Pricing Question - Need Help

[Mark C. Ferro]

Any ideas/experience of how to go about pricing an inspection of a 19 unit apartment?

I'm thinking of pricing per unit somewhere in the range of $100 to $150. If anyone has experience in this please let me know.

Thanks

Mark

[Troy Farmer]

Your in the ball park Mark.
we have done them for as low as $75 per unit because we got water sampling and some swabs out of them, if you go lower try and up sell some other products.
Good luck hope you have a little help.
Fly me there I Will help

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

I've said the below before when quoting a multi-family residence. I've never actually done one and didn't get that job. But it illustrates that you should develop a formula that works for you. I think I got the idea below from Russell Ray off this board somewhere.

"Since there are 4 residences per unit, including 4 kitchens with all the kitchen appliances, as well as 4 attics, 4 water heaters, 4 electric panels, and 4 heating and cooling systems, my regular price for a residence of this square footage and age would be $1,296 [($299 x 4) + $25 per unit due to age].

However, since there is only 1 building, I'll give you a discount for having to inspect only 1 roof, 1 exterior, and 1 foundation (-$300), and since you're giving me all the business at one time I deducted another 25% (-$249.00). (Normally, I only discount 10% but since you are doing this for your ministry, the discount is 25%.) With the multi-family and ministry discounts, the price would be $747.00 for each building."

[David P. Valley]

Stay in the $100.00 range per unit, and you'll do good.

[Jeffrey S. Campbell]

we approach a little different and not sure on something that size how it would work out... but we take and see where the square footage falls in our standard price (per building) if more than one... then add 50.00 per unit on top of that...

i.e. if 2000 sf home is 319.00 and has six units... it might be 619.00

I know it works well for the 2-4 family units we do a lot of...

[Bruce A. King]

You need more information to price it,

How many units have attic scuttle panels?
Have to carry ladder to 2nd floors?
Any crawlspace areas underneath floors?
Any flat roofs with hvac units?
Age?
Any extra fees allowed for chasing keys and waiting on the maint. guy to show up? Many tenants change the locks and the key won't work.
Does the client want each dishwasher checked? If so you can more than double your time in each unit waiting to see if it worked, soap dish opened, didn't leak and drained correctly etc.
Also expect people to yell at you from windows asking if you are there to fix their plumbing.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

"Since there are 4 residences per unit, including 4 kitchens with all the kitchen appliances, as well as 4 attics, 4 water heaters, 4 electric panels, and 4 heating and cooling systems, my regular price for a residence of this square footage and age would be $1,296 [($299 x 4) + $25 per unit due to age].

However, since there is only 1 building, I'll give you a discount for having to inspect only 1 roof, 1 exterior, and 1 foundation (-$300), and since you're giving me all the business at one time I deducted another 25% (-$249.00). (Normally, I only discount 10% but since you are doing this for your ministry, the discount is 25%.) With the multi-family and ministry discounts, the price would be $747.00 for each building."

I like that.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by dvalley

Stay in the $100.00 range per unit, and you'll do good.

Canadian dollars or U.S.?

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by bking

Does the client want each dishwasher checked? If so you can more than double your time in each unit waiting to see if it worked, soap dish opened, didn't leak and drained correctly etc.

Good point, which is what caused me seven years ago to exclude all kitchen appliances from inspections on properties with more than four units if they accept my $150 per unit quote. I tell them to check with the tenants because I can guarantee you that the tenants know which kitchen appliances work and which don't. However, if they want me to test all the kitchen appliances, then the inspection will take about one hour longer for each unit, so the cost will be $250 per unit. They are always quite happy to check with the tenants themselves in order to save time and money.