Whether you're buying, selling or own a property you have made a wise decision to have an in depth inspection performed.  It is understandable that the price of any service is a decision factor for many people.  However, there is much more than price to consider when dealing with one of, if not the, most expensive investment you will ever make.  Call me for a quote and I will be happy to work with you.  My service fees are very reasonable and reflect a fair price for exceptional service!   For your benefit, please take a moment to understand what you are receiving for your inspection fee, and the various costs your Inspector must incur to provide a premium level of service for you.  The following sections describe the Inspector's "Cost of doing business" (CODB). It can be a real eye opener to understand why the cheap Inspector is not necessarily a good thing!  Sometimes you might get lucky and receive just an average inspection for that cheap fee. But the most you can hope for at a cheap rate is just an average inspection!  All to often though with that cheap inspection you usually get what you pay for, which is poor inspecting, reporting and service!

What is this  "Cost Of Doing Business" thing?

When consumers search for a service provider many times their first consideration is price.  After all it is only natural that we want the most for our dollar.  But there are many costs associated with providing a service that consumers are not aware of.  A partial list of these are items such as, insurances, cost of running a vehicle, tools and test equipment, office supplies and materials, licensing fees, recurring education costs, advertising, and a very large number of other costs.  All of these costs have been loosely termed the "Costs of Doing Business" (CODB), and these add up quickly.  

The Texas Professional Real Estate Inspectors Association recently reported on the results of a survey of over 2400 Professional Inspectors.  The survey indicated that the average costs the Inspector pays for performing one inspection is approximately $155.00. The following chart is based on that average figure, and displays how much your Inspector is actually making on each inspection based on what they charge you.  For this chart we will take into account the following averages. These times do not include all of the other time spent in the business which should be taken into account as it does effect the final hourly wage comparison.  These are also averages and the times needed can certainly climb easily.  

Charge to client	Charge Minus The $155 (CODB) = Gross	Gross Divided by 9 Hours = Hourly Wage Before Taxes	Net after payroll taxes but this does not include deductions for other expenses
$100.00	-$55.00	Loss of $55.00	Inspector Is Collecting Welfare
$150.00	-$5.00	Loss of $5.00	Inspector Still Collecting Welfare
$200.00	$45.00	$5.00	$3.75  After expenses Inspector Still Collecting Welfare
$250.00	$95.00	$10.56	$7.92  After expenses Inspector Still Collecting Welfare
$300.00	$145.00	$16.11	$12.08  After expenses Inspector Can Afford A Soda
$350.00	$195.00	$21.67	$16.25
$400.00	$245.00	$27.22	$20.42
$450.00	$295.00	$32.78	$24.58
$500.00	$345.00	$38.33	$28.75

 
So what does this all mean to you?

There is no better example than to see how the math stacks up!  In a nutshell this whole CODB boils down to whether you are given a good quality, and thorough property inspection and report!!  Keep in mind that these numbers don't even include all of the time spent in the many other aspects of running the business, maintaining proficiency in the field, satisfying licensing requirements, etc., etc.
  
So how do Inspectors get away with offering such low prices?  The only way is to reduce the time spent on an inspection, the report, and related activities.  This will allow them to perform two and more inspections each day, if they can book that many, to make up for the cheap price they charge you.  No matter how you look at it, that means they have to reduce the quality of the inspection services to you!  This whole Cost Of Doing Business description really boils down to one question.

Do you really want to trust your property purchase, sale, or other decision on the lack of service and information provided by an Inspector who is working for far less than the value of the service they are providing you?