Building Inspection Fees - How Much Should You Pay?

Building Inspection Fees - How Much Should You Pay?

Professional Building inspectors I know are sometimes frustrated by inexperienced clients who believe that a home or Building pre-purchase inspection is a generic procedure, that all inspectors are equally competent, and that all have equally high regard for the interests of their clients.

John Ruskin had the following thoughts on prices and values:
"It is unwise to pay too much, but it is unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money; that is all. When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything. Because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."

Just as the experience, attention to detail, and quality of reporting vary among inspectors, so do fees vary among consultants. To understand what you're paying for, and to have a clear idea of the relationship between fee-paid and value-received, be sure to understand the qualifications and experience of your inspector, the time and detail of the inspection, the quality of the written report, and the extent of consulting and advice that are provided.

Home inspection fees vary by size, age, price, location, and ancillary services that a client may need like termite reports, pool, sprinkler, water well or septic testing. A typical minimum home inspection fee for a well qualified home inspector is $450.00. The service typically includes a detailed, buyer-accompanied field inspection, along with an easy to read iunspection report that has color pictures of all the problems found.

Additional fees  may apply for special services: Pool, Sprinkler, Crawl space, water well, termite/wood-destroying insect infestation report, septic testing, and other special services. Fees are adjusted when multiple services are ordered with a home inspection.