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Realtor Top Criticisms of Home Inspection Companies – Part 2

By
Home Inspector with Selman Home Inspections, Inc. 10299

Realtor Top Criticisms of Home Inspection Companies – Part 2

Professional Realtors advise prospective homeowners to have a thorough home inspection done by a professional home inspector before purchasing property. Quality home inspections protect buyers from incurring costs after their property purchase. And, quality home inspections for sellers are sure to help sell a property faster and, for more money.

Exceptional service does not have to come at an extravagant price. But, shopping for the lowest price will usually buy the lowest quality. Just like Realtors, an experienced, quality professional home inspector and the report they provide are worth the home inspection fee. So, why is it that one of the most common criticisms of home inspection companies is the fee?

#2.) The Home Inspection Fee

What do experienced, quality Realtors charge? 6% or more of the property sale price? 6% of $150,000 is $9,000. That is a significant amount to add to a buyers mortgage. Then a portion of that goes to the Realtors brokerage. Do prospective home buyers or sellers shop for a real estate agent with the lowest commission fee? Sometimes. But not if they are smart. So why shop for the cheap home inspection?

The old adage , "You Get What You Pay For" is just as true for Realtors and Home Inspectors as it is for any other purchase or investment. Are there real estate agencies that cost less and charge smaller commissions? Yes. The "Help You Sell" type agencies for example charge only 4.5% or even less. Are the Realtors and Professional Home Inspectors worth their money? As a Realtor, are you worth what you charge? Your answer is "Of course I am". My response: "I believe you". And, I am also worth what I charge for a quality home inspection. Not all home inspectors or the reports they produce are the same. Home Inspectors who are worth their fee offer many advantages that set them apart from the cheap inspections.

As a Professional Home Inspector, I am not an alarmist or a "deal killer" type of inspector. The inspector you refer shouldn't be either. A quality home inspector does not provide "soft" inspection reports but at the same time understands that most any defect in a property can be fixed. A Professional Home Inspector knows how to keep the little things in perspective. As a Professional Home Inspector, I also back my inspections with a 100 Day Limited Warranty to resolve any "after the sale" problem calls.

Professional Home Inspectors like Selman Home Inspection are well trained, certified, licensed by their state and carry E & O insurance, vehicle insurance and liability insurance. All considerable overhead business costs. Quality home inspectors are confident in evaluating 1000's of individual items in the most important systems of a home including foundation, electrical, plumbing, structural, HVAC and roofing and reporting any defect in these systems in a non-alarmist manner. Quality home inspection reports are easy to read, easy to understand, provide positive solutions and digital photos for clarity.

Every home inspection is different in the condition of the property, the age of the property, the quality of the original construction and the quality of any repairs or upgrades that have been made. I have never completed an inspection in less than 4 hours. Some have taken as long as 8 hours. Doing a complete and thorough home inspection is hard work and requires tremendous knowledge.

I am a Professional Home Inspector and, I am worth my fee. If the inspector you are using makes you criticize their fee, find another one. Like real estate agents, there are lots of home inspectors. As a quality home inspection company, it is my job and my business to provide a complete evaluation of a property, and, to reinforce the buying or selling decision. Remember, "You get what you pay for".

In part 3 of this series, we will discuss "Put it back like you found it". Until next time....

Selman Home Inspection Company
Serving All Of North Texas
www.selmanhomeinspections.com
Accurate Investment Protection You Can Trust

 

Posted by


David Selman
Certified Master Home Inspector
Lic.# 10299
WDI #660910
FHA/HUD # F537 
Septic Cert #113423
Phone: 469-371-3228 
Email: david@SelmanHomeInspections.com

"Accurate Investment Protection You Can Trust"

Websites: 

Dallas Home Inspection

 

Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

"Doing a complete and thorough home inspection is hard work and requires tremendous knowledge."

I believe you and trust me when I say I honestly think you and and I both are UNDER paid for what we bring to the table.  Looking forward to reading part III

Mar 15, 2010 06:20 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

ps- I clicked on the link to "ENNIS" home inspections, is that the name of a town?

Mar 15, 2010 06:21 AM
Jeffrey Jonas- Building Inspector
Owatonna, MN
Residential-Commercial-Light Industrial

Good post David. Here's a (supposedly) true story I thought you would appreciate...

"That seems alot of money for just a few hours work". I have heard that phrase before. Here is a little story that may explain the phrase. True story.

Pablo Picasso, the painter, was dining at a restaurant in New York City. A fan introduced herself to him and gushed at how thrilled she was to meet the great artist and how she loved his work. Encouraged by Mr. Picasso's polite acceptance, the fan begged "Oh, Mr. Picasso, would you draw me a sketch?" Picasso grabbed some paper, and with a pen sketched the waiters passing parfaits. As the woman reached for the sketch, Pablo Picasso said, "Madame. That will be $10,000." Shocked, she replied, "but that only took you 5 minutes." "No, madame," replied Picasso, "it took me 50 years."

Picasso priced his service to its value, not to the cost of manufacture.

 

Mar 15, 2010 03:42 PM
Karen Otto
Home Star Staging - Plano, TX
Plano Home Staging, Dallas Home Staging, www.homes

I love Jeffrey's story above! And David you make valid and important points about getting what you pay for. I know what I can and cannot work for and I am not into being a low price leader - in order to do my job to the best of my abilities, like you, there are overhead costs involved.  Keep sharing the message that you are, we need more home inspectors like you who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise!

Mar 16, 2010 09:36 AM