How Much Does a Home Inspection Cost?
A home inspector is someone who gives professional opinion, separated from any other influence, about the quality of the home. The question on how much does a home inspection cost has a wide variety of answers that are based on certain considerations.
If you are deliberating over the question, it is important to know that there is a general difference in price that lies in whether you outsource an individual contractor to do the work for you or let the real estate company hire the services for you. Between the two, seeking help from the real estate company is relatively more expensive. References indicate that their rate is around 3-5% of the total value of the property or house that you want to be inspected. In contrast with the individual contractor you can hire directly, the charge is only at 0.2-.3% of the total value of the property. Indeed, it allows for the possibility of great savings on fees.
However you want it to be, whether to hire directly or allow the real estate company to do it for you, there are guidelines that can give you an idea on how much does a home inspection cost. Some inspectors charge on a flat rate while others charge hourly. In addition to this, some also charge by square foot while others put different rates on certain properties such as the pool. In any rate, if you have a bigger house, then you may expect to pay more for inspection.
Some inspectors do have inclusive and exclusives when it comes to the thing that they inspect. Others may inspect the whole house while other leave out certain areas like the detached garage which may be charged differently. Many inspectors have optional items in their list of things to be inspected so make sure that you understand the terms and conditions well before hiring a particular service.
While it is reasonable to demand a thorough job from the home inspector, do not expect that everything about the ‘quality of your home’ will be covered. For instance, incidents of termite attacks may not be covered and there is another agent for that which is the termite inspector.
The standard rate of an individual contractor is from$200-$250. However, you can find some who charge $100 for the job. This can go higher of course, depending on the quality of work and experience associated with the particular inspector that you are hiring.
The question on how much does a home inspection cost importantly considers the quality of work the home inspector gives. Although, it may have sufficiently safe grounds to say that lower price needs not be equated with good quality, so is higher price. When you buy a home and have it inspected by a home inspector and the results o the inspection says that your home has poor quality or lacks the necessary measures for safety and standards, you can use that results to present as an evidence when you return the home from the seller and get your money back.
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2 Responses to “How Much Does a Home Inspection Cost?”
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Costs for a home inspector in San Diego run between $199-400, depending on the size of the home, configuration, etc. It is not recommended to select the lowest price home inspector. This is because the entry requirements in this field are low, and licensing is not required in many states. So all someone needs to call themselves a home inspector is a basic set of tools and a stack of business cards. Professional home inspectors on the other hand will have invested time and money into their business to be sure they are delivering exceptional service, and will also have specific tools which allow for solid recommendations.
Yes Bill, those cost estimates for a home inspection in San Diego is about right. Our price for a buyer home inspection begin at $260 for a SFR up to 1000 sq. ft. Condos begin at $199.
Hopefully someday the industry will begin to regulate home inspectors. We’ve been in construction for a long time and have worked as full time home inspectors since 2003 but there are others that I see doing home inspections in San Diego with minimal experience as home inspectors and absolutely zero experience in construction.
How’s business for you this year? It’s been steady for us. We are actually looking to take on another part-time inspector so if you’ve got any referrals let us know.