Hello, I’m Paul Lesieur a new member here. I can’t add much knowledge about inspections in general but I am an experienced construction estimator and a HUD 203K consultant and I’d like to share this.
I have met home inspectors who are also 203K consultants and like everything else in the world you meet some people who inspire you and some who should be doing something else. For the 203K you need to inspect and come up with a cost to cure and prices for the buyers desired items. If you have no construction pricing experience you will need to get some but if you do you can do your inspection for lets say $350 and then provide an estimate to rehab and repair for another $200 to $1000. Pricing is contingent on the cost of repairs. On average an inspection will run $350 + $200 (for price estimating) + $150 for Radon for a total of $700.00
I am an experienced 203K consultant and if anyone has interest we can discuss this here or email me. For all I’m learning here I want to be one of the members who gives back.
Now I gotta go figure out how to install my website and contact info.
Just noticed the HVAC course the other day. I am on that as I was lucky enough to inspect a home with a furnace that sounded like a rocket blasting to space.
Home buyer is a furnace salesman, this was a good time to shut up and take pictures while he gave me an education on how and why furnaces might be noisy.
My Dad was right, you look smarter sometimes by simply keeping your mouth shut. Worked when I was an apprentice carpenter and works now.
Took a look at your 203K website…very nicely done. You are in a rather large market. I wonder how many of these loan types are gotten here in upper Michigan.
I can look that up for you, give me a little time. HUD has that information on a webpage somewhere.
This is a very popular program for forclosures and rehabs.
This is a great program, but I’m always amazed at how many RE agents don’t know about it. I bought my home with a 203k, and it really worked out great. I’m now a consultant as well, and I’m actually working on a feasibility study today.
This is a commitment and not a quick way to make more money, I think a good home inspector would make a good HUD consultant and vice versa.
We have good consultants and many are home inspectors. The good guys get the work and don’t worry so much about franchises or lower priced service providers. Franchises can be very powerful but have a habit of simplifying what it takes to stand out.
Marketing would be similar to what most of us are already doing.
On getting work, I just lost an account to a franchise and a low ball operator, my reports are detailed and accurate, the low ballers are not. I’m guessing that work will come back to me. If not all I lost was a customer more concerned with price than quality. That’s not the customer base I want to attract.
