# Charge for Inspection?



## TJRoofing (Jun 24, 2011)

Seems like there's a mixed bag of contractors out there. Some charge a "diagnostic fee", some have free inspections, others charge a diagnostic fee but waive it if the homeowner signs the contract. What should we charge? What works best?


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## tinner666 (Oct 28, 2008)

I charge from $25.00 for nearby estimates. The farther I go, the more I charge. I deduct it from the invoice if I do the job. 
Inspections, which require a written report start at $365.00 for a 1-story walker and go up from there. I'm kinda low compared to many, but it works for me.


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## Atlanta Roofer (May 2, 2011)

*Charge for Inspections*

The only time we have charged for inspections is when we are working with a real estate agent or a foreclosure agent. They typically are not interested in having roofing work done, they just need an inspection

Atlanta Roofing Company


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## Grumpy (Oct 29, 2008)

First let us clarify that an inspection and an estimate for work are two different things.

I wish we could charge for estiamtes... We do charge for inspections though.


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## tinner666 (Oct 28, 2008)

Good point Grumpy. My first anwer wasn't thought out.

90% of my clients call and ask me to inspect their roof and let me know what needs doing and how much. Those are actually estimates/proposals, and I do charge $25.00 and up.

For an inspection, which is another animal all together, I charge $365.00 and up. http://www.albertsroofing.com/Albert's Roofing Base Fees.htm


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## 1985gt (Dec 21, 2010)

We do the same as Grumpy, estimate=free. Detailed roof inspection = charge but we have been known to not charge if its for a previous larger company who we do work for often. I did one for a larger shopping mall and it took me around a week or so to complete. 2 days on site and rest in the office. Nice lay out with pictures and recommended repairs estimate of how long existing roofing will last (hate doing that). We have been doing repairs on their buildings for a number of years and have a very good working relationship I know this will lead to all of the work that was in the report X10. Job blow off the street who we can bet we wont get any work out of, Charge +. 

Its really no different then doing repairs, even the estimators should get paid for their work, not just what they sale. Here we would be nailed to a cross if we charged for estimates though. Inspections are in a way different.


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## Grumpy (Oct 29, 2008)

I'll give away a very detailed inspection report on occasion free to land a customer. I commonly do it if I know the person I am dealing with is not the decision maker but for what ever reason I can't get next to the decision marker or if I know there will be some kind of committe making the decision such as a church or multi-family. 

I've slowed down on doing this because this year has had an incredibly low closing ratio and while those used to help me land sales, they don't seem to be helping anymore and take at least an hour to compose in the office, plus extra time on the roof as well being a little more thurough than the average "estimate". I'm not doing big shopping malls like GT, so I don't have to worry about taking days to do a report, to be honest I don't have the time personally to devote to a day long inspection and report without being compensated. 


I never ever state how long an existing roof will last. You take on alot of liability doing that, beleive it or not. Rather, I will state that the roof appears to be X years in age and that similiar roofs of this type have been known to last as many as Y years. It's the same thing, but not really in the eyes of a court. 


I've considered charging for estimates and on occasion I do. If someone is buying a house, I charge because 90% of the time they just want a barganing chip. Of those who have paid for the estimate I have always got the job. Like I said 90% won't pay so I'm glad I didn't waste my time. Alot of people get hurt feelings, and I simply ask them to call me back after they have closed on the sale and I will come out for free. 

People want free estimates for everything. If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and shoot the man who first uttered the words "free estimate". Generally when somene calls me asking for an estimate making it a point to ensure that it's FREE, they are a waste of time. When someone emails me asking for a FREE estiamte, I seldom ever email back. It's funny how that one little word can tell alot about someone. 

In the commercial market I see no way in heck I will be able to charge for an estimate. However it's alot easier to be paid for an inspection too so there are pros and cons.

On the residential side, I think it's a little easier to convince a home owner to pay for an estimate. Funny thing though, take repairs for example, I tell customers over the phone it'll be faster and cheaper to do the repair T&M. They still want an estimate even though I tell them it'll cost more because we have to make two trips etc... VERY SELDOM will a residential customer ever agree to do work on the roof T&M, although that's how almost all electricians and plumbers operate and they have no problem with that. On commercial though, what I have found is that generally the first repair job I have to estimate, it's kind of a getting to know each other period. If they like us we will usually get the future repair work T&M.


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## 1985gt (Dec 21, 2010)

Grumpy said:


> I'll give away a very detailed inspection report on occasion free to land a customer. I commonly do it if I know the person I am dealing with is not the decision maker but for what ever reason I can't get next to the decision marker or if I know there will be some kind of committe making the decision such as a church or multi-family.
> 
> Again like alot of other things it depends on the customer. Some you know you have a shot at and some you know there is no way in heck you will have a chance. Then on the other spectrum you have ones who all ready have a roofer but for one reason or another are shopping around. These ones can be very time consuming but if you sell your self/company/product right often pay off in the end.
> 
> ...



Isnt that funny, I will charge X amount to come out and take a look and then you can get an estimate for me/us to come back out and do the repairs. Wonder who they think will pay for the fuel and travel time?


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## Grumpy (Oct 29, 2008)

1985gt said:


> Isnt that funny, I will charge X amount to come out and take a look and then you can get an estimate for me/us to come back out and do the repairs. Wonder who they think will pay for the fuel and travel time?


