TARION and PDI's

Hello Everyone,

Had a booking for a PDI on new home in Barrie, ON today. Builder would not let me on the site, first he said I needed hard hat and work boots to be on site, when I started getting them out of my truck he then told me I had to leave the site. I told him I was waiting for my client etc. He even went so far as to phone TARION and let me listen to them repeat on speaker phone that the buyers had to give written notice to builder to have Home Inspector at a PDI.

I have never had this problem before, had some pissed off builders but never such hostility. Buyers came and they are going to postpone PDI until builder gives permission to have Home Inspector there. The builder pissed me off so much I told them I would do it for free, right in front of the builder. I am sure he knows any defect will get noticed.

Any thoughts on this, by the way if you want to see TARION held accountable for their way of doing business, stick this link on your web site and support better built homes.

http://www.canadiansforproperlybuilthomes.com/

Regards

Roger Frost

Technically the builder is on the hook for site safety - re: occupational health and safety. As such, the builder has the right to enforce safety requirements.

Some will even require evidence of slip and fall training, etc.

Until the house is turned over to the purchaser - technically its the builders call.

Roger

I agree with Claude.
I also think you pissed off the builder by not showing him respect, you should have had your hard hat and safety boots on!

And did the purchaser provide this form to builder?

I have done 5 new homes this year and in cases the builder welcomed me.
Of course I asked his permission before opening the electrical and other things .
No problem as all good builders want to know how good their home is .

Of Course I got my usuall $399;00 . I do not work for less.
Roy Cooke

Roy

Good for you!!!

I’m so happy that you are not one of those HI’s that charge $150.00 or $199.00

I don’t know if it’s true or not but someone told me that an OAHI member will do an WETT and HI for $199.00!!!

Can you believe this? My truck would not leave my driveway for less than what you are charging.

Mario,
You are incorrect there… He is a NACHI member and it is blatantly on his website.

Also there is one guy in Collingwood who advertises as “The home of the $99 inspection.” When people ask me if I will match this price ( or the $200) I tell them these guys are still over priced.
Any idiot can do a home inspection for $100 or $200, but those who are real professionals are worth the money. Those who charge $100 or $200 are not professionals and promote themselves on cost as they cannot show they are worth the cost of a proper inspection. Some get enough work to get by on but have to keep giving money away as they simply are not very good at what they claim to be.

David

I stand corrected.

NACHI or OAHI you have to admit that this guy is out to lunch.

Mario,
Anyone who claims to be an inspector and charges $100 or even $200 simply realize they are not worth what a real inspector is worth. That is the only thing they are smart enough about.
They may as well tell people they will work for free, because they are not worth more.
One of these $200 “inspector” dropped the ball last fall. His agent called me at 7:30 Saturday night to ask me to cover his bumm. The deal would die at midnight without the inspection. I was at a reception for my nephew in Brampton, and told her, 1. I was not going to walk out on my nephew. 2. It was already getting dark and to get to Barrie would take an hour and a half. She freaked when I declined.
This is the type of problem those cheep so called inspectors create for the real inspectors.
The best part is, a month later I did a house inspection and cheepos truck was in his driveway, next door. The buyers told me they knew cheepo was an inspector, but heard he was not good. Money does talk. It says a lot of things about you in your profession. If you are the cheepest inspector and advertising as such, it simply says… “This person is so stupid they dare not charge what a real professional charges”

I figure each inspection cost to me is about $100:00 for all expenses .
So I charge $399:00 minus $100:00 my profit is about $300:00.
Now if an inspector charges $199:00 minus $100:00 profit is about $100:00.

Gee simple math says I make 3 times as much as he does.

It This was my profit of $100:00 it would keep me awake thinking I have to do 3 times as many inspection just to make the same wages.

I like the idea of working smarter not harder.

Working smarter gives me more time to fish I like that .

Life is to short to spend it all working for nothing .

Roy Cooke A Happy NACHI member

Roy,
That sounds good, but obviously there are some out there who are not that smart! And trying to educate the dumb ones can be a real waste of time.
It is the dumb ones who ruin the whole profession for real inspectors.
Their movie should come out soon… It is called DUMB and CHEAP!

