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Pre-buy inspection fees

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SMO

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I heard a story today regarding a pre-buy inspection fee structure that was somewhat disturbing. This involved a pre-buy on an RV where the inspector charged a fee for the inspection (all well and good) and then added that he also would charge 40% of any savings off the purchase price where the reduction was due to his findings during the pre-buy inspection.

The question is: Is this common practice for pre-buy inspections??

I know I would not accept such an arrangement as a buyer contracting for a pre-buy inspection, nor would I allow an inspection on my airplane from an inspector known to participate in this practice.

I think the reasons are obvious, but here are my concerns:

As the seller: The inspector is significantly incented to find problems with my airplane, be they valid or not, and would be inclined to produce a negative report if I refused to negotiate a reduced price.

As the buyer: I could very well pass up a good aircraft based on the inspector's report. The inspector would be tempted to encourage me to buy an aircraft that needed work, where he was able to negotiate a reduced price.

I believe the inspector should be compensated in a way that would produce an independent unbiased report, and the above fee structure doesn't smell like that would be the result. However perhaps I am naive about how these things work - I would be interested in others opinions.
 
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I heard a story today regarding a pre-buy inspection fee structure that was somewhat disturbing. This involved a pre-buy on an RV where the inspector charged a fee for the inspection (all well and good) and then added that he also would charge 40% of any savings off the purchase price where the reduction was due to his findings during the pre-buy inspection.

The question is: Is this common practice for pre-buy inspections??

FWIW...I had three pre-buys done on three different RV-10s

All were good and thorough. I think the first was $300 and the 2nd two were $500.

In none of those cases did anyone structure it other than a flat fee.
 
On top of that a "prebuy inspection" has no defined limits. It goes from peeking thru the hangar doors and counting the wings, to a full blown annual condition inspection.
Personally I would never want to be involved in anything like you described.
 
Trust...

Its an issue of trust. Years ago I paid for a pre-buy, and later found out that the inspector was friend of seller. Oops.

He who pays the piper gets to call the tune. Usually.

Roger
 
I heard a story today regarding a pre-buy inspection fee structure that was somewhat disturbing. This involved a pre-buy on an RV where the inspector charged a fee for the inspection (all well and good) and then added that he also would charge 40% of any savings off the purchase price where the reduction was due to his findings during the pre-buy inspection.

The question is: Is this common practice for pre-buy inspections??

I know I would not accept such an arrangement as a buyer contracting for a pre-buy inspection, nor would I allow an inspection on my airplane from an inspector known to participate in this practice.

I think the reasons are obvious, but here are my concerns:

As the seller: The inspector is significantly incented to find problems with my airplane, be they valid or not, and would be inclined to produce a negative report if the I refused to negotiate a reduced price.

As the buyer: I could very well pass up a good aircraft based on the inspector's report. The inspector would be tempted to encourage me to buy an aircraft that needed work, where he was able to negotiate a reduced price.

I believe the inspector should be compensated in a way that would produce an independent unbiased report, and the above fee structure doesn't smell like that would be the result. However perhaps I am naive about how these things work - I would be interested in others opinions.

No........it's not a common practice in my experience. It doesn't really make sense when you thing about it. If the discrepancies identified by Mr. inspector are real they need fixed. Mr. Inspector wants the buyer to pay him 40% of the reduction in sale price but yet the squawks remain unfixed. If the squawks are real, and you paid him to fix them, you would be paying twice.

Based upon what you describe this sounds like a shady business practice and I wouldn't do business with him regardless of how many RV's he's built.
 
I would give the guy the benefit of the doubt on it being a shady practice, but it certainly isn't a well thought out practice. You're paying for an inspection. You define what you want inspected and should pay a negotiated fee for that work.

A possible subsequent purchase and the price of that transaction is unrelated to the scope or price of the work done by the inspector.
 
That's weird unless the pre-buy inspector is involved in the sale of aircraft.
I do LOTS of pre buys and only charge the inspection fee and travel, if needed. Everybody wins--- the seller finds the problems on his/her aircraft and the potential buyer gets to make an informed decision. I won't represent any aircraft or take commissions. I want to be the objective third party. Everyone ends up with a safer airplane.

This past week I saw the most noble thing happen after a prebuy. The seller was a little difficult about there needing to be a prebuy. To make a long story short, I found the usual list of items, some of which were serious airworthiness issues, and the seller paid the pre-buy inspection fee, even though the potential buyer walked away.

