Russel Ray, Property Consultant

ONE INSPECTION DOES NOT FIT ALL!

As my wise old grandmother said, “Life doesn’t
always offer choices, but Russel Ray does!”

I do not believe that one type of inspection meets
the needs of every person seeking a property
inspection. For example, a seller typically has an
entirely different set of needs and goals than a
buyer, and an investor who’s planning on gutting
and renovating a home and then selling it or renting
it has an entirely different set of needs and goals
than someone buying a home to live in. Therefore,
I offer different services to meet differing needs
and goals, all at different prices while providing
different types of information. Some are very
specialized and are not recommended for the
general buying or selling public. Virtually anyone
can find the right inspection that meets their needs
and goals at a price they can afford. Simply pick
the inspection that’s right for you and contact me
for more information or to schedule an appoint-
ment. If you’re interested in my most popular
inspections, check out the BASIC, STANDARD, and
LIST inspections.

If you already have had an inspection, check your
property report to determine which type of
inspection I did for you, either at your request or
that of your Realtor.

My inspection choices are discussed on additional
pages. Just click on the links to the left to read
about them. Note that prices are “starting prices”
and are dependent upon several factors, most
commonly the type of property (condo, house,
etc.), size of property in square feet, and zip code.

I work throughout Southern California, but it is
more time-consuming (i.e., expensive) to travel to
some areas, especially during tourist season. I also
adjust prices monthly in response to third-party
conditions over which I have no control (such as
gas prices, insurance premiums, etc.), so prices will
be higher in outlying areas to account for things
such as drive time and gas. Contact me for a firm
price that is good for 30 days.

Although I have been asked to work in other states
(Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah), I
do not work outside of California since I do not
know the requirements for property inspectors in
other states. If you need a referral to a good,
thorough inspector in any other state, let me know
and I'll get you a list of several inspectors from
which you can choose.

CHOOSE WISELY

Although I offer many different choices for you, it
is important that you choose wisely. I could easily
offer only one inspection type like 95% of property
inspectors throughout the nation do (the other 5%
have taken my lead in offering choices for their
Clients) and make a lot of money doing it. However,
I'm here to help you meet your needs and goals in
buying property, whatever those needs and goals
might be. As my wise old grandmother said, “If you
help people, the money will follow,” so if you have
any questions about which inspection type is the
right one for you, contact me. I’m here to help.

Note that some of my inspection types are
specifically for property investors, renovators,
flippers, landlords, etc., so if you fall into a unique
category or have a unique problem, contact me to
discuss how I can use my 40+ years of real estate
experience to help you.

HOW CAN I OFFER SO MANY SERVICES?

That’s a good question, and it comes down to my
experience. As a former Realtor and property
renovator, I probably have a little more experience
in all aspects of real estate than the great majority
of property inspectors. In fact, I’ve been in real
estate in some form or fashion since 1965.
Additionally, I own About Homes, an Internet library
containing “everything about homes… under one
roof.” I add files daily from my extensive book and
magazine library.

I am a member of the InterNational Association of
Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), a national
trade association with about 9,000 members. I’ll
be the first to admit that I don't know everything
there is to know about real estate, so if I have any
questions, I can go to the InterNACHI message
board, post a question, and have dozens of
answers within hours, sometimes within minutes.
In comparison, the second largest national trade
association (ASHI) has about 3,600 members, and
the state trade association for California (CREIA)
has about 1,100 members. Neither of their message
boards are as active of that of InterNACHI.
InterNACHI doesn’t sleep, and neither do I if there
are unanswered questions.

All the trade associations provide continuing
education through their conventions, seminars,
and dinner meetings, and I attend them whenever
possible, regardless of which organization happens
to be hosting the event.

Although I have been a member of the Better
Business Bureau for 41 of my 43 years in business
in seven states (California, Florida, Louisiana,
Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas), I'm
currently not eligible to join because the name and
nature of my business changed from a large
multi-inspector company offering only one type of
inspection to me working on my own as a property
consultant offering many different types of
services. As soon as I am eligible, I shall join again.

Click here to go to the next page and start reading
about my different services for different people
having different needs, wants, and goals, all at
prices you can afford; or click on any item on the
menu to the left.