Inspection-Consulting-Environmental

What We Offer

For a fee, we will provide you a Cost Estimate or Repair Quote for the repairable items listed on the Summary Section of your Home Inspection Report.  This service is offered in addition to a Home Inspection.  We will offer Estimates only, for inspections we perform.  For inspections performed by others we offer Estimates and Quotes.  The estimate or quote will be based on the items listed in the Summary Section of the Home Inspection Report.   Repair Quotes are written Contract Proposals.

What Is An Estimate 

Estimates are our best opinion of the cost.  It does not constitute a quote, a contract proposal, or impose any other obligation upon us or others to perform the repairs.  Instead, the estimate simply represents our best opinion of what seems true, valid, or probable regarding the cost to make repairs.  It is only one source of information for the homebuyer who should also seek the opinion of others.  Estimates can be high or low when compared to the actual cost incurred.  Repair charges vary considerably from one contractor to the next and there are no standard industry rates for such repairs.  In addition, the work scope may change due to hidden or unexpected findings that are revealed during the repair process.

What Is A Quote

Repair quotes are entirely different from estimates.  A repair quote is a written contract proposal.  We do not provide verbal repair quotes, only written contract proposals.  Contracts include all of the terms, conditions, and prices.  The combination of these components makes the quote.   It would not be appropriate to give a verbal quote (price only) and then later say “but here are the terms and conditions”.

Preparing Estimate or Quotes 

Preparing estimates or quotes is not magic and dollar amounts are not pulled out of thin air.  It is a lot of work to provide useful estimates.  We must analyze the repairable items and gather cost information for materials/labor.  Preparing the opinion requires time that could have been spent performing other tasks that generate our income.  That is why preparing estimates is not a free service.  Preparing estimates consume our time for which we must charge a fee.

Fee For Preparing Estimates or Quotes

Each situation is different.  We will determine our time commitment to prepare your estimate or quote.  We take into consideration on-site visits, office time, research, and report compilation.  The more complex repair issues require more time to estimate. 

Typically, our fees for preparing estimates or quotes range from $100 to $250 but could be more.  If we provide your quote and perform the work, we will provide a credit on the work invoice for our estimating fees.

When Are Estimates Needed “The Buyer’s Perspective”

It is beneficial to get a professional opinion regarding cost of repairs in many situations. The three most common situations are: 

 1.            You have had a home inspection and need to know if the cost of repairs will exceed the maximum amount allowed for repairs in your Offer To Purchase Contract.  In other words, you want our written estimate for use in getting your earnest money returned.

2.            You have decided to purchase the home and you are seeking repair quotes from several contractors.  In other words, you are price shopping for repairs and you want our written contract proposal.

3.            You are considering making an offer on a home and are uncertain about the feasibility of your plans because of anticipated repairs or planned renovations.  In other words, you want our written estimate of repairs for specific items or our estimate for specific renovations to help you decide if you want to make an offer.

There are other situations where our opinion is beneficial.

Estimates/Quotes Are Valid For What Period of Time

Thirty days, unless otherwise stated in our estimate or quote.

We can not leave estimates or quotes open-ended simply because material and labor cost are very dynamic.  Cost increases from vendors and suppliers are imposed upon us immediately.

Guarantees Regarding Estimate Accuracy

There is no way to provide such a guarantee.  The reason is simple, it is an estimate.

Our goal is to provide thorough, effective, and useful estimates.