Insurance Inspection

[larryharding45]

Do any of the members of this group use insurance type inspections to fill your pipeline?

More on point have any of you worked for Reliable Reports or do you presently provide inspection for them and the question behind the question is how is their pay and are the Slow Pay, Low Pay or No Pay? [:-dunce]

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[Marc]

I've been contacted before by businesses similar to Reliable Reports but didn't sign on to any of them. I was not impressed with the terms.

I'm not sure if Reliable Reports was one of them that contacted me.

Marc

[Les]

Hey Larry,

welcome to the Journal. We do business with similar companies for various types of inspections. My experience is at the 70% bad and 30% good. There are inspectors that excel at this type work, but it seems that geography plays a big part. IE: In Michigan driving 100 miles to look at a roof and electric panel pays $70 plus 40cents per mile. Most pay 40cents per mile and $50. Does not work for us.

Last week I stopped doing business with one of those companies because they insisted we cut the grass at a house for $20 and the entire yard is under three feet of snow. They insisted on an invoice!

It can work for you, but be careful.

[John Kogel]

I did insurance jobs for a few months when I was getting into this biz. It is a good way to see if you can find a property and practice at being a real inspector. []

You learn to budget your time. It works for people in the city, but fuel and maintenance will take the joy out of it if you have to travel.

I was only asked to take pictures of the exterior and to enter the pictures into an emailed report. I tried not to feel insulted when I got my monthly check.

[kurt]

They were always a loser for me. Haven't done one in years. Like Les, they'd want me to drive to the middle of nowhere for $50 and then cut the grass or shovel the walk.

Fill the pipeline in other ways if possible.

[Nolan Kienitz]

I think I did about 10 of them back in the very early days (10-13 years ago). Problem in Texas is that the folks calling have no concept of distance and especially the fact that Texas is a rather large state.

Many times I would get calls to do some 'drive by' something-or-other for all of $45 (no mileage) and the location was San Antonio and I'm located in Plano. Had a couple of callers tell me that it didn't look that far on the map ... it is only an inch or two.

The clowns calling need to go to the 'clown college' classes.

Goes without saying it didn't work for me.

BTW - are you licensed by TREC to do home inspections? I can't find your "Larry Harding" name on the TREC database.

[Jim Baird]

Les,

Your reply to this query earns you the Fairness award in Jimworld.

Last week I stopped doing business with one of those companies because they insisted we cut the grass at a house for $20 and the entire yard is under three feet of snow. They insisted on an invoice!

It can work for you, but be careful.

[Erby]

It put money in my pocket when I was getting started, 14 years ago.

A couple of pictures and a short form for 20 Occupancy inspections @$30.00 each. 300 mile loop drive in one day. Better than staring at a wall or digging a ditch but it's long in the past as soon as I started getting enough home inspections.

Hit a lot of real estate offices, gas station bulletin boards, restaurant bulletin boards, mortgage companies, law offices, etc, on those drives.

Still occasionally get someone finding one of my cards on those gas station or restaurant bill boards and calling for an inspection.

I thought of them as marketing trips.

[Mark P]

If your just getting started it maybe better than no work, eventually you'll find otherways to fill your pocket.