Why is it that when it comes to “work,” it matters how far we drive, but when it comes to play it does not?
For “play” we will drive great distances and barely think about the costs of getting there. When traveling has to do with work, we think about the cost of gas, the wear and tear on the car, and how much the dog will miss us. When it comes to play, not only will we not think about the cost of getting there, we will even pay money to do whatever it is that we are playing, and we will bring the dog with us or pay to have it stay at the dog motel.
I play soccer year round—-four seasons—-and each season it costs another 90-100 bucks. Some times it is an hour drive, one way, to games. While no one likes to drive that much, I do it and still enjoy the game and look forward to playing.
When someone calls me for an inspection that is out of my “territory”—-whatever that means—-I immediately start thinking “surcharge”—-how much additional am I going to charge because of the extra traveling time.
My question is, why do we do this for work when we don’t do it for play?
When we have a chance to make some money, even though we have to drive a little bit more, why do we drag our heels or start making excuses? This is really hard to make any sense of especially if you are not a multi-inspection per day type of inspector. Of course this may just be one of the great fringe benefits of only doing one inspection a day.
Doesn’t everyone love a road trip?
What happened to the concept of a working vacation?
Almost any time I travel any distance out of my usual area for an inspection, I almost always get to see something different—-whether it is scenery—-a ferry ride to the islands—-a trip over the mountains—-or lunch at a new Thai restaurant. These things almost always make it worth it. Things that would not have come with a “normal” inspection.
I find that I really do not have a logic or a rational for charging more for inspections outside my area—-but I do sometimes charge a little more. I am sure that most clients expect to pay a little more to drag me out of my usual haunt. In the end it is not soccer.
The reality, for me at least, is that I don’t add additional money for my time—-just a little for gas or the ferry ride. I see these inspections that are outside of my area as a way to get the day off and make a little money on the side. Just a great chance to get to see some more of this great State of Washington. I have traveled to many of the islands and other parts of the state to do inspections.
I still love a good road trip now and then.
By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
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