Home Inspector Phone Script: Price It and Book It Before They Hang Up

A good home inspector phone script books the inspection before the buyer hangs up. Ask when the inspection period ends, get four facts about the house, quote from a price sheet, offer two times and text the agreement while you're both still on the line.

Why the first call decides who gets the inspection

A buyer with a signed contract is shopping on a clock. Her contract gives her a set number of days to inspect, and every hour she spends waiting on a callback is an hour she can't spend on repair quotes or a second look at the house. When she books the next inspector who gives her a price, she's protecting her deadline.

That's why "let me check and call you back" costs you the job. The buyer hangs up, dials the next name on her list, and books whoever first answers her two questions: how much it costs and how soon you can come.

A typical connected call lasts 95 seconds from hello to goodbye, and that's your whole window to quote and book. The price has to be ready before the phone rings. If you're doing math or hunting for your calendar during the call, that minute is gone before you've quoted anything.

Half of these calls also arrive before noon, which is exactly when a one-person shop is up in an attic or under a house. Whoever holds the phone in the morning needs your price sheet, your calendar and your permission to book without checking with you first.

The script, word for word

Fill in the parts in parentheses and keep a copy next to every phone. Read it out loud a few times first, because a script you read cold sounds like you're filling out a form.

When a caller wants a service you don't offer, say so in one sentence and hand over a name: "(Name) does that. Here's their number." It takes a few seconds, and a buyer you sent to the right person will remember you when a friend needs an inspector.

When	What you say
Hello	Thanks for calling (your business), this is (your name). When does your inspection period end?
The facts	Got it. What's the address, about how big is the home, what year was it built, and is it on a slab or a crawl space?
The price	For that home, the inspection is (price).
The times	I can be there (day) at (time), or (day) at (time). Which works better?
Add-ons	We also do (your add-ons) if you'd like them. It's easier to add them now, so they fit inside your deadline.
The close	Great. I'm texting you the agreement and a payment link right now. Did it come through?
The agent	Who's your agent? I'll text them the date and time, so you don't have to.

Build the price sheet that sits by every phone

Put one page by every phone, and a photo of it on every phone that answers your line, so whoever picks up can quote in the first minute.

Update the sheet whenever a price changes, and write the date at the top. A price that changes when you get to the door costs you more than the difference, because the buyer and the agent both remember it the next time someone asks them for an inspector.

Line on the sheet	What to fill in
Base fee by size	Your price for each square-foot range you use
Older home	What you add for a home built before a year you pick
Crawl space	What you add when the home isn't on a slab
Add-ons	Each service you actually offer, like radon or a sewer scope, with its price
Soonest openings	The next two times on your calendar, updated every morning

What to say when the buyer pushes back

The same few questions come up on call after call, so decide your answer once and write it on the sheet. That way every person who answers your phone says it the same way, and nobody has to invent an answer on the spot.

• "Can you do it any sooner?" Give your real soonest time, and offer to text her if an earlier slot opens up. Don't promise a time you'll have to move later, because a moved inspection squeezes her deadline even tighter.
• "Why are you more than the last inspector I called?" Say what your price includes in one sentence, then stop and let her decide. Talking down another inspector only makes the call longer, and it doesn't tell her anything about you.
• "Do you check for (a service you don't offer)?" Say no plainly and give her a name and number for someone who does. A clear no with a referral keeps her trust for the parts of the job you do.
• "Can I call you back after I talk to my agent?" Offer to hold the time until a set hour, like 3 this afternoon, and text it so she has it in writing. A held slot gives her a reason to come back to you instead of starting over.

Mistakes that hand the job to someone else

Most lost inspections come down to one of these four habits on the phone.

• Saying "let me check my calendar and call you back," which sends the buyer straight to the next inspector on her list.
• Quoting a price that changes when you get to the door, which costs you the agent's trust along with the buyer's.
• Saying maybe to a service you don't offer, when a quick referral would keep the buyer's goodwill.
• Promising to email the agreement later instead of texting it during the call, which gives the buyer a whole afternoon to keep shopping.

How we help home inspectors with calls from ads

We run Google Ads and Local Services Ads for home inspectors and other local trades, and we track every call and form the ads bring in. On Local Services, Google charges for each valid lead, and that includes a missed call during your business hours when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. So a call that rings out can still cost you money, and it can cost you the job as well.

Our Local Services Ads guide explains how those leads work, and our speed to lead post covers the callback routine for the calls you can't take live.

If you'd like a second set of ears on how your phone gets answered, book a call with Miguel. He'll ask how calls reach you today and walk through what we'd set up in your area.

Questions people ask

What should a home inspector say when answering the phone?

Thank the caller, give your name, and ask when their inspection period ends. Then ask for the address, the size, the year it was built and whether it's on a slab or a crawl space, so you can quote a price inside the first minute of the call.

Should home inspectors give prices over the phone?

Yes. A buyer on a deadline tends to book the inspector who gives a price and a time first, and a price sheet by every phone lets anyone on your team quote a number you'll stand by at the door.

What questions should I ask a home inspection client?

Ask when the inspection period ends, the address, about how big the home is, the year it was built and whether it sits on a slab or a crawl space. Mention add-ons like radon only if you offer them, and name them in one sentence.

How do I stop losing inspection calls while I'm on a job?

Name one person to answer the phone before noon on inspection days, and give them your price sheet and your calendar. Half of the Local Services calls on the home service accounts we manage came in before noon, when a morning inspector is often up in an attic, so whoever holds the phone needs your sheet.

See how we run Google Ads for local trades

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