Vic
 
I heard a story today regarding a pre-buy inspection fee structure that was somewhat disturbing. This involved a pre-buy on an RV where the inspector charged a fee for the inspection (all well and good) and then added that he also would charge 40% of any savings off the purchase price where the reduction was due to his findings during the pre-buy inspection.

So do us all a favor...who was the inspector?
 
It just sounds to me like the inspector wants to take on the role of negotiator or broker too. Sure, there could be some conflict of interest... but in the end it all comes down to what you're comfortable with.

If I hire someone to do a prebuy, I want a completely objective report and I'll do the negotiating based on what I figure it's going to take to address any deficiencies. I would guess some people wouldn't want to do the negotiating. In this case, the guy is offering to be the inspector and the negotiator. Just depends on what you want, I guess.

If the guy doing the inspection expects a cut of a reduction in price that I negotiate based on his findings, well... tough. I'd find someone else. Ditto if he's going to insist on negotiating with the seller. But, if we can separate out the inspection from the negotiation I don't see a big problem.
 
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So do us all a favor...who was the inspector?

Hi Dan -

I'm not really comfortable sharing his name as he is very well known around these parts. I just wanted to know if the whole "receiving a fee from the buyer that hired him for getting the seller to reduce his or her price" seemed normal to anyone here.

The reason I shared a little bit about the pre-buy inspector is so that everyone would know that he wasn't just a random A&P that is used to working on certified airplanes. He's more familiar with RV's than most us will ever be with many building awards and being a judge at Oshkosh.

The part that was hard for me was that the new RV buyer looking at his first airplane thought this was normal. He was SO excited to be a new owner! His passion was undeniable and I LOVE seeing people like that join our community.

Thanks, Dan...I just want to respect all those involved even if I don't necessarily agree with the methodology of this inspector.

- Peter
 
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The industry lacks reasonable oversight in regard to pre-buy inspections, as pointed out in several of the posts above. There are no standards to comply with as in the home inspection industry as an example. I know of inspections done by AP/AI's that knew nothing about RV's to the guy who built his own RV and is now qualified to do inspections, or is just helping a buddy. There are tremendous discrepancies.
I certainly wouldn't lobby that we need any government oversight, we have enough of that already and I am not sure it would improve anything. However, the folks that need the most help are the ones that might get taken advantage of. Not sure if there is anything we can do about it, but it would sure be nice to have some kind of qualification or certification, code of ethics, something that people could hang their hat on and know who they are dealing with is credible. Right now, it is word of mouth.
There are private industry certification programs, like those used by auto manufacturers and mechanics. It would be a wonderful thing to see a program that certified qualified people like Vic, even if it was not a mandatory certification. Do some coursework, take a test, set minimum qualification standards, etc... and get some kind of credible document. Perhaps the EAA might consider such a program? I would have no idea where to start.
 
I'd just ...

FIRE the guy as Mr. Trump says...for good reason, he's dishonest with all parties & unethical in my most humble opinion:rolleyes:
 
The industry lacks reasonable oversight in regard to pre-buy inspections, as pointed out in several of the posts above. There are no standards to comply with as in the home inspection industry as an example. I know of inspections done by AP/AI's that knew nothing about RV's to the guy who built his own RV and is now qualified to do inspections, or is just helping a buddy. There are tremendous discrepancies.
I certainly wouldn't lobby that we need any government oversight, we have enough of that already and I am not sure it would improve anything. However, the folks that need the most help are the ones that might get taken advantage of. Not sure if there is anything we can do about it, but it would sure be nice to have some kind of qualification or certification, code of ethics, something that people could hang their hat on and know who they are dealing with is credible. Right now, it is word of mouth.
There are private industry certification programs, like those used by auto manufacturers and mechanics. It would be a wonderful thing to see a program that certified qualified people like Vic, even if it was not a mandatory certification. Do some coursework, take a test, set minimum qualification standards, etc... and get some kind of credible document. Perhaps the EAA might consider such a program? I would have no idea where to start.

I have been giving some thought to having a program/list of "qualified" people around the country that we could count on to do a quality inspection based upon experience and using a checklist. There are already a number of good/experienced people that come to mind (Walt/Mel, etc).

I will get working on it.

Vic
 
I have been giving some thought to having a program/list of "qualified" people around the country that we could count on to do a quality inspection based upon experience and using a checklist. There are already a number of good/experienced people that come to mind (Walt/Mel, etc).

I will get working on it.

