There's a commercial on the radio that always makes me laugh... The part that says "realtors are bound by a code of ethics"....
@firestix I do surveys for churches and non-profits for free. I call it giving back to the community, which has been very good to me.
I'm now in an area where there are a lot of long-time locals that are far from wealthy and a survey of any kind would be a major expense. There are also several churches in the area where the congregations are comprised mostly of these same residents.
in recent years, the area has also been undergoing an influx of people from other areas that comparatively are quite wealthy.
The owners of the company are well aware of the financial limitations of many of the locals as they grew up with these people being their neighbors. In a few instances, we do work with clients as to reduced overall cost, or more often, allow them to pay over time. Occasionally, we have done what I call the "friends, family and houses of God" rate.
Often , they put together budgets that seem reflective of a "friends & family" rate. Unfortunately, they very rarely recognize the difference between a borderline impoverished local and a very wealthy out-of-towner who just paid top dollar on a piece of property for their 2nd vacation home without batting an eye and barely noticing a dent in their wealth, and provide them with services that would be a fire sale rate compared to where they live and work.
When I had my own practice, I did as Bruce Small did and donated services a couple of times, provided services at about a 50% rate a couple of times. One of those times, the church (not mine but another in town) eagerly agreed but then afterward griped about the "exorbitant" cost and dragged their feet for several months until I said I might take them to small claims to get paid. They weren't comprised primarily of low income congregants, just cheap. Probably had some elder go on Angie's List to find that a boundary & topo should only cost them $250 (I always wonder where this mythical world is where they come up with the figures of what a survey should cost).
If I were to go open my own practice again, I'd be very judicious about donated work, and even more so for reduced rate work.
In a case like in the OP, I'd figure that if they could afford to build a new house and felt confident enough to forego the prudence of ensuring they built it in the right place, they can pay full price for the belated due diligence.
I do pro-bono work for secular public institutions - firehouses, ambulance facilities, libraries, & the like. Folks trying to live on very limited fixed incomes get substantial breaks, depending on the nature of the job. Folks who sell resort property for 7-figure prices get a pretty good bump in the other direction. Churches pay the going rate.
