TOPIC: Summarizing a report.

I have never used the term "repair/replace"
Looks horrible and may have originated with those dumb hammer symbols at Report Host.

Try and make your answers short for sure but at least make them look narrative.

Why not try this.

Use a key word in (parenthesis) to help hunt down the proper narrative style comment and please decide if it needs repair or replacement rather than so non committal.The Repair/Replace just looks so darn Newbie to me.

Bob, I think it can be very useful to the client but I think you have to be careful not to overdo it or it will just get ignored.

I need to respectfully dis agree on that Dom.
My total mindset should be to give advise(solid advice) and saying Repair /Replace is not much different from saying go high/Low or Left /Right as all of the example show being non committal or wishy/washy.

Just to help out any guys unsure about an item or any issue at all is to defer to an expert,Dom.

When I see something for say a crack in a foundation wall and I am not sure of the cause I will recommend having the issue examined by a foundation contractor.
Telling them to Repair/Replace sounds like they should be doing the work but with no solution as to if they should replace the foundation (hehe) or repair it.
Hope this helps someone.

My total mindset should be to give advise(solid advice) and saying Repair /Replace is not much different from saying go high/Low or Left /Right as all of the example show being non committal or wishy/washy .

Boy … we could easily open a 'can of worms' here if we're not careful. Maybe we should start a separate thread about Report Writing Ideas.

But anyway, here goes . . . I'm in Bob’s camp on this one.

Our Standards require home inspectors to provide their opinions in writing. So, a critical part of the Report is our opinion on advising clients what to do about the conditions we identify.

These ‘what-to-do’ recommended actions might include terms like:
• REPAIR – if something is broken
• REPLACE – if broken beyond repair
• PROVIDE – if something is missing
• IMPROVE – if not arranged or installed properly/ideally, i.e. grading & drainage
• MONITOR – if component is functioning but vulnerable to failure, i.e. a 20+ year old water heater
• FURTHER EVALUATION – specialist needed to determine cause or course of action, i.e. foundation issue

We can substitute the word CORRECT for most of the above action terms, if we want to be less specific. Always being careful not to write specifications of how something must be corrected. It’s beyond the scope of a home inspector to tell specialists how to fix things. We should give tradespeople the latitude to make repairs as they see fit.

To me, “Repair/Replace” is a category of comments that indicate that some kind of corrective action is recommended. They could, just as well, be called “Defective” or “Deficient” or whatever we decide and define at the beginning of the report.
 
In HIP, most of us define items in Red as repair/replace/defective/deficient etc. By definition all items in "Red" are items that we recommend some kind of ACTION to be taken in order to correct the issue. We don’t need to write “Repair or Replace” in each red comment. It’s redundant, lessens the impact of the comment, and as Bob said, “looks Newbie”.

Try and make your answers short for sure but at least make them look narrative .

Comments in the “Red” section should be short, to the point, and written in active voice (not passive). Busy people don’t have time to or want to read long verbose paragraphs (red comments). If I want to elaborate or give supportive information about a specific significant deficiency—I put it in the body of the report in the ”Black” section.

Examples:              “Unsealed seams & open joints in basement air return ducts reduce air circulation at
                            upper levels.  Have this corrected by a qualified HVAC professional."

                           “Have a licensed electrician correct the double tapped 20 amp circuit breaker in the
                            main service panel. This is a safety hazard.”

IMO, just because I write something down does not mean the seller or the buyer have to do anything. Everything in real estate is negotiable. That is why the principals are normally represented by real estate agents or attorneys.

As a home inspector, I report they decide!

Excellent post Serge.

Agreed, great post Serge. Items in Red are supposed to speak for themselves as things that need special attention payed to them. Not only does it take extra time to make all those extra comments but it does clutter up the report, and the summary.