Vic
You're a class act Vic. So are Mel, Walt, and many others that WE in the RV community know. I feel bad for those that are not connected to this support group. I think a comprehensive list of qualified people would certainly be of value and there isn't anybody better to pull that together than you. This question comes up a lot on VAF.
 
The inspector with the, umm, unusual fee structure is qualified. How are you going to leave him off the list?

I'm just sayin'....;)
 
WOW.....INCREDIBLE!!!

I've watched this thread progress and I can't believe the misinformation. I think it's about time that I stepped in.

For those of you that don't know, I am 'the inspector' that many of you have been condemning and throwing under the bus.

It's a shame you are condemning me based on 'a story' that the original poster 'heard' without getting the FACTS.

I'm a little busy at my shop right now but will post the facts later tonight.

Best,
Rick Gray
 
Awww, come on Rick, don't be grouchy.

Heck, I once heard that I was dead. I swear it wasn't true.
 
When we sold our RV-10,I had to beg for him to get a pre-buy done. I felt it would protect both parties.
 
I have not done many pre-buys but when I do one, I do the same thing I would on a "Condition Inspection" with a checklist(s). (Checklists is plural as there is one for SB.) Most pre-buys that I have done have been done for friends. I do check for Service Bulletins, ADs, and recurring maintenance that is required on accessories. I inform the guy paying the bill of what I find and he is free to use the items that are not done to negotiate with seller to have them done or to reduce the price. Much like Mike Busch, I will let the guy paying the bill what must be done right now and what can be deferred to a more convenient time.
 
In general I think the "pre buy" is over rated and often misunderstood. I got burned when selling my Ercoupe, the prospective buyer decided to have a thorough pre buy done by the IA he selected, to be able to then call it an annual.
It all went well, the aircraft was scattered all over the hangar, no squawks of any kind, and the buyer changed his mind about wanting to buy an airplane! Decided that since he was not going to buy it, he did not owe the IA anything nor me either! After some serious threats that I felt we should let a court of law decide things, he finally came up with half the annual fee. I paid the rest of the annual fee, since by the time this was all taken care of, many months had passed and it was about ready for an annual anyhow. The plane was off the market for many months, could not be flown, and it cost me money. Be careful out there!
 
I perform a lot of prebuy inspections and I am always clear about my fee. I have never had a problem, and I have never left a plane unflyable even if the buyer walked away. I have had cases where the buyer saw enough to decide to buy before it was all closed back up and paid me the difference to do a full condition inspection. I usually fly the plane first before doing more than a thorough preflight so things are warmed up and so I'm flying tired after performing a prebuy. This also gives the option of walking away without ever opening anything up if the plane doesn't fly right or the engine temps and/or pressures aren't good enough.
 
Prebuys

I have sold a LOT of planes over the years and I often see the prebuy inspection used as a bargaining tool, which is not what a prebuy is for. The prebuy should inform the buyer of any discrepancies or airworthiness issues. If the buyer decides to negotiate based on the discrepancies found, that's their business. However, it aggravates me when someone goes into a prebuy with the intent of trying to find as many things wrong with the plane as they can in attempt to lower the price. I normally tell buyers that the price is firm. The prebuy determines whether they want it for that price or not at all. That normally prevents the aforementioned scenario from playing out.

With that said, I would also like to mention that Rick performed an extremely thorough prebuy inspection for me last year on an RV-6 that I was interested in. He was very professional, reasonably priced, and sent a detailed report when he was done. I couldn't have been happier with his work.
 
The inspector with the, umm, unusual fee structure is qualified. How are you going to leave him off the list?

I'm just sayin'....;)

Buyer beware... you call and ask fees/rates.. of several.. then choose one.

If a contract gets put in front of you that is separate from what you discussed, dont sign it.
 
Following this. I would not hire anyone that said I owed them 40% (or any %) of the reduction in price based on his/her inspection. But waiting on the guy to give his say before I crucify him.

I look at a prebuy as an inspection to see if I am even willing to buy the plane. I am 100% responsible for the prebuy cost and my agent will not leave a plane in pieces. He might open it up and see something that makes the sale dead, but he will not leave the plane in pieces. It will be in the exact same condition as when he walked in.

I have bought three planes. One I did the prebuy myself. Worked out fine. One I paid a guy 1,000 dollars and it was SUPPOSED to be an annual if I bought the plane. That guy backed out of that deal saying he didn't have time to pack the bearings... etc. The last ended up being a conditional and needed some work done. The prebuy was 500, and I paid another 1500 in work being done and the seller dropped the purchase price by 750 to keep the sale on track.

