Exactly. Fees should be reflective of your level of Experience as well as Expertise.
Wrong answer. I guess I will have to agree to disagree on these statements.
People seem to think that since they studied and gained knowledge over the past five to ten years, they are qualified to charge more than everyone else because they actually think they do.
The logical absorption rate of someone reading to educate himself, I believe is like 10-20%. Even after you have absorbed the information, unless you have actually and physically done the work, what good is referring to a text solution. There is no text solution to every problem, but people keep trying and making money on it convincing the Public that is the case.
If the logic was, that the more knowledge I have I could charge more, I would be up to about $1000 per Inspection.
Not going to happen. Sorry, we are just Home Inspectors, not Lawyers or Doctors.
Learning and absorbing more knowledge is solely to be comfortable in your stance of work and how you manage it.
Explaining how things need to be repaired in a Home Inspection Business is not your call, you are there to report on the condition of the structure as a whole and nothing else other than recommending the proper Professional Evaluations when deemed necessary.
I believe that to many Home Inspectors, including myself, will be every homeowners answer to the new purchase. Wrong.
Evaluation and reporting of the findings is what is more precise. Nothing more.
If you want to elaborate to a Client and pretend that you have superb knowledge and expertise in solution and remedy, from the new knowledge that you perceived as substantiation for charging more, go ahead and suffer the consequences when your are proven incorrect.
Learn and digest what you read on these post from some talented people and some that have a strong background of the reality of how things get physically installed and what you should look for.
There are very smart and educated Home Inspectors on this board that can give you the background of how things should get done other than using the minimum standard allowed by code.
What happened to the days of building, where noting the minimum standard did not have to be cited?
Message Board= education, knowledge, absorption, = talent, proficiency, and more calls.
Hope this helps.
Marcel 
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What if we did have a doctor or attorney who was now a home inspector? That might be interesting (prepare for dialogue):
Newbie home inspector: “Hi, my name’s Dr. Vicodin.”
Oldie home inspector: “Hi, Dr. Vicodin. So you’re a new home inspector, huh? Is the “Dr” just marketing, like a doctor of home inspections or were you really a doctor?”
NHI: “Oh, I was a doctor, alright. I was a brain surgeon.”
OHI: “Really? Why’d you quit?”
NHI: “Oh, I didn’t quit. I lost a malpractice lawsuit and had my medical license terminated.”
OHI: “Really. Well, I think you’ll make a great home inspector. Make nice-nice with some Realtors and you’ll do well, perhaps even make as much money as you did as a brain surgeon.”
so RR, if that’s true, does a Proctologist become the realtor???
Jay they can’t all be realtors some have to be builders!!
Doctors and Lawyers, Home Inspectors!!!
Not going to happen.
These people are so smart, they probably can’t find the dip stick.
Marcel
Qualified to charge? I have to qualify to charge the amounts I do for an inspection?
I thought I was free to charge whatever I like since it’s my business. As long as I am comfortable with my fee structure and more importantly, my clients are comfortable with it, why would I ever charge less?
So why aren’t you? If you can convince someone you bring $1000 of value, why would you undercut yourself? Go out and convince them you’re worth it.
i’d like to see that tool belt…K.Y. jelly, rubber gloves, and a nail gun??? sounds like a little to kinky for me.:mrgreen:
As a qualified Dwelling Doctor I believe more knowledge equals more money. It is not just building knowledge Marcel. HI’s have to have a much wider skill set than just building knowledge to be successful. If this was not true than every carpenter would be a HI.
Brian, you didn’t thank me for posting a link to your site in my previous post. You’re welcome. I expect a margarita on Monday. 
Jay, that was a builder in the good old days!!
These days there are no tool belts and nail guns just the k-y and the gloves!
So they keep the bottom knocked out of the pay for the subs and do not allow a private Hi on the job site!
And when all is said and done then they play DUMB!!! IMO
Please explain this one if you wish, thank you.
Marcel
In the great (?) state of California (maybe just here in San Diego), I find it interesting that we have all these licensed professionals:
plumbers
electricians
roofing contractors
chimney sweeps
general contractors
pool builders
structural engineers
soils engineers
pest control professionals
and even landscapers, for gosh sakes.
