Re-inspections

[Stephen F. Myers]

I charge a discounted inspection rate for re-inspection of the property as most of it was already covered. I make sure the client knows this is an inspection, not a guarantee that the contractor made competent repairs. I often find cover-ups when I re-inspect and now I add that any repairs needed would be best made by the buyer as it removes the burden from the seller. Keeps me from re-inspecting the property 3 or 4 times.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by smyers

I charge a discounted inspection rate for re-inspection of the property as most of it was already covered. I make sure the client knows this is an inspection, not a guarantee that the contractor made competent repairs. I often find cover-ups when I re-inspect and now I add that any repairs needed would be best made by the buyer as it removes the burden from the seller. Keeps me from re-inspecting the property 3 or 4 times.

Exactly.
Must be a California thing.

[Stephen L. Guardino, CMI]

Min. charge of $100.00 & up and the repair has to be made by a licensed contractor with an invoice stating the name of the company that did the repair.

[Harold E. Miller]

Originally Posted by dmetzler

Thanks for the great responses. The only reason I suggested free was because, a realtor told me that inspector X offers them for free, so I wasn't sure If should also or not. I probably will charge a small fee for doing them. I doubt they will come up all that often.

David
I remember being sucked into the realtor trap of ...."Inspector X only charges this much for an inspection, ...or a reinspection" ....before.
Later finding that the inspector did really charge more. That was when I was new and impressionable.
I never really understand what agents get out of negotiating the lowest inspection price for their client. That stopped when I raised my prices high enough that I no longer appeal to the agents looking for rock bottom pricing for their client. It has made life alot easier.
I do charge only $95.00 for a re-inspection, but after reading some of the posts, I may be undercharging on the reinspects. ...May have to review that. It is kind of a mute point since I only do a couple a month, if at all.

[James Eubank]

I've approached re-inspections from a slightly different angle, as a marketing tool. When potential customers ask, I tell them that one re-inspection is included in the price. My prices are at the top end of local prices, so an occasional re-inspection is built into my pricing plan. The re-inspection has several limitations, like a 60-day time limit, a fee for mileage, other limitations. Before I get there, the customer has to give me a list of specific items from the original inspection, so I don't waste much time. I'm not inspecting the whole house again, just some specific items.

It's a calculated risk to do this. If I got many calls for re-inspections, it would be a money-loser and I would change my policy. But in the last 100 inspections, I've only had 4 re-inspections. (Don't know why there are so few.) So at this point it's a nice added benefit for the customers, and a competitive edge for my business.

I like the suggestions about reminding people that I'm not liable for someone else's repairs, etc. It would be good to see a repair bill from a licensed contractor, but that's probably not the point. I'm not going to guarantee their work, only comment on if it was done and if it is "adequate."

[Russell Spriggs]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

I charge $100.00 minimum as I do not like doing them. If the repairs are done correctly and per my recommendations then they were done by a licensed contractor. Being done by a licensed contractor the repairs have a warranty/guaranty. That being the case why do they need me to inspect the repairs?
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KiltLifters on that one, Bri-
Here's mine:

RE-INSPECTION QUESTIONS:
Re-inspections are billed at 75% of the original inspection fee. So, it’s cheaper to have the Seller provide you with receipt copies, and then you would be able to contact the repairperson directly regarding any warranty work.