spend on site with the client after the inspection. Some executive clients may not have time to come and relies on the report, some may spend two hours discussing things that may not ever make it into the report. The ones than can’t come often that 2hrs on the phone.
I have been medically retired for 2.5 yrs from doing home inspections but I get about two calls a week from clients I worked for 10yrs ago, or their referrals. The job you do, the time you invest in your inspections is the marketing that pays off years down the road. I also get a lot of calls from past big clients just to get an opinion about something they are dealing with. My Inspection ends with “You can call me any time about any property for the rest of my life about any question you have, Free of charge”.