I saw a "friend", really just a guy I have known for some years who also knows my wife, mutual aquaintance... but anyways I did his ex-wife's roof a few years ago, out of my service area but it was a referral and at the time I was a little bit slow. last year was a weird year, where we didn't have alot fo work but I always had alot to do so I had no time. Long story short, he referred me to a few other people out side my service area again, all in (shall we say) lower income neighborhoods. On residential work I will admit I aint cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Historically I sell very poorly in this neighborhoods when people are doing work below my cost. I figured why waste the time, ya know?

Anyways I saw the guy and he asked wtf, why was I ignoring his referrals? I told him it wasn't worth $20 in gas to do the estimates. I appreciated the referrals, but I have to have a limit to how far I will travel.

keep in mind in Chicago, we don't determine distance by miles, we gauge distance in time. "It's 40 minutes away." Most people in other parts of the country would say, it's 60 miles away. Well in chicago 60 miles may take you 3 hours depending on time of day. This was just one of those situations where it was an hour drive one way, plus gas, for a job I knew I had a less than 10% chance to get. Hmmmm maybe if it were winter. I used to spend alot of windshield time my first two years in business and some days would only be able to do one estimate because I'd be burnt out from driving.


People don't get it, it costs ALOT of money to run those estimates they consider FREE. It aint free for us, please don't waste our time. But there are alot of A holes out there.


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## dougger222 (Aug 13, 2010)

I just thought I did good for getting $100 for a roof inspection. I took some pictures and showed them to the homeowner but made no written report. She was told if I could get the insurance to buy the roof the $100 check would be ripped up. Now the check is bound for the shredder!!!

My new policy is $100 for estimates for real estate agents (except the two agents that land me several jobs a year). Sick of being a pawn for the newby agents. They think we have all the time in the world...

Also, what getting leads on insurance jobs and the homeowner or building owner says other bids I kindly tell them I'll be the most expensive but also the highest quality so getting a bid from me may be wasting your time. They are also reminded there will be no money back in the pocket and they will have to pay for their deductible. So swamped with insurance jobs right now have no time for cheap homeowners. The funny thing is we haven't been hit with any sizable wind or hail storms since 2008...


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## roo (Jul 14, 2011)

*Charge for Inspection*

What about using a measuring service? does anybody do that? and do you charge for it?


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## 1985gt (Dec 21, 2010)

Grumpy said:


> People don't get it, it costs ALOT of money to run those estimates they consider FREE. It aint free for us, please don't waste our time. But there are alot of A holes out there.


Yes it does. At $3.59 or what ever a gallon of gas cost here now its expensive. The funny thing is gas is probably the least amount of the cost.

Ive always judged distance by time, it just seems more logical. It will take me 20 mins to get there sounds better then well thats 10 miles away..... LOL


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## dougger222 (Aug 13, 2010)

My biggest cost is time spent with customers who don't use me. The fuel is a write off my lost time isn't.


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## Grumpy (Oct 29, 2008)

Dougger, yes lost time is the biggest factor, but to look at any frivilous expense as a write off is a bad idea IMO. That $20 you spent to do the estimate in your V10 truck could have been spent on a customer willing to pay. You know what they say about write offs? You gotta make money to write anything off? Besides I'd rather write off a liter of rum than 5 gallons of gas.  


GT, I paid $4.21 today for the middle grade. Paid $4.32 yesterday in the city for the same. I'd kill for $3.50.


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## dougger222 (Aug 13, 2010)

Grumpy said:


> Dougger, yes lost time is the biggest factor, but to look at any frivilous expense as a write off is a bad idea IMO. That $20 you spent to do the estimate in your V10 truck could have been spent on a customer willing to pay. You know what they say about write offs? You gotta make money to write anything off? Besides I'd rather write off a liter of rum than 5 gallons of gas.
> 
> 
> GT, I paid $4.21 today for the middle grade. Paid $4.32 yesterday in the city for the same. I'd kill for $3.50.


Thomas, I know what you mean totaly but was just saying "at least the fuel you can write off". When I first got into the business I looked at write offs a lot different then a I do know. 

My wife, friends, family, and co-workers all say it's time for at least one new(er) truck. Here's the deal all three are 99-00's, they are all higher miles but diesel and run very very well. The best part is they are all paid for! Keep hearing, "but they are a right off"... Would much rather put the money in my house which isn't a right off.

Filled up the dually last night at $3.95 a gallon. Right now diesel is 15-20 more than 87 octane.

How can you write off a liter of captain? Perhaps the irs knows us roofers are hard on ourselfs and liquor is part of the job??? There is that one section for food and entertainment...

Yesterday evening was nice, looked at three detached townhomes side by side. Close to 30sq each must have spent no more than 20 minutes on each roof. Then got a call from a builder to look at a roof in the same town. Forgot my camera but they previous owner put 8 kiddie pools up in the attic to catch the rain and snow that got in from the vents!!! The attic also had two bath fans that simply dumped out into the attic. The front of the roof was one layer while the back was two layers, a little odd.


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## byoung (Jul 11, 2011)

Our company does consultations for free but if you need an inspection there is a fee for that.


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## Onarooftop (Oct 28, 2008)

Does anyone charge a "No Show" fee?


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## tinner666 (Oct 28, 2008)

Not me. I don't have to meet the clients.


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