I don't look at the prebuy as a tool for negotiations. But if the seller is willing to drop the cost for the sale to continue... I let them.

I view them mainly as a go/no-go decision tool.
 
OK, I want to do my best to keep this as accurate, complete, and short as possible.

Below are my fees….I think they are quite reasonable.

I charge a flat rate of $250, cut and dry.

For $250 I provide:
- Pre-inspection phone consultation with the potential buyer (or seller if it's a sellers prebuy).
- Once the plane is at my shop I complete a detailed inspection including engine/prop/airframe/wiring/SB's/logs/history/avionics/etc.
- An average of 100 up close and personal pics.
- A very detailed written report of my own design (follows the EAA judging 1-10 scale rating/guidelines).
- Follow up consultation with the buyer (or seller as mentioned above). They use the spreadsheet/pics/etc to finalize their sale as they see fit.


I put in about 12 hours for each $250 inspection. My shop rate is $40/hour so you can see that every time I do a prebuy I actually lose $230. Obviously I don't do prebuys for the money......I do them to help RV folks.

In addition to and completely separate from prebuys, I get many requests to locate and recommend airplanes for potential buyers. These buyers want me to locate a plane that suits their mission, appraise the value, and negotiate the sales price and terms of the sale on their behalf. I also charge a flat $250 for this brokerage service. As we all know ‘asking prices’ are occasionally inflated. ‘If’ the final sale price for the plane is lower than the asking price (based solely on the fair market value), I ask for a commission on the difference, NOT the full sale price. Example: asking price is 50k, sale price is 48k, I ask for a percentage of 2k. For the record, my percentage is NOT 40%, I laughed when I read that in the OP post! I understand most brokers charge a percentage on the final sale price.

I want to be crystal clear on this next part: Upon my inspection, if the seller reduces the price due to any mechanical/safety/SB/repairs/etc issues......I DO NOT accept a commission as the buyer needs those funds for obvious reasons. In this case I simply collect my $250 brokerage fee. People have been extremely happy with this service.

Now, regarding ‘the story’ that the OP ‘heard’ in post 1 of this thread:

About 6 weeks ago I was contacted by a gentleman requesting a purchase and prebuy on an RV7. This particular RV7 was owned by an acquaintance of mine and was actually built by Mr. Fruehling. During the course of our conversation I shared my fees as outlined above. The gentleman said that he and the seller had already agreed on a price and that he only needed a prebuy. He had the owners friend call me to set up the day and time for the prebuy. Ironically, the weather was uncooperative on that morning so I didn’t even do the prebuy.

Fast forward to today: I have no idea how the above turned into the ‘story that I heard’. My only guess is that my communication with the gentleman who wanted the prebuy was not clear and/or he misunderstood. Either way I fault neither him or myself.

Many of you know me very well, I consider myself to be a hard working individual and I try very hard to be honest and trustworthy with my fellow man. I spend countless hours each week on the phone with RV guys answering their questions and consulting with them about their projects. I do this happily and never charge a dime, many folks charge for what I do for free.

Some of you don’t have a clue who I am and one guy has threatened to ‘crucify me’ if he doesn’t like what I say (‘ssmdive’ post 53). I realize that this is ‘the internet’ and as Doug Reeves says “The Haters Are Going To Hate”. If you don’t agree with my prebuy fees or my broker fees then simply call someone else.

Threatening to ‘crucify me’ on a public forum is more than I bargained for.

Rick
 
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OK, I want to do my best to keep this as accurate, complete, and short as possible.

Below are my fees?.I think they are quite reasonable.

I charge a flat rate of $250, cut and dry.

For $250 I provide:
- Pre-inspection phone consultation with the potential buyer (or seller if it's a sellers prebuy).
- Once the plane is at my shop I complete a detailed inspection including engine/prop/airframe/wiring/SB's/logs/history/avionics/etc.
- An average of 100 up close and personal pics.
- A very detailed written report of my own design (follows the EAA judging 1-10 scale rating/guidelines).
- Follow up consultation with the buyer (or seller as mentioned above). They use the spreadsheet/pics/etc to finalize their sale as they see fit.


I put in about 12 hours for each $250 inspection. My shop rate is $40/hour so you can see that every time I do a prebuy I actually lose $230. Obviously I don't do prebuys for the money......I do them to help RV folks.

