Fee Schedule for Existing Home Inspections

WE WILL MATCH THE FEES OF ANY INSPECTOR WITH THE SAME QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

That's right. We will meet or beat the publicly advertised inspection fee of any licensed inspector with the same qualifications and certifications.

When you order a home inspection from AHI, our prices are based upon the square footage of the home, the type of foundation, either slab or pier and beam (P/B), and the age of the building (pre-1980 homes add $25, pre-1970 homes add $50, pre-1960 homes add $75, pre-1950 homes add $100, pre-1940 homes add $125, pre-1930 homes add $150, pre-1920 homes add $175, pre-1910 homes add $200, pre-1900 homes add $300).

Unlike the majority of our would be competitors, we do not nickel and dime you with a la carte add-on prices for sprinkler systems, gas lines, security systems, et al. All prices include a complete general inspection and a termite (WDI) inspection. Swimming pools ($110), spas ($50), and detached buildings (as per the S.F.) will be inspected at an additional fee.

IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING VACANT HOUSES!

Recent economic conditions have led to a spike in the number of foreclosed properties for sale. If you are purchasing a foreclosed, short sale, or just a vacant property there are a number of issues that you should be aware of.

Vacant properties are more often than not "winterized", regardless of the time of year. This means that the utilities have all been shut off by the utility companies, the water has been drained from the plumbing system, there is no electricity and no gas.

The company managing the property during its sale, be that the bank, the mortgage company, a real estate brokerage, or whatever is the entity responsible for the care of the property prior to its sale and the organization responsible for "winterizing" the property. They are also required to "de-winterize" the property prior to our inspection.

Brokers who list foreclosed properties usually do so for a minimal flat fee that represents only a small fraction of the commission they would otherwise collect on the typical resale transaction. For this reason they are usually, in our experience, very difficult to deal with and slow to respond to the needs of buyers, their agents, and their inspectors.

In order to avoid arriving at a foreclosed property for a scheduled inspection only to discover that the house has not been "de-winterized" and is not ready for inspection we require that you, the buyer, physically verify that the utilities are all on and that the house has been property "de-winterized" prior to scheduling an inspection with us.

Additionally, we require a credit card number for you on file. In the event that we should arrive to find the property not ready to inspect your card will be charged a $100 trip fee. This should give you the proper incentive to insure that all is prepared as follows:

De-Winterizing Requirements

1. Water is on to the fixtures in the house. This means that the water meter and any other shutoff valves in the plumbing supply system are in the on position. We are not allowed to turn the water on at the meter.

2. Gas (if present) is on to the appliances in the house. This means that the gas meter and any other shutoff valves in the gas supply system are in the on position and that all appliance pilot lights are lit. We are not allowed to turn the gas on at the meter nor will we operate appliance gas valves or light pilot lights.

3. Electricity is on to the branch circuits. This means that the electric meter is in place and is not blocked out by the utility company and that the main disconnect switch and all breakers to the branch circuits are in the on position. We are not allowed to operate main disconnect switches or breakers other than the test buttons on AFCI and GFCI breakers.

4. The common sense, simple solution to all of the above is for you, personally, to turn on the lights and the hot water at one of the sinks. If they are working the house should be de-winterized.

The seller of any property in the state of Texas, having signed a resale contract with you, is responsible for making the property ready and accessible for your inspection. Licensed home inspectors are prohibited from operating main disconnects for utilities.

IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING ITEMS NOT INSPECTED

The Texas Real Estate Commission has recently enacted a completely unreasonable requirement that is both practically infeasible and impossible to comply with regarding notifying clients as to items not inspected during an inspection.

If an item is not to be inspected on any given home, for whatever reason, be that inaccessibility, hazardous situations, probability of damage to the property, etc., the inspector must notify the client of this situation, without ever having viewed the property in question, upon first contact with the client. Unbelievable!

In the spirit of complying with this requirement you are hereby informed that we routinely do not inspect materials or systems due to:

1. Inaccessibility, such as access to the item is blocked by stored items, furnishings, etc.; an access panel, door, etc. is locked, a 200-lb. pit bull is positioned in front of the object in question, et al.

2. Probability of damaging property, such as walking on old roofing surfaces, walking on fragile roofing surfaces, walking through and attic with 14" of blown-in insulation that obscures the ceiling joists, or walking on water, et al.

3. Perceived hazard to the inspector, such as examining an electrical panelboard that is obviously energized (shooting sparks across the room), entering a flooded crawl space writhing with long venomous snakes and nasty glaring rats, et al.

4. Extenuating circumstances where conditions beyond the control of the inspector prevent inspection, such as the seller is having a duel with his spouse in the kitchen using rocket launchers, et al.

5. The client (that’s you) insists that the item not be inspected.

6. The inspector is not qualified to inspect the item, such as elevators, septic systems, helicopter landing pads, experimental or prototype appliances, unusual installations like home breweries, residential triage facilities, illegal drug manufacturing equipment, etc. This list is very long.

7. Common elements of multi-family buildings, such as the foundation under the townhouse three units away from the unit being inspected, et al.

So, you have now been informed that:

1. We cannot possibly anticipate which of the above circumstances may or may not occur or exist on the property in question; and

2. We will not inspect those items under those and other similar circumstances.

For further clarification contact the Texas Real Estate Commission and order your very own crystal ball today!

Prices for New Home Inspections

Due to the many different new construction inspection services we offer, we ask that you call us at 214-616-0112 for a price quote on your new home inspection. Ask for Aaron.

Prices for EIFS Inspections

Call us today at 214-616-0112 for a quote.

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