Yet I, a lowly home inspector, am expected to know all of those professions, perhaps not as well, but nevertheless, yet I certainly don’t charge the cumulative fees that all of those people would charge if they came out individually to inspect the house. Their minimum fees would be up there in the $1,500 range for a 1,500 SF house. So why do I charge $299 (for my STANDARD inspection)? Because I’m not licensed. That licensing in and of itself indicates a greater level of knowledge than the average Joe Blow. It is that knowledge that does, indeed, command a higher wage. Just look at the attorney or doctor, or the MBA graduate, who have no experience whatsoever but do have those extra couple of years of knowledge. They command higher prices. So I personally believe that, yes, knowledge does command a higher price, that knowledge does, indeed, equal more money.
Sorry RR did not even notice, Thanx.
Bathtub gin affecting my vision;)
BK
Marcel, we have to wear many hats as a HI. Diplomat, negotiator, financial planner, marketer, sales, communication, education, computer tech, code inspector, etc. It is a never ending process of gaining new knowledge.
I believe if one is only good at the construction inspection end of the biz then one will not be truly successful.
I guess as a Superintendant of Commercial Building for many moons, I must be short changing myself based on the Philosophy, I am constantly telling licensed tradesmen what is wrong and what is out of sequence in the building process. What does that tell you. I am the one that has to answer to Engineers and Architects.
The job I am on right now, I told the Architect, that if I would not have spent the time to draw up sketches to finish the Contract Documents that he did not finish, my sub-contractor Framing Contractor could not build the building that he designed. He walked out, it must have blasted him the wrong way. The truth hurts, grin and bear it.
We negotiate all our work and known for the best quality work in the State and I am not bragging. My Company that I work for has been in business for over forty years. No call backs no lawsuits or claims. Knock on wood.
I learned the hard way and know one is going to tell me that a piece of paper is going to exceed the knowledge gained over 40 years, although they do and always will.
People that appreciate knowledge gained the old fashion way will understand what I am saying.
Those that chose to profit by attestting to certificates, diplomas, degrees, and what not, so be it and good for you.
I chose to earn it the way it should be, work for it.
Peoples knowledge can and will at times direct their lives in avenues they wish they should never have turned into. And it is all to make money. Beware of the Ghost of Greed unhandedly taken from the innocent.
Too much knowledge can some times be challenged by someone that has more knowledge.
Beware.
Marcel 
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Marcel, I am not arguing that hands on experience is not an excellent teacher. I will also not argue that much of that the passes for education these days is less than adequate.
I understand about telling tradesmen, and engineers the correct way to do thier job with regards to plans and specs. I used to love that.
But I do have to disagree about the hard work part. My wife was going on about success and hard work one day, I pointed over to a landscaper we passed while driving and said “that is the hardest working person you will see all day and you are telling me he is more successful than I am.” He was truly earning it.
BK
Then does it hit you that a little bit of knowledge does help.
I can work that hard, but, I do not wish to work that hard. I guess that forces you to gain the upper hand and accummulate some knowledge. Right.
Get paid more. All I am saying, I guess is that as an HI, you can only charge so much errelevant to how much education or knowledge you have for this type work.
Marcel
“Be what you can be and not what you are not”
Nooooooooooooooooo! Not code inspector! 
I’ve been in various businesses for 41 years and I love this one the best because I always get callbacks:
“Can you help me with. . . .”
“Where’s that good nursery?”
“Can you recommend a good plumber?”
“Can you inspect my mom’s new condo?”
“Can you recommend a good web site for. . . .”
Love those callbacks.
I think you’re doing a bad comparison. It sounds like you’re comparing the new graduate with that new piece of paper indicating knowledge to the school-of-hard-knocks graduated with 40 years of experience. That’s not the right way to compare them. Compare the school-of-hard-knocks graduate with 40 years of experience to the MBA graduate also with 40 years of experience, and generally you’ll find that the MBA graduate is more successful in terms of money and toys. Compare the school-of-hard-knocks graduate with 4 years of experience to the college graduate with a 4-year degree, and they’re neck and neck, depending on the industry.
I’m not quite sure I understand what the old fashion way of gaining knowledge is. Harvard University has been around for over 300 years, and many universities in Europe for many hundreds of years longer. Can you expand on what “the old fashion way” is?
Well, I’m quite offended since I had to put myself through four years of college, taking 18-21 hours each full semester and 6-8 hours every summer session for 48 straight months. That’s not work? Hmmmmmmmmm. I think I worked hard and certainly earned my degree and all the opportunities that that degree has opened up for me.
But that’s true for anyone, the educated and the uneducated. It certainly does not apply only to those with certificates indicating knowledge, nor does it apply only to those without certificates indicating knowledge. A baseless argument against acquiring knowledge through education.
Huh? ](*,) :-k :freaked-: :blank: :wha?: :?: