TOPIC: How do you do your summary with the client?

Hi David,

I'm not evaluating the software by they type of home.  Comment need to be in a orderly fashion; your template laid out in a logical manner; and as you flow through a home you should be able to click off  comments.  When I do an inspection on a "clean home"...my report is done when I exit the place.  Never use the software for their boiler points... HIP, 3D, HomeGauge, AHIT, Horizon (Yes, the can be a starting point).  Without question, HIP is the easiest to learn.  3D is probably the most involved. The goal is to accomplish the task in the simplest, most complete way possible.  Anybody can build a complicated mouse-trap.  It's hard to build an effective simple trap.

The POS homes are always going entail more writing.  No software is going to write the report for you.  I suggest you really evaluate what is taking you the most time....writing comments? looking for comments you already wrote?  Slotting pictures? Thinking of proper terminology? The hardware? Not having all components in your template?

Dave...I have to disagree with your last statement ..."The vacant, bank owned piece of crap is the best test for the program".  
How fast can you write a report on a clean home?...and why is the POS house taking so long to write up?  If it's because comments aren't created....no software can fix that.

Dave, just as Dan mentioned, I'd say over 80% of our users are now finishing on site or within an hour at home. Over half are finishing within 15 minutes at home after collecting data on site.

Dave, I tell you every year, stop looking around and 'hoping' the grass is greener. Get your butt to the conference in Vegas next month where we are teaching 5 hours on Home Inspector Pro and talk to TONS of other inspectors finishing on site and improve your time. The money you'll save from going to the conference will FAR OUTWEIGH the money you're losing by not going. There's inspectors who will be there like John Shishilla who used to use HomeGauge (for years) AND 3D for his 5 inspector team and switched to HIP. There's tons of others who've switched, or started with HIP but are finishing 100% at home in less than an hour and not collecting anything on site.

Over half of our sales right now are from guys just like Dan, who are switching from 3D or Home Gauge. Dumbing down your reports with lots of checkboxes does absolutely nothing for you. Huge companies, team inspectors, etc are all switching and finishing much faster.

Go here: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co...ctorpro.mobile&hl=en and look at the reviews. Look at all the guys who talk about finishing on site. There's more on the Apple iPhone/iPad reviews too.

PS, no offense, but if you think you have a computer guy that can do better than over 100,000 lines of code, putting around 50,000 hours into the software you're being conned. Every year many inspectors hire someone to build them a custom program and find out what a huge waste of money it is. Unless you're paying the guy to work for you full time, where's he going to be when the next Windows comes out and you need an update? What about when you need a change and he's busy with the next client? What about the tens of thousands of things you're not thinking about? The first version of HIP took over 4,000 hours and more than a year to complete.

Dan,  I have a solid library of comments based on what was in HIP, InterNACHI's library and over 5 years of onsite narratives. Thats not the problem, as every home is differant and requires adjustment. Your going to say Yes but if you have a good library then you should need to adjust only about 10 to 15%. It could be I don't have all that I need but that still has not changed the 4 to 7 hours reports and sometimes 9 hours. You notice Dom did not chime in on my comment on length of time because he exhaused himself trying to figure out what I was doing. Plain and simple I spend 1 hour + on uploading up to 60 pictures and listing their comments. I spend 4 to 5 hours completing the report and then another hour reviewing my notes and pictures.
I have a few times completed a report onsite for condo's. Time inspecting and time entering information onsite was about 6 hours. Don't like to be around that long on the site. Dom says that most inspectors have short report times as he listed. He said they could tell you how they do it at the conference and during the meeting. Well heres my challenge to Dan, Dom and any other inspector, show me in a video, a workbook, or how ever you want, your proven method and I will pay what I can for it. I asked this before and no one came foreword. It can't be a big secret because Dom said 80%+ guys do it in the short time.
Simple: Show Me & Explain it to me! Remember I have tried all the equipment as I posted.
I don't like the phone, mini and tablet, too small to hard to read while working and searching for words. I use a Laptop and pictures and my memory. The notes are a back up, so I don't skip over anything.

David, I would like to Thank You for being honest. Atleast here you don't get jumped on like at the NACHI board. Thats why I asked here.  To answer you note, I would be grateful on any information you come up with. I would entertain almost any idea, even looking at differant software, but I would not give up HIP. I had tried other software before Dom took me in and I think the software and service is the best. I kinda wore out my welcome bugging Dominic all the time so I don't post questions or try not to use the online service.
Getting my report times down to even 4 hours would be the greatest improvement to my business I could think of.

Hi Steven... as Dominic mentioned, I came from 3D.  I started business in 2005, so I have a pretty good handle on competitive software.

I switched to HIP just under 2 years ago.  I probably put in a couple hundred hrs tweaking my HIP template before using it in the field & Importing my lines of text from 3D (I'm an engineer that was a troubleshooter for silicon valley, the automotive industry, etc), so I'm detailed.

I would love to be going to Vegas. I still want to learn and improve (unfortunately I wont be going).  I'm not equipped to show you in a workbook or video...I would take Dominic's advice and head to Vegas.

Dan

Your sample report link does not work on your site, curious to look at your completed, finished report.

Steven

3 hour report today, I spend 30 minutes reviewing the PDF.

I make changes that most would not to the finished report. I do not like a few lines of text on a separate page. I like the pics, pages to all look professional. (this is me, and why I take more time then most)

I would be glad to look at your report and offer my suggestions if you wanted my advise.

Dom is right, most use the mobile, get done fast, make lots of money.

I am anal as they can be, make sure all reports are presented as if a lawyer was reading in court.

I also add a structure diagram (takes 5-10 minutes to edit)