Guides
How to write a home inspection business quote, with pricing examples
A home inspection quote names the standard inspection, any ancillary work, the deliverables, and the price for each, so the buyer can compare.
What to take away
- A home inspection business quote is not the inspection agreement. It is the price and scope conversation; the agreement is the contract the client signs.
- Price the standard inspection separately from ancillary workradon, mold sampling, sewer scope, pool.
- State what the report will contain and when it will be delivered. That is what the buyer pays for.
- Build the fee from the hours the property actually takes, not from a competitor's price.
- Put an expiration date on the quote. A spring price should not get signed in fall.
- Use line items so buyers can compare. The examples below total $775 and $1,425.
This is general business information for inspection company owners. Licensing, contract terms and liability exposure vary by state, so confirm requirements with your state licensing board or a licensed attorney. Tax and recordkeeping questions belong with the IRS or a CPA.
What a quote has to say
A quote answers four questions: what gets inspected, what gets reported, when the report arrives, and what it costs. Anything else belongs in the agreement or the marketing page.
Minimum quote contents
- Customer name and property address
- Requested service named
- Fee stated
- Expiration date stated
- Keep it to one page
The customer name and property address, the requested service, the fee and the expiration date are the minimum. Keep it to one page. A quote the buyer has to scroll is a quote the buyer forwards to a competitor while deciding.
Scope wording that prevents disputes
Write scope as inclusions, then exclusions, in the client's words rather than the standard's.
Scope inclusions and exclusions
- Standardroof, structure, exterior, plumbing, electrical
- Standardheating, cooling, insulation, interior
- Ancillaryradon, mold, sewer, pool, well, septic
- Deliverablesnarrative report with photographs
- Deliverablessummary of material defects
- Exclusionsdeclined, inaccessible, outside licensing
- Name the standard you inspect to
Name the standard you inspect to. InterNACHI and ASHI both publish standards of practice, and your state board may publish its own. Saying "inspected to the InterNACHI Standards of Practice" tells the buyer what they are buying.
Pricing approaches side by side
Where it fits
- Fixed price per inspection
- The default for residential work, easy for buyers to compare
- Square footage tiers
- Markets with wide variation in home size
- Ancillary add-ons
- Radon, mold, sewer, pool, priced individually
- Hourly with a minimum
- Unknown scope, older housing, commercial
- Retainer for agent accounts
- Volume from one brokerage
What it hides
- Fixed price per inspection
- A difficult property earns the same as an easy one
- Square footage tiers
- Stairs, crawlspaces and outbuildings are not in the number
- Ancillary add-ons
- Bundling discounts erode the margin
- Hourly with a minimum
- Fast inspectors earn less for the same result
- Retainer for agent accounts
- Slow months leave capacity idle
Illustrative example
- Fixed price per inspection
- $425 for a 2,000 sq ft home, $525 at 3,000 sq ft
- Square footage tiers
- $0.20 per sq ft with a $350 minimum
- Ancillary add-ons
- $150 radon, $200 sewer scope, $125 mold sample
- Hourly with a minimum
- $125 per hour, two-hour minimum
- Retainer for agent accounts
- $2,000 per month for up to twelve inspections
Those figures are illustrative. Substitute your own cost per hour and your own market rate before you publish anything.
Pricing approaches compared
Fixed price
- Where it fits
- Residential default
- What it hides
- Hard property same fee
- Example
- $425 at 2,000 sq ft
Sq ft tiers
- Where it fits
- Wide size variation
- What it hides
- Stairs, crawlspaces
- Example
- $0.20 per sq ft
Add-ons
- Where it fits
- Radon, mold, sewer
- What it hides
- Bundling erodes margin
- Example
- $150 radon
Hourly min
- Where it fits
- Unknown scope
- What it hides
- Fast inspectors earn less
- Example
- $125 per hour
Typical prices and two example quotes
As of 2026, standard residential inspections commonly run $300 to $600 for homes under 2,000 sq ft. Homes from 2,000 to 3,500 sq ft run $500 to $900. Older or larger homes run $700 to $1,200 in most US markets.
