That is very likely true, but those price ranges are totally ridiculous!
I'm on the roundabout with some Canadian inspectors about pricing home inspections.
Everybody complains that the economy and lowball inspectors are underpricing things.
If you're worth your salt, simply raise your prices.
Owning a camera will not make the telephone ring!
Doing infrared imaging for free or pricing it that low only undermines the entire industry.
Renting a thermal camera to overcome your issue (if you're a facility engineer) will cost you $750-$1000 per day, three day minimum. The prices home inspectors are quoting don't even come up to the cost of renting the equipment.
What about all the training and experience to interpret what's actually going on and actually understanding what you're pointing the at camera!
My wife brought me the mail last night, $4,600 for three inspections (and these were lowball jobs!).
This doesn't come from owning the camera, but if you work towards the industry needs, you can make a significant difference in your income.
If you are trying to get your house inspected, would you be willing to pay 20% more to know 90% more than what a standard inspection can produce?
This line is huge! I do not post it freely.
If you have a client call that is looking for nothing but price, you just need to hang up the phone.
If you have a client that is truly looking for a top-notch inspection why not provide it for them? The problem is most home inspectors can't sell a bottle of water to a man in the desert!
The phone rings! "How much do you charge for a home inspection?"
What is your reply? (Let's see , how low can I go and beat the other guy)?
How about; "How much you want to know about the house"?
Silence falls on the phone line!
They have no earthly clue!
Do you want to know if the roof leaks?
Do you want to know if your electrical system is overheating, the about to catch fire?
You want to know if your insulation installation stinks?
Mold? The source of mold as moisture. Do you want to know where it comes from? It doesn't matter if it's there, you need to stop the moisture. Moisture is the number one deteriorating factor in a home.
Do you want the HVAC system evaluated?
Granted you need to learn how to use the thermal camera to make these evaluations...
You also need to learn to market this stuff.
Once you own one of these cameras, you're no longer a home inspector. You're an infrared thermographer performing a home inspection.
You can't go back to inspecting a home in the daylight or with a flashlight! I don't care what you say. You won't be comfortable walking out of the house without turning on the thermal camera just to cover your potential liability on things that cannot be seen by you or anyone else that may erupt after the close of escrow.
By the way, I am in need of a camera capable of 1200°F and am considering replacing my camera. If someone needs a 320 x 240 Flir camera (that is no longer available at a reasonable investment ) give me a call. I thought I would throw this in, it is a rather high end camera for people starting out.
Personally I started out with a 120x120. I was blind!
If you start out with a low-end camera, be ready to upgrade. This is my third time around in about four years.
As you get better, you find that you will need more.
Personally, I am having trouble physically with the camera I own. I need a lens I can rotate because I have nerve damage in my neck that is making my left arm go numb and I can't hold the camera.
With the large thermal jobs that I am acquiring, a 12 hour day behind the camera requires a three day recuperation period! It sucks getting old!
By the way, I have been informed by Flir that the standard thermal building evaluation is $135 an hour or $1165 per day. I have no trouble charging even more than this fee in appropriate applications in residential applications. It is a wide variance between inspection types. Building evaluation concerning moisture and air infiltration demand the highest fees. Electrical is $902 per day, roof inspections $1034; mechanical $904; building residential $133 an hour/$959 per day.
Again I reiterate, you just don't throw a price back at somebody when they ask you how much you charge. I'm working on a university museum quote right now and we have been working on the aspects of the inspection for three weeks now. $3000 per day is likely the lowest possible bid.
However, consider where I came from.
Caution: do not expect to buy a camera and receive this income automatically.
Act like you own a pair!
Don't buy a piece of crap camera and don't get a piece of crap education! If you're going to do this, do it right!
Only you know if you have what it takes.
Don't listen to any salesman!
