TOPIC: Unfinished items

How do you generate the report leaving the unfinished items out? I can see where you can uncheck the box in the print order to leave a section out but sometimes I will have items under a section that need to be left out. I want to make the report look cleaner with out changing the template so much or creating a new one and modifying it.

Hi Steve,

Go to Report Settings then options.
Click on the Layout Options tab and there you will see the option to uncheck the section that says "Print items even if no comments are selected" There you will have the be able to uncheck the section that allows descriptions to be printed even if there are no items selected.

Please feel free to reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions.

Steve. Just don't get rid of the blank areas until you have completed your report and finished proof reading. You will be surprised how many times something was left blank to come back to or look up information on and then forgotten. Once you are done, then follow the direction from Natalie.

Steve:

Would you be leaving items out because they simply don't exist or because they weren't inspected due to an obstruction or something rather?

If its the latter consider keeping the items listed and including a statement as to why they weren't inspected.

If it is the former there is a good advertising opportunity there, it shows all of those things that you would've looked at had they been there. I'll explain...some others might like this as well. I use this strategy for the things I inspect or test that are above and beyond my State's requirements.

I'm an AHERA Asbestos Inspector, I do indoor air quality and mold sampling, inspect radon mitigation systems, I offer sewer scope inspections, backflow/cross connection testing, and a number of other things. What I've done is I've put a section in my template for each and the first selection panel is basically a set of statement such as; "A sewer scope inspection was performed via the sewer drain clean out at the northwest corner" and "Sewer scope inspection not requested." For my radon tabs the first one is "Mitigation System" and in a selection panel I have the system types as options as well as "Radon mitigation system was not observed."

So once you have those in place you utilize Natalie's method and you can get the section name/header printed along with even the simplest statement; "Radon Mitigation System" and that one liner that says; "Not observed", but the sub-elements would not be included as long as you didn't check any boxes.

So in this example the reader sees that I inspect mitigation systems and that I test for radon by request (which is in the text), but my specific inspection points in a basement, crawlspace, attic, etc. are left out to to not extend the length of the report unnecessarily. Make sense??

It's paid off more than once, Sellers Agents, Sellers, Buyer's Agent, Contractors, etc. see that I'm a one stop shop because while they review the report, maybe during Buyer/Seller negotiations, they see; "Suspected Asbestos Containing Materials" then "None" or "Asbestos survey not requested", or they see "Thermal Imaging Report", and my images, or "Thermal Imaging not requested" etc. I've gain a lot of related sales and new business using this strategy.

My report would be 5-10 pages longer if I left items in that were not present in any given house. If something is present it is reported on: either condition or not accessible due to locked area or being blocked by something that cannot be moved. I don't want a client to have to weigh through dozens and dozens of "Not present". If I wanted that, I would go back to check box 4 part paper forms. The report is the report on the home, not on items that could be in some other home. Just like I don't put, "Home could be hit by a meteor", I don't put in items that are not specific to the home. I allow the client and their agent to share the summary, and only the summary, for negotiation purposes. If they walk, I don't want the seller or the seller's agent to have the full report. The client's agent has no need for the full report either. I don't use my reports for advertising purposes. Old fashioned but in 13 years, I have never had to file a claim, pay a fee back, see a courtroom, or write a letter of explanation. My clients are very satisfied. I get referrals from my clients on a regular basis and once their agent sees exactly what and how I do things, they refer as well. Each to his own.

I see your point Stephen, but I might end up with two extra pages if you were to take all of the "not present" type elements and consolidate them. I haven't had any complaints and I get a lot of business from people who saw or heard about my services through one of my reports.

I think we all have verbiage that is supposed to limit the sharing of our reports, but they all share them anyway. I've called a few people out on it, but at this point I don't care if they share them, it might cost me an inspection from time to time, but that is a small price to pay for the marketing aspect. In addition I kind of like the idea of the Seller getting my report because once they read it they are legally obligated to disclose my findings; no more playing dumb home owner.

Kudos to you for staying out of any legal battles! I'm a code compliance inspector thru my other business and 15 years of talking to various officials and engineers has trained me to write clear and factual reports and to develop procedures for inspecting that greatly minimize the potential to overlook things. This carry over to home inspections has been very well received. Most of the home inspectors around here used canned, or what I like to call, "CYA statements" that tell the Client very little really.

If your home inspection business primarily offers home inspections only and not a bunch of other ancillary services than advertising isn't as critical, after all, it's in your name; "Safe Haven Home Inspections". If you offered a dozen other residential related testing and inspection services I find it most effective to highlight those ancillary services wherever and however I can. Not to excess of course, but if I can drop a subtle hint about the services I offer there isn't any reason not to, a few ancillary services combined with a home inspection can turn a $400 Client in to a $1000 Client pretty quickly and then I only have to schedule one Client per day.