Brandon Whitmore Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 Anyone know a good inspector who is more local to that area? They don't want to pay me for the drive charge. This is for a 1970's starter, fixer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 Anyone know a good inspector who is more local to that area? They don't want to pay me for the drive charge. This is for a 1970's starter, fixer. I'll go for $525 if I can time it to coincide with high tide or low tide so I can go fishing or clamming afterward. Business is slow. The only other person I'd recommend out there is Mike Harrison. He's up in Seaside. 503 738-7979. My general impression is that the inspectors out there - with the exception of Harrison - are a bunch of doodleheads. Pretty much everyone who's serious about buying out there brings in an inspector from the Portland area. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 C'mon Brandon. It's only 2 hours...each way! You charge for that? Seriously, I'm getting to the stage where just crossing the street is too far for something described up front as a fixer. Live is too short to be writing "War and Peace" length reports on a POS. Around here they also usually come with the nastiest of crawl spaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted July 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 I'll go for $525 if I can time it to coincide with high tide or low tide so I can go fishing or clamming afterward. Business is slow. Business is slowwwww here as well. As of Tuesday this week, I had nothing. Somehow, I will finish with 4 for the week-- pure luck. Sounds like I need to raise my prices, my bid was $25 cheaper [:-tong2] than yours. I wouldn't even consider going out there if I wasn't slow. Richard, before I gave them a price, I required a copy of the RMLS listing on this one. If it looked like a slam dunk, I would have been a little cheaper and more willing to travel. This one looks like a real peach. It's selling for $125k, and is only 5 blocks from the beach............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 Try not quoting "Extra" for the drive time, just build it into the price and don't say a word about charging extra for mileage. Folks tend to be more receptive when it is presented that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted July 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 Try not quoting "Extra" for the drive time, just build it into the price and don't say a word about charging extra for mileage. Folks tend to be more receptive when it is presented that way. Thanks for the good advice. I felt bad quoting them $500 for a base starter home, so I told them I would try to find someone closer. On a nicer, more expensive house that far out, I won't feel bad about quoting a high fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 Another problem with long-distance gigs is when a problem--real or perceived--arises. You don't want to drive four hours, probabaly for free, to see what's up. I had a woman call me today because all of her window cranks were broken. Luckily I remembered the house. I explained that the sellers had removed the cranks due to their children, and when the cranks were replaced prior to closing, the sellers never bothered to tighten the allen screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted July 2, 2010 Report Share Posted July 2, 2010 Originally posted by Brandon Whitmore . . . Business is slowwwww here as well. As of Tuesday this week, I had nothing. Somehow, I will finish with 4 for the week-- pure luck. Sounds like I need to raise my prices, my bid was $25 cheaper [:-tong2] than yours. I wouldn't even consider going out there if I wasn't slow. Well sure. But if things are slow, look at it this way. They're paying you for the travel time for a fishing trip. If you have to do a home inspection before you start fishing, so be it. Nothing gets the smell of crawlspace off better than a stiff breeze on the jetty. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted July 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2010 Well sure. But if things are slow, look at it this way. They're paying you for the travel time for a fishing trip. If you have to do a home inspection before you start fishing, so be it. Nothing gets the smell of crawlspace off better than a stiff breeze on the jetty. Hmmmm.., now you're talking. Typing a report on my laptop while I have a line in the water sounds nice. Note to self: Sneak fishing gear into work truck while fiance' has her head turned. Then, let her know I'll be working late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted July 2, 2010 Report Share Posted July 2, 2010 Well sure. But if things are slow, look at it this way. They're paying you for the travel time for a fishing trip. If you have to do a home inspection before you start fishing, so be it. Nothing gets the smell of crawlspace off better than a stiff breeze on the jetty. Hmmmm.., now you're talking. Typing a report on my laptop while I have a line in the water sounds nice. Note to self: Sneak fishing gear into work truck while fiance' has her head turned. Then, let her know I'll be working late. And won't she be pleased when you come home with a basket full of sea perch? - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted July 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2010 I'll be dropping those off at your house on the way through. Your idea, your fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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