Ancillary services are quoted on top. Radon tests typically run $125 to $200. Sewer scopes run $150 to $300. Mold sampling runs $150 to $350. Pool and spa inspections run $100 to $200. Thermal imaging runs $150 to $250. Well and septic inspections run $300 to $600.
These ranges vary with travel, home age, foundation type and add-on bundling. Treat them as market starting points, not a quote.
Example A: 1,800 sq ft ranch, no basement.
| Line item | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard inspection | Roof, structure, exterior, interior. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC. | $425 |
| Radon test | 48-hour test with two canisters | $150 |
| Sewer scope | Camera scan of main line | $200 |
| Total | Base plus two add-ons | $775 |
Example B: 3,200 sq ft with basement.
| Line item | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard inspection | Roof, structure, exterior, interior. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC. | $625 |
| Radon test | 48-hour test with two canisters | $150 |
| Sewer scope | Camera scan of main line | $225 |
| Mold sampling | Two samples, lab fee included | $250 |
| Thermal imaging | Scan of walls and ceilings | $175 |
| Total | Base plus four add-ons | $1,425 |
Both examples are illustrative. Your travel time, report software and insurance costs set your floor.
Building the fee from cost
Start with the hours the property takes. A 2,000 square foot home with a crawlspace and an older panel runs longer than the same square footage on a slab.
Building the fee from cost
- Estimate hours the property takes
- Multiply hours by true hourly cost
- Add ancillary time separately
- Set floorcost divided by one minus margin
- Example$300 cost, 30% margin, $429 floor
Multiply hours by your true hourly cost. That cost includes the inspector's wage, payroll taxes, insurance and vehicle. It also includes software and the share of office time the job consumes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage estimates by occupation and metro at Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which is a starting point, not your number.
Add the ancillary time separately. A radon test that requires a return trip is not a line item you can fold into the base fee.
Then set the price. If cost per inspection is C and target margin is M, the floor is C divided by one minus M.
At a 30 percent target margin on a $300 cost, the floor is about $429.
What the quote should not claim
Advertising claims must be truthful and supported, and testimonials must reflect real experience. The FTC's Advertising FAQs for small business is the plain-language reference.
Do not promise a defect-free home, a passing grade or a repair estimate you are not licensed to give. Do not say "certified" without naming the certifying body.
Keep your records of what you quoted and what you delivered. The IRS guidance on what records to keep covers the supporting documents for income and expenses.
Where the quote sits in the workflow
The quote goes out before scheduling. The agreement goes out with the confirmation. The report goes out inside the delivery window you promised.
Track two numbers monthly: quotes sent against quotes accepted, and average fee per inspection. A falling acceptance rate with a rising average fee means you are pricing above your market. The reverse means you are leaving money on the table.
If you are deciding whether to add a second inspector or open in a new metro, the fee you can actually hold in that market matters more than the fee you would like to charge. Our breakdown of markets for a home inspection business covers how to read local demand before you commit.
Common questions
Does the quote need to list every ancillary service?
No. List the ones you offer and price them individually. A buyer who sees a menu of add-ons with prices is more likely to buy one than a buyer who has to ask.
How long should a quote stay valid?
Thirty days is common in residential work. Longer than that and you are carrying the risk of a cost change you did not price in.
Can I quote a range instead of a fixed fee?
For standard residential inspections, a fixed fee is easier for the buyer to compare. Ranges work for commercial or unknown-scope work, where you should say what triggers the upper end.
What if the client adds an ancillary inspection after signing?
Send a revised quote for the added service only, with its own expiration. Do not rewrite the original quote, because the original is the record of what was agreed first.
What does a sample quote total look like?
In the examples above, a 1,800 sq ft ranch with radon and sewer scope totals $775. A 3,200 sq ft home with radon, sewer, mold and thermal imaging totals $1,425.
