I have to quote on a 4 unit apartment building and having never quoted one before I am looking for input on what my fellow INTERNACHI members would charge.
Heres the scoop…
4 units
5640 Sq ft
full Basement
4 car detached garage
4.75 baths
4 kitchens
8 bedrooms
Common heat and water
HEEEEEELP!!!
I don’t have much experience with this type stuff, but I’ll throw out something silly to get the thread started :mrgreen:
It sounds much like two average sized homes. What would the charge be for two homes each 2800sf, 4br, 2 car garage, and basement?
Add a little for the extra kitchens and the extra paperwork of keeping 4 reports separate. Add a little for the “extra commercial expertise” that you have.
Another thought. On another thread, Nick G recommended that the best pricing for commercial inspections is by the hour. However, this is relatively small for commercial and they may want a pretty firm estimate.
Hope that helped.
V/R
Mark
$1700 for the 4 dwelling units and common areas and $300 for the garage.
I would be at:
$250.00 for the common structure
$100.00 per unit interior
$50.00 for the garage
$900.00 in total probably about a 4-5 hour inspection, and I’d expect to spend 2-3 hours on the report.
Not a bad days work 
James please be my major competition here in Florida, I need the work 
BTW: down here at the moment I bet you’d see quotes below $500.00 for this job 
Regards
Gerry
I agree Gerry, I need work too! I like his #'s though. :mrgreen:
$800 here would likely be in line.
There are guys out there right now that would do this for $200, a six pack and an egg salad sandwich.
To be honest Marcel, if a potential buyer balked at the $900.00 I’d do the garage for free, if he were still balking we’d start some serious negotiations I doubt I’d end up below $700-750 though
Regards
Gerry
I know you’re right Doug, frankly I’d sell it for $800, sub it for $250 and the sandwich spend the day drinking the six pack and not have to leave the office.
Gerry
Actually, I was thinking $800 and no charge for the garage. :mrgreen:
No dickering, give them a bonus up front.
I like your thining on this one Gerry.
I would do this property for $700 to $800 because it is basically the same as two four bedroom homes minus a bathroom or two.
And there’s you thinking I’m not a capitalist 
Gerry
I trust that most HIs are capitalists when it comes to their personal finances.
Thanks Guys,
I came up with $827.00… I kinda figured it in sections i.e. time to do report, time to inspect utilities, time to inspect roof etc. than took the number of hours total and mutiplied that by what I like to make an hour, added 30%(for taxes) and there you have it! I Guess I’m in line with my price. Thanks again for the input this message board is the best tool for getting answers about things you dont know or are unsure of and always in a timely manner!
Okay…I know that, technically, this was a residential inspection because of the small number of units…but I priced it as a commercial, since it was an apartment building.
Accordingly, in addition to the normal inspection that would be made and reported on (4 x $300 + $200 for the garage)…I would add the expenses of accumulating, reviewing and reporting on the following:
Accessibility surveys
Appraisals
Building plans
Certificates of Occupancy
Citations
Deck age records, plans and construction permits.
Deck and balcony maintenance, power washing, painting, treating, repair and modification history
Emergency evacuation plans
Environmental studies
Evacuation drill records
Fire detection test and maintenance records
Fire door inspection reports
Fire prevention plans
Fire extinguisher service records
Fire records
Flame resistant certificates
Flood plain maps
Floor plans
Kitchen grease cleaning records
Kitchen post fire inspections
Maintenance records
Manufacturer’s installation instructions
Notices
Permits
Power washing records
Previous inspection reports
Proposals
Rent records
Repair estimates/invoices
Safety inspection records
Seller disclosures
Sprinkler head replacement records
Utility bills
Warranties
And then, Interviews:
The inspector should identify and interview the person(s) with the most knowledge about the condition of the building. Typically, this will be the building owner or manager. Unless otherwise agreed to in the Scope of Work agreement, it is the responsibility of the client to arrange to have this person(s) on hand for interview by the inspector on the day of the walk-through survey.
And possibly Pre-inspection questionnaires
The inspector may request that the owner, building manager and/or client fill out pre-inspection questionnaires to gather information. The inspector may rely that these responses are truthful. In cases where parties refuse to fill out questionnaires in writing, the inspector may interview the parties and fill out the questionnaires for them. The inspector should note in the report if he/she filled out the questionnaire based on an interview and whether such interview was performed in person, by telephone, or by email. Copies of all responses to such questionnaires should be included in the inspection report.
Adding these activities would be how I would justify my fee.
Hi James,
some of what you listed is contained in my standard commercial inspection, I also typically quote an additional minimum fee of $500.00 for permit searches, open violation citations and additional/supplemental records research
I’ll let you know next time I sell one, don’t hold your breath!!
Regards
Gerry
I’ve just finished a bid for a project that includes some fourplex properties and some single-family and some larger apartment buildings. So this same idea has been on my mind.
The $750 to $900 quote seems good for treating it as a residential inspection. $1500 seems good for a commercial inspection, since there is so much more involved.
Customers like choices, so why not explain those two options and give them the choice? I did that a couple of months back, the customer was delighted and chose the more expensive inspection. Others will choose the less expensive.
I did one(four units) two story, no garage 725.00 at the beginning of the year
1579.20 for the building
300.00 for the garage
93.96 fotr taxes
1973.16 total
Plus for thermal imaging and mold
Gentleman: Bruce here. I just had a request for an inspection on a 10 unit apt. complex in Oakland, Ca. I have performed an inspection on a 4-plex but nothing larger.
Here’s the Info:
Beds: 13;
Rooms: 32;
House size: 5,970 sq ft;
Stories: 3;
Lot size: 6375;
Garage: Carport;
Heating: Gas Wall Units;
Cooling: Unknown;
Construction: Wood Frame;
Year built: 1965;
Year renovated: 1965;
Property type: Multi family;
Date updated: 11/24/2017;
Units: 10;
Pool: Yes.
This info was provided by Realtor.com
I really need some GOOD/SMART recommendations as to how to price this out.
Pricing here in the San Francisco Bay Area is somewhat higher than most others but within reason I think. My current rate for a single family house here is $385 for up to 1000 sq. ft.
Also, can I do this and be covered properly with using InterNachi’s Commercial SOP property agreement? From the discussion above it appears that around $800.00 or so is fair for the 4 unit complex mentioned previously so my thinking was to charge around $1600.00 or so. Any thoughts???
In Kansas City a 4-plex as described …
Would go for about $895 + $150 detached garage (with no utilities) OR $200 with.