906 N Alexander Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48067, US
Fees and Expenses for a Professional Genealogist
Additional Information
Hiring a genealogist is not an expensive endeavor when you consider the years of training and experience that go into becoming proficient at finding and interpreting the information of the past. Typical documents include census, birth, death, burial, baptismal, wills, probate records, passports, naturalization, travel, military, newspaper articles, political, religious, land and tax records. Sometimes photos and family stories are found. The genealogy search can be extensive based on your needs.
Fees vary depending on the depth and type of genealogy research that is requested. All work is done on an hourly basis and is negotiated at the time of the work plan completion. Please be aware that obtaining primary and certified documents can be time consuming and costly. Additional billable out-of-pocket expenses may include:
- Travel and lodging expenses - costs of travel and local transportation will be billed but not travel time
- Physical document acquisition expenses (i.e. birth, death, marriage certificates, probate records, divorce records, etc.)
- Scanned images or photos from site investigations
- Tolls, and parking fees
- Postage Photocopies - These expenses are charged at actual cost.
- Mileage is charged at the Federal Mileage Rate ($ 0.545/mile).
- Hard copies of charts and ancestry reports and books are charged separately
New Clients: Analysis and organization of your existing family information, client interview time and development of a project work plan is done at no charge. An invoice for the balance (including research, fees and expenses) will be sent once the project plan is completed (or authorized amount met). Your research report and documentation will be sent to you upon receipt of final payment-in-full. For your ease of mind, any large anticipated expense (i.e. air travel/hotel/rental car) will be authorized by you, in writing, prior to the actual travel. There is no guarantee that your objective can be met or certain records found. This is due to the fact that some things were never recorded, some were lost or destroyed and some are not available due to legal restrictions.