Often these are the ones - that feel they might go for quantity over quality; or perhaps those freshly graduated from a “diploma mill”. Looking for a start.

I agree, they undercut professionalism - but also at whose expense?
Hmm…and what about reputation?

At the same time - it may not necessarily make them a bad inspector - just one working too “darn” cheap!

That is one reason why I changed my market to “building” inspection rather than home inspection, and other specialty type inspection work. It does not make sense to work in a market that is only about cheap inspections. There’s already enough inspectors out there driving prices down, rather than up!

You guys are right. There are a lot of people out there with “poor” qualifications. My self on the other hand am quite confident that “few of these so called professionals” can match my qualifications and experience. But then I guess that is why they specialize in “cheap” shots. hahaha

Glad your qualifications are great .
I still think you must have missed a couple of Mathematic classes to work for1/3 + or - what I work for .
I just maybe a little luckier then you to be able to see there is not much advantage in working cheep.
I like the idea of 5 inspections making $1,500:00
Then 15 inspections making $1,500:00
More free time only 33% of the liabilities.

You call it " But then I guess that is why they specialize in “cheap” shots. hahaha"
I call it trying to educate others ,I also think you are in a very small miniorty.
I think many will agree with me


I figure each inspection cost to me is about $100:00 for all expenses .
So I charge $399:00 minus $100:00 my profit is about $300:00.
Now if an inspector charges $199:00 minus $100:00 profit is about $100:00.

Gee simple math says I make 3 times as much as he does.

It This was my profit of $100:00 it would keep me awake thinking I have to do 3 times as many inspection just to make the same wages.

I like the idea of working smarter not harder.

Working smarter gives me more time to fish I like that .

Life is to short to spend it all working for nothing .

Roy Cooke A Happy NACHI member

Roger

What are you talking about? Ah, you must be one of the lowballers YES/NO ?

Claude

I agree with your above statement with the exception of “It may not necessarily make them a bad Inspector”
IMO I think it makes them “BAD” .In order to be considered a “GOOD” Inspector one has to be “GOOD” at everthing including pricing!!

In such a high risk biz, why would anyone charge $99?

I wouldn’t leave the house for a measley $99. My min. is $400. You get what you pay for I guess.

The former COO of Tarion is now employed by one Ontario Association. A sign of things to come?

Raymond,
Keep on this topic you cheap &^&&, oops I slipped a cheap in there by mistake!:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Anyway back to your previous post… You are 100% when you state, You get what you pay for I guess.



Bottom line is, If you are properly qualified and confident of your qualifications and abilities, you will not be afraid of charging properly for a good job.
If, as Mario used the term, LOWBALLER, you have to ask why? Anyone in this field should be charging a going rate, especially as stated with the risks involved if they know what they are doing. Simple as that!
If you are a lowballer, it ususally means either you do not know what you are doing, you are not qualified or you do not know how to run a proper business. And will be pounding the streets for another job soon.

And as Claude stated, they simply are not a professional!
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My own personal opinion is that in order to make a living and charging so little . A person must do a lot of inspections.
To do a lot of inspections you must be fast.
To be fast you must cut corners.
This is exactly the kind of inspections the Agents love quick in and out
simple inspection get it done and candy coat the inspection.

Roy Cooke

Hey Guys,

Appreciate your comments and as for pricing, although you may consider my prices too cheap for what you do and what you need to charge, the same is not necessary for everyone else.

Personally, my prices work exceptionally well for me and I make an extremely good living from my business. I have been in many businesses and involved with quite a few and the bottom line is eventually what counts. If your bottom line is not what you expected or need then you have my sympathy and condolences. Mine is just fine and I thank you all for your concerns for my financial well being.

Thanks for the advice of PDI’s, although I found it strange about the comment about showing up wearing hard hat and work boots? I carry them in my truck and have them available plus a host of other tools etc for any eventuallity but have never heard of requirement to show up wearing them. On this site the builder had no hard hat and the buyer was made welcome although no boots or hats were made available. Makes me think that this particular builder was not putting out the welcome mat. The association of better built homes is trying to bring some accountability back to home building in Canada and I feel that as professionals in any aspect of home building industry they deserve support.

Regards