In addition to and completely separate from prebuys, I get many requests to locate and recommend airplanes for potential buyers. These buyers want me to locate a plane that suits their mission, appraise the value, and negotiate the sales price and terms of the sale on their behalf. I also charge a flat $250 for this brokerage service. As we all know ?asking prices? are occasionally inflated. ?If? the final sale price for the plane is lower than the asking price (based solely on the fair market value), I ask for a commission on the difference, NOT the full sale price. Example: asking price is 50k, sale price is 48k, I ask for a percentage of 2k. For the record, my percentage is NOT 40%, I laughed when I read that in the OP post! I understand most brokers charge a percentage on the final sale price.

I want to be crystal clear on this next part: Upon my inspection, if the seller reduces the price due to any mechanical/safety/SB/repairs/etc issues......I DO NOT accept a commission as the buyer needs those funds for obvious reasons. In this case I simply collect my $250 brokerage fee. People have been extremely happy with this service.

Now, regarding ?the story? that the OP ?heard? in post 1 of this thread:

About 6 weeks ago I was contacted by a gentleman requesting a purchase and prebuy on an RV7. This particular RV7 was owned by an acquaintance of mine and was actually built by Mr. Fruehling. During the course of our conversation I shared my fees as outlined above. The gentleman said that he and the seller had already agreed on a price and that he only needed a prebuy. He had the owners friend call me to set up the day and time for the prebuy. Ironically, the weather was uncooperative on that morning so I didn?t even do the prebuy.

Fast forward to today: I have no idea how the above turned into the ?story that I heard?. My only guess is that my communication with the gentleman who wanted the prebuy was not clear and/or he misunderstood. Either way I fault neither him or myself.

Many of you know me very well, I consider myself to be a hard working individual and I try very hard to be honest and trustworthy with my fellow man. I spend countless hours each week on the phone with RV guys answering their questions and consulting with them about their projects. I do this happily and never charge a dime, many folks charge for what I do for free.

Some of you don?t have a clue who I am and one guy has threatened to ?crucify me? if he doesn?t like what I say (?ssmdive? post 53). I realize that this is ?the internet? and as Doug Reeves says ?The Haters Are Going To Hate?. If you don?t agree with my prebuy fees or my broker fees then simply call someone else.

Threatening to ?crucify me? on a public forum is more than I bargained for. I can only hope that Doug Reeves bans ?ssmdive? for life.

Rick



You outline a flat fee for the pre-purchase inspection and a commission for the sale price reduction. Do you ever provide both services for the same deal or do you only offer one or the other for an individual deal? Maybe this is where the misunderstanding occurred.
 
Well, I'm glad the story I heard was not true. It certainly ran counter to the integrity I have come to expect from this community. And I had no idea who the protagonist (def: leading character in a fictional story) was.

I apologize for any angst my post caused.

Explanations trump suppression every time!
 
There are two broad categories of information here on VAF. One is useful, knowledgeable, valuable information.

This thread isn't in that category.
 
Some of you don’t have a clue who I am and one guy has threatened to ‘crucify me’ if he doesn’t like what I say (‘ssmdive’ post 53). I realize that this is ‘the internet’ and as Doug Reeves says “The Haters Are Going To Hate”. If you don’t agree with my prebuy fees or my broker fees then simply call someone else.

Threatening to ‘crucify me’ on a public forum is more than I bargained for.

Rick

Cool your jets, Ace. It is pretty clear you are pissed, but don't take your anger and allow yourself to misread a comment, because that is clearly what you have done here.

I'll break it down for you:
"But waiting on the guy to give his say before I crucify him."

You read that as I was going to crucify you no matter what or even that I was going to crucify you at all even if I disagree with you. That is on YOU and your hurt ego causing you to lash out.

What was typed was simply that I am waiting on your side of the story before I make any judgement. Because some people didn't wait and already started grabbing pitchforks.

Maybe YOU should apologize for jumping my case.

I can only hope that Doug Reeves bans ‘ssmdive’ for life.

I can only hope that you stop jumping to conclusions.
 
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Well, that was fun!

Reminds me of the FD rumor mill pranks. Only way more hooked fish! Glad it all worked out.

Now, about that list of pre-buy inspectors; THAT is a great idea. Maybe give it a sticky thread or something, and list by state...
 
Well, I'm glad the story I heard was not true. It certainly ran counter to the integrity I have come to expect from this community. And I had no idea who the protagonist (def: leading character in a fictional story) was.

I apologize for any angst my post caused.

Explanations trump suppression every time!

