Posted by CarolF/NC on 1/24/13 10:42am
Msg #451859

What do You Charge for Inspections?

The Newbie Question got me thinking......
I have stayed away due to comments on this board, but more and more requests for inspections. I am wondering if someone would share their experience or recommendations for doing or not doing and what would be a reasonable fee to be charging? Thank You

Reply by CopperheadVA on 1/24/13 11:05am
Msg #451865

I have found they are not worth the trouble. The highest paying one I did was $50 but I had to take a million photos of exercise equipment at the new gym in town, verify serial numbers on equipment, upload photos, etc. And the management was not too cooperative with making an appointment with me.

I did a few for $20 where I went into a business to verify they had a credit card machine and confirm that it was a real business with a real physical location. Last one I did was at a seedy used car dealership that made me uncomfortable.

And my experience is that they usually pay at 6 weeks. I stopped doing inspections after the gym experience due to the PITA factor.

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 1/24/13 11:16am
Msg #451867

I do these quite a bit for three companies. The price varies quite a bit based on the individual job and the requirements or the circumstances. There are a LOT of companies out there that do this... some good, many not so good.

For one of them, I'm actually a part-time employee rather than a contractor. They pay me for time, mileage and everything else. These are commercial inspections most of the time, photos and reports of businesses that involves lots of photos and pages of reports. I've been working for them for several years and I like them a lot. They found me here initially. Now, they'll send me to jobs quite a distance away. In the last two months, they sent me to locations 1 and 2 hours away. And yes, they pay me for it. The volume isn't very high because they don't have tons of work out this way, but it's enough to pay a couple of bills, and when I do those, I try to run other errands as well, or take appointments in the area.

Another one I work for I only do when it's convenient for me. These aren't inspections so much as "chases" -- pretty much all of them involve me printing and delivering a sealed letter about a delinquent auto loan. I fill out a super short report back to them and send photos. Those jobs pay $30 each, but I only take the ones that will be in an area where I happen to already be or will be in the coming days. I won't go out of my way for those except upon special request, and for those they will pay be much more. This seems like it would be scary to knock on doors, but honestly... 95% of time, these people are gone or not home and the letter is taped to the door or left with a family member. They usually take very little time. One of the reasons I like them is because they are absolutely no fuss and I get paid within 10 days, always.

Finally, a third one is much more random in the type of work they send... mostly photos of vacant land or rental property status.

The big point is that most of them are NOT worth your time if you're going out of your way. They aren't going to pay your bills full time, and you should really only take the assignments if they are in an area where you'll be. They are well suited to mobile notaries because, well, we're mobile... we're often traveling and we usually have all the equipment needed. And, since we're notaries, the companies tend to trust us. It's usually a good "filler" job for a little extra cash... but don't depend on it.

All three of the companies I do these for have done independent background checks on me, too, at their expense. Just FYI.

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 1/24/13 11:32am
Msg #451871

BTW, Copperhead is right... most of them are NOT worth the time or effort involved. I didn't want mine to sound too encouraging... I only work for the three because they are the only 3 that I've had good experiences with and have built good relationships with. Most of them want you to do a ridiculous amount of work for peanuts.

You have to really research them, and even the good ones may not be willing to pay you much until you establish yourself. I know one of mine is known for never wavering in their fees for most of their jobs, but I tend to get more out of them and they readily agree to negotiate because I've established myself with them and they know that if I handle the job, they'll get back a top-notch report. Not all of those companies will do that... but this one does.

And before anyone asks... nope, I won't share the names. Selfish, yes...but there it is.

Reply by ikando on 1/24/13 1:38pm
Msg #451905

I have a couple I do photos and reports for, both pay within 2 weeks. Like most of the posters who also do this, I am able to schedule them around the rest of my day/week.

Reply by Jessica Ward on 1/24/13 11:17am
Msg #451868

I don't do them.

There's several reasons.

1st. I'm a notary, and specialize in emergency notary service. I don't want to muck up my calendar with appointments so I'm not available for clients who pay a premium for my services.

2nd, I've typically been uncomfortable with the requests (knock on doors unannounced, verify locations/storage of confidential files, etc).

3rd. The pay rates are SUBSTANTIALLY lower than my regular billing. Staying home and washing the dishes has always seemed like a better idea.

Reply by CarolF/NC on 1/24/13 5:09pm
Msg #451938

Thank You All for the Input n/m