I have been talking with Realtors who tend to ONLY recommend inspectors that do an inspection in 2 hours or less. How can ANYONE do an inspection that fast? It the inspector TRULY sticks to the standards there is NO WAY I can see anyone doing the inspection in that amount of time. In fact with 2 of us we take on average 4 hours 15 min. That does NOT include the report.
We are trying to find places to cut time with OUT cutting corners. How long does it take other inspectors is what I am trying to find out. Our main goal is NOT have a single client who is up set at things being missed. Our clients have always been VERY VERY happy with our inspections and 90% of them are shocked at how well the report is.
If someone wants to look at a past inspection report to help us see where we can save time please let me know.
Tom
I’m just doing the inspections for completion of my training in Canada, already did 4 for Internachi, and it took me 4 hours to do my own home. Now it does have a crawlspace, semi-finished basement and 2nd story but like you I can’t see it being done in under 2 hours. Not unless they want you to skim over a lot of essentials.
I have found that sometimes real-tors say that to give you a reason not to use you. I had one tell me she wanted a summary, then told me a year later that she wanted the report system by system. Who cares if I do system by system if I do a summary?
Do your inspection to serve your client, because the real-tors are just looking for any reason not to use you.
The large majority of inspectors can/will not perform a decent inspection of an average 2500 sq ft home in two hours or less, or even a 1500 with basement or crawl, same may say they can.
But 4 hours for a two man team in my opinion is way too long.
Ok, just say 2 hours. But then do your inspection normally. If it takes 3-4-5 hours oh well. The conditions present themselves to take additional time.
If you tell a girl you’re going to take her on a nice date and you take her for some hot dog cart food, she’s going to be mad.
If you tell you know the best hot dog cart in town and a nice park nearby, she’d be happy when you take her to a hot dog cart.
You need to set proper expectations. I call it the rule of Spock. He always said it would take at least so many hours to do something and there was never enough time , but he’d get it done just in time.
I agree that we all know how long it should take. I think I was expressing that we should say how long based on experience, but the conditions may require more time.
2 hours with Report? and that is to the standards? I wish you were closer I would pay money to watch the inspection because I need to know where to cut corners with out cutting the quality of my inspection. Do you check every bathroom? If I send you a report would you be willing to look it over and see what you think? Thanks
I guess our problem is we walk every roof possible and we enter every attic possible and we look at the WHOLE thing not just the area around the entry. We check the furnace, CO test, temp rise test and we check the flames. We inspect all the appliances and test the garage doors and openers, we have come in after an different inspector and found over 75 things they missed. I think our problem is our standards are MUCH higher then the industries. From a quality stand point its great from making money its a problem because we inspect as if we were buying the property.
Again if someone wants to look over one of our reports and tell us where we are going over board it would help us.
I agree with you on this. 4 hours at least. We inspect the house like we were buying it. Home Inspectors have a VERY bad reputation almost like used car salesmen. I do NOT want to compromise my standards, but I also want to make money.
I believe the majority of inspectors that commented on this thread inspect very close to the same standards as you. I do everything you mentioned above except CO test.
But I agree there are many that don’t. I know in my area there are many lowballers that don’t.
This topic has been discussed many times before ad infinitum.
There is no answer to this question that will satisfy everyone.
Inspectors are not cut from a cookie cutter.
Some are slow and good.
Some are slow and bad.
Some are fast and good.
Some are fast and bad.
And a whole bunch in the middle.
I myself am on the fast end of the spectrum ( and very,very good of course!)
I don’t try to be fast but I am.
I try to be extremely efficient and multi task.
Only rarely do I see something I haven’t seen many times before.
So I document an issue and move on.
Anyway, what I do works for me and is not for everybody.
BTW, no I’m not going to respond to any nitpicky or quarrelsome questions/comments thank you very much.
