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

Cameron the jerks with the RE office have a Fannie Mae type contract for lots of foreclosures and they never return calls
or answer phones,do not show up and give bad lock combinations.
My client likes buying REO condo units and renting for profit so calls me everytime he is buying for my detailed reports.

He likes that I include tips,opinions and photo editing with arrows,circles and graphic text in the report to assist him.
The guy is not mechanically inclined so it is a big help.

Anyway he said the office guy was coming out with a locksmith today but because of me meeting him twice already
with no access and living 10 minutes away he wanted me to sit and wait for a call.
he called and said come down but the REO Agent of course never showed and the locksmith let the appraiser in which as you know is fast.
The locksmith did not wish to wait for me and would not leave a key with us so that's why the big hurry.
Pretty much just ran water,checked inside closet panel,noted defects,took a video for materials and layout and then checked around the exterior later.
Turns out to be a main boiler hydronic system so nothing much there and a opening for a missing through wall ac unit.
Breakers were pushmatic.
The rest was me doing less detail with focus on remodeling mode.
Just returned from rush hour inspection in Hyde Park with 90 minutes driving home and will go through the video
on my Sony HXv10 which is super HD and easy to grab screen shots from.

See my point is you must be adaptable when needed and simply document limitations if need be.

Working a town like Chicago cookie cutter approach is not easy.

I just spent 2 weeks in bed sick from a mold infection caught in one of these Gems.

Glad I was able to get in and out fast with my High MP count and zoom so I could study later more details
or who knows how sick I would be.

Here is a email I got yesterday 30 minutes after uploading my report......(the guy is a important CEO)

>>>>Bob,

Thank you very much, this is a great report.

I will be sure to recommend you to anyone needing home or condo inspection.<<<<

Crazy me who cares, I noticed a strange object not familiar looking after the report was sent
that I took a picture of and submitted it on the NACHI forum for ID.
I then sent email as follows........

>>>>One of my associates found a schematic for that garbage chute device.
It is a air bleeder valve for the heating/cooling system water.
Attached a PDF on it.<<<<

>>>>Thanks for info, will have building maintenance check to make sure it is working properly. <<<

[My point here is that I take the time to do a good job (follow up) and am not trying to win some kind of race.]

OK follow up here.
The reason I get upset on this subject is when guys doing reports on site and fast actually act arrogant as if they are
actually doing a better job and call pictures or extra info to the client as fluff.
The only reason they do that is because a longer more detailed report makes theirs look pale.

There is no such thing as too much info.

The only clients who may want a less detail are investor groups who simply want major deficiencies and price estimates.
I work with all types.

Would like to spend less time at home on reports ....what you think I am a sadistic masochistic type  or something ?

I want speed with no cost to my client or my feeling of caring and helping.

Hi Dave

If I understand you correctly, what your suggesting as per your your example,

Exterior Report (make your page), add illustrations if you include.

House is a Colonial, 1976 Built

Siding is Wood, Cedar

Use pics for defects.

Driveway is concrete, typical cracks

Windows, Doors original to house.

Deck is on grade, weathered wood.

Front porch has a loose railing with damaged balusters (porch on grade), concrete hard surface has heavy cracking.

Tennis court, outbuilding, wood fence on property. (do you exceed the standards??)

If you have a format style that includes the electrical, faucets then just make it up for a 1975 home (older style faucets)

So make you exterior report, post template, PDF for exterior only.

and use these details in a individually designed template in order that we can share and better understand (as a team) all the features and nuances within the HIP mobile software. Hopefully, by better understanding how other inspectors are using the HIP mobile software it may benefit everybody.

Yes, everyone has uniqueness & ideas that could help us all save time make more money.

Okay, too many things going on at once in this thread.

I think it's VERY important for all of you. Bob, David and Steven to look CAREFULLY at Cameron's assessment of Steven's report. I've seen all 3 of your reports and while Stevens is the most extreme, the other 2 of you can learn a lot here about looking at HOW you lay your report out and what clicks it takes to go through it.

Rearranging your report DOES NOT mean you have to report on less. One of the main problems that Steven's report has is that he has split things up into so many different tabs that he has greatly increased the number of clicks that his report requires to simply move around the report, let alone actually comment on each section.

Here's an example. Rather than have the fireplace as a separate page, make it a single tab that exists in each room that could have a fireplace. There are very few comments that can be made on the fireplace and they're extremely repetitive. By putting the fireplace in each room that can have one you have now eliminated the need to ever select the fireplace location again. That's because you'll only comment in the area of the house (lets say the living room) where the fireplace is actually located. In the other sections you never need to click the tab and it won't show on the report.

The wet bar is another example of this. The default template has a single tab for the bar within rooms so you're not having to set the location or click your way into another section of the report.

Stairs, Hallways, Office, Living Room, Common Area, etc can all be combined into one area called Interior Areas. The reason the default report does this is because all these rooms are going to have similar attributes. Right now you have a dozen tabs or more in each of those areas that can all be combined into one set of 12. Why comment that there's carpet 5 times when you can do it once? Why comment that all 5 rooms are drywall 5 times, that the ceiling is drywall, that the electrical in all 5 rooms is fine, etc. You can save yourself 30 minutes simply by combining these sections. When there's an issue in one room and not the others then just use a drop down box to say something like "Outlet covers missing in the living room" where living room was selected from a drop down box.

Here's a HUGE thing for you Steve. Why the heck are you commenting on non existent conditions?? Why are you commenting that there's no closet in the living room? Why are you stating that you have no additional comments in the living room? Why are you telling people that there are no doors in the living room, the office, that there's no shelves in the office, etc? What benefit is there for your client for you to tell them what ISN'T in the house! It's not like you're telling them there's no heating system. That you would tell them. Why are you telling them that things that aren't expected, don't exist?

If it's not relevant, don't report it! Do a test. Ask your next few clients, family members, etc if they think that it's important for you to tell them about things that are non existent in the house.

I realize you work very hard on your report Steve, that's obvious. The problem is the way you're looking at the report. You're working so hard that you're actually doing the opposite of your goal. Your goal is to keep your client informed, right? You have so much extra information that is totally irrelevant that you're currently doing your clients a disservice because they can't find the important information. And of course you're spending a TON of time doing this!

I personally do not use room by room for that very reason.
With pictures I use drop downs for location shots on issues though sometimes if not always wish there was a second drop down side by side to combine one word issues.
Example ....
Living room, missing screen.
Left box for location and right box states issues such as the mentioned missing screen.
Sure just location caption works for most but often times there are multiple issues at the same location.
Even adding left or right side creates need to type after the location is clicked as a caption.
For me picture edit is a good 30 percent of report time.
Not wishing to cut down as much as speed up what I already am doing.
Difficult to change what has such a good result.
Got nothing but testimonials in emails all week long including an Agent really wanting me for her next client this week because of my thorough report.
Her exact words about 30 minutes ago.
Last night 11 pm a guy emailed that my online report sampling at my HIP hosted side greatly impressed him so certainly would not radically alter or do same as others.