Guys -

I have no dog in this fight but after all the shenanigans, I called the buyer back to confirm what he had told me. I wanted to be 100% and make sure he was 100% now that this is out in the open and names have been shared.

The buyer maintains that he called Rick for a pre-buy after having agreed to a price and terms with the seller. Rick agreed to to the pre-buy for $250.

The night before the pre-buy, Rick called the buyer and Rick said he was still planning to do the pre-buy but suggested that if he could get the seller to reduce the price, he would like to split whatever he was able to get taken off the sale price with the buyer so the buyer would write him a check once the sale was completed. The buyer shared that Rick was going to tie this to what he thought the aircraft was worth and repairs he was suggesting.

The buyer continued by sharing that Rick asked for 40% of whatever he could get the price reduced by (60/40 split of the discount he was able to get the seller to agree to), not the entire sale amount. If Rick could get the seller to reduce the price by $10k based on his opinion of value and repairs that he said the aircraft needed, the buyer would write him a check after the sale for $4k.

That's it. Not complicated at all. It just hit me as a little strange that the person hired to do the pre-buy after a sale price had been agreed to, would ask for commission for getting the price lowered. I just wanted to know if that was standard practice today.

If I were selling and airplane and found out later that the pre-buy inspector came in with financial motive to get me to reduce my price based on repairs he suggested or any other reason, I would not be happy.

- Peter

PS - As a side note, later yesterday I learned that the buyer shared this exact same information with another pre-buy inspector who called me after learning about this thread.
 
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In general I think the "pre buy" is over rated and often misunderstood. I got burned when selling my Ercoupe, the prospective buyer decided to have a thorough pre buy done by the IA he selected, to be able to then call it an annual.
It all went well, the aircraft was scattered all over the hangar, no squawks of any kind, and the buyer changed his mind about wanting to buy an airplane! Decided that since he was not going to buy it, he did not owe the IA anything nor me either! After some serious threats that I felt we should let a court of law decide things, he finally came up with half the annual fee. I paid the rest of the annual fee, since by the time this was all taken care of, many months had passed and it was about ready for an annual anyhow. The plane was off the market for many months, could not be flown, and it cost me money. Be careful out there!



And it can go the other way:

One guy advertised his RV-8 and it looked very good. After many emails and phone calls, with the seller, I selected a Pre-Buy inspector who went and did a thorough inspection of the airplane. Only a few minor squawks.

So I made an verbal offer to the owner and it was accepted.......

...until a day later when I got an email from him saying that he failed to ask the family if it was ok to sell the plane, before putting it on the market. When he told them of the intention to sell it to me, they said no - they want it in the family.

So he isn't selling it.

Now normally, I'd be a bit torqued for my time spent on this but I was especially torqued as I had paid the inspector his fee (which I would do no matter what).

The seller had zero intention of helping me out with the fee for an inspection on an airplane he was in no position to sell.

There wasn't much I could do about it.
 
And it can go the other way:

One guy advertised his RV-8 and it looked very good. After many emails and phone calls, with the seller, I selected a Pre-Buy inspector who went and did a thorough inspection of the airplane. Only a few minor squawks.

So I made an verbal offer to the owner and it was accepted.......

...until a day later when I got an email from him saying that he failed to ask the family if it was ok to sell the plane, before putting it on the market. When he told them of the intention to sell it to me, they said no - they want it in the family.

So he isn't selling it.

Now normally, I'd be a bit torqued for my time spent on this but I was especially torqued as I had paid the inspector his fee (which I would do no matter what).

The seller had zero intention of helping me out with the fee for an inspection on an airplane he was in no position to sell.

There wasn't much I could do about it.

I think this is a prime example where not having any kind of consistent approach to aircraft purchase and prebuys bites us. A buyers agreement could have saved you the fee, but none exist unless you make them up yourself.
Most of our airplane deals are done with the shake of a hand. Unfortunately, that shake means different things to different people. In my world, my hand is better than any written contract and I have executed deals worth hundreds of thousands with my hand and less than one sheet of paper. However, that is just not the case with some folks.
I know this thread has drifted and some feel it isn't valuable. Take away some of the personal indifference and misunderstanding, perhaps some will understand how to protect themselves better from your lesson and the lesson of others.
 
I think a separate thread on pre-buy inspections could be useful, but I am going to close this one now. I don't believe anything useful can be gained by leaving it open.


[ed. Thanks Mark. Thread closed. v/r,dr]
 
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