Contractor charge $150 to give estimate / bid?

[Derek Tuohy]

Is it normal for a contractor to charge $150 fee to inspect a property in order to give a bid/line item estimate?  

[Bill B.]

Hopefully that means they are so busy/good that they don’t need your business. Or it could just be a sign of how many times they were called out and the person wasn’t serious. Or that they are way more expensive than their competitors. It could be a good sign or a bad one. Yo could ask if it wil be applied towards the job if you go forward?

ps. I’ve never paid for a job quote. But.  Nobody seems to have a problem with a plumber or appliance repair guy charging $100, sometimes $200 to give them an estimate on a job. And they’re doing 1/5th the work the contractor is, or less. 

[Jose Jacob]

Quote from @Derek Tuohy:

Is it normal for a contractor to charge $150 fee to inspect a property in order to give a bid/line item estimate?  

It depends on how busy they are or how big they are. Usually, there will be a clause that $150 will be deducted from the reno cost if you give them the job. My suggestion for you is to join some local REIA and find contractors there. They wont charge any fee. Make some friends who are contractors. It will help you in the long run.

Good luck

[Derek Tuohy]

His bid was nearly double than the 2 other bids I received on a full cosmetic renovation.  Thanks for the comments. 

[Bruce Woodruff]

Find someone else. I never charged for an estimate. IMO, it indicates that you would have trouble during the project...

[Bill J Fay]

Red Flag. They will nickel and dime you along the project. Be open with contractors and talk to them about pricing over the phone. Have them walk current or finished projects to get an idea of what they might charge for future projects. At the end of the day, don't waste the contractors time, but do not pay for a bid.

[Jacob Sherman]

Some do . its been more common 

[Russell Brazil]

Most of the contractors in my area are starting to do that, and they charge more than that 

[Jeremy Medina]

I've heard of some contractors who - instead of turning down a project - will purposely "outprice" themselves out of a project. Especially if they are flooded with work or could make a better profit working on other projects during that time. With that said, I wouldn't automatically see it as a red flag because it does take up resources to give accurate bids. Just like with the other aspects of real estate, gotta do your due diligence with contractors. Good luck with your project!

[Shawn Parsh]

Derek,

I agree with Bruce, I have not and will not pay a contractor to give me a bid. If they want a chance to get the job they will give the bid or I will find someone else that will. Good luck. 

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @Jeremy Medina:

I've heard of some contractors who - instead of turning down a project - will purposely "outprice" themselves out of a project. Especially if they are flooded with work or could make a better profit working on other projects during that time. 

It is common for a GC to bid higher on a job that they don't really want - either because of location, type of job, or sometimes the personality of the client :-)

Then if you get the job, you're happy because you are making a lot more profit.... and if you don't get it, you don't really care because you didn't want it anyway.

[Alan F.]

Quote from @Derek Tuohy:

Is it normal for a contractor to charge $150 fee to inspect a property in order to give a bid/line item estimate?  

 As a contractor I provide free estimates, simply email the prints in PDF and 7-10 business days later you'll get a professional bid. If you want me to drive to you; provide consultation, lay outs, code requirements etc, then I charge for that.