$149/year sounds like a good value, especially with cloud storage. I have not looked at 3D yet.
Thanks Kip appreciate your feedback!
Nice, Thanks for the feedback and enjoy the golf!
Richard,
We have just switched over to Spectora, mainly because the old home made Word template I developed and used for 25 years was too difficult to move to a new computer for the new Inspector I just hired. Yes, it has canned narratives, but I found them to be useless. But, I have never been able to use anyone else’s narratives without serious editing or complete rewriting anyway. This includes recommended reporting language from the NC HILB.
On the other hand, it is extremely easy to just copy and paste from my old form into the Spectora format and save it for future use. That is probably what you will wind up doing. It’s possible to import comments through an Excel database, but probably not worth the headache. It was also easy enough to set up my basic template to match my old report format that my referral sources are used to. Embedding multiple photos and videos is really easy, it’s simple enough to include links to outside informational sources and the realtors that have seen it so far seem to like the repair request builder. To me it is a little dumbed down from what I had before, but the other commercial report forms I have seen are worse, or certainly no better. We worked on setting it up like I wanted for over a month before going prime time with it, and I am finally pretty happy with the results.
As to the cost, at an average of around 300 inspections per year it comes out to $6.72 per inspection, and I think with a new Inspector on staff and a report form we can start on site I can increase volume enough to bring it down to around $4.00, about what I pay ISN. In other words it should more than pay for itself.
Fred, you might take a look at the InterNACHI Narrative Library and post what your opinion. I’m interested in hearing what you think.
Richard,
Spectora comes with a narrative library just like all inspection software. Pretty much all libraries supplied with inspection software are pretty basic because although they can’t really release inspection software with no library at all, narrative libraries are not their main focus. Their focus is developing and updating their software in a timely manner in order to stay competitive.
The results of moving narratives from one inspection program to another varies. Ask Spectora about AHIT. I believe you’ll find many inspectors recommending that you leave AHIT for a dedicated inspection software, not one that is an offshoot of a school.
What you have asked has been asked a number of times on these boards in relation to AHIT.
You might benefit by reading my article on Choosing Inspection Software.
Kenton,
My apologies for not seeing your post earlier. I started looking through the reporting language you have, and it is generally much better than most. I would customize it a bit for my writing style, of course, and to comply with NC reporting requirements, but it is usable. There is also a lot of good information that, while I would probably not write up discolored aggregate in the concrete, for instance, it is useful for a client with questions or concerns.
One thing, I would never say “The Inspector recommends” or, which I see a lot, “I recommend”. To me that reduces the recommendation to simply my opinion and leaves an opening for a seller to argue or try to discredit the report. From my point of view, it’s not about me or what I think, it’s about what the house needs.
For instance, looking at the narrative on irrigation/sprinkler system in expansive clay soils, I thought it was generally very well written, with an adequate explanation of the concern. Most of my work is in the Triassic Basin area of central NC, so this is something I am very familiar with. The only change would be instead of saying “The Inspector recommends correction by a qualified contractor”, I would just say that “sprinklers should be relocated as needed by a professional landscaping contractor to provide adequate clearance from the foundation”. Or something to that effect. Really kind of minor, but I’m one of those people who just can’t leave well enough alone. Thanks for pointing me in this direction. I will spend more time digging into the narratives when I have a chance, hopefully over the weekend.
Hey Fred,
Different inspectors have different takes on the “I” VS “the Inspector”, or what you suggested. I don’t think it’s a big deal either way, although “recommending” is one level of responding to a condition you find and there are other levels, depending on how you put it.
To me, using “we” is not a good idea. Reports are not compiled by committee and if someone finds themself in court, attorneys trying to tear apart a report may take advantage of that. They may ask if an inspector had a mouse in his pocket or something else outlandish to point out that the report wasn’t professional or accurate.
Reports basically are an inspector’s opinion and although I understand you’re saying it seems more authoritative without the term “recommend” a seller can still argue or try to discredit a narrative. If the guard of a balcony is climbable, that’s no longer a code violation, but it’s a bad idea and every inspector I’ve heard from recommends that it be altered in a manner that will prevent children from climbing it.
Kenton,
Thanks for the response. To me, the issue of “I recommend”, or “The Inspector” isn’t a big deal either, it’s just something that kind of bugs me when I see it. To me “I recommend” is making the report about you. “The Inspector” sounds like the report is being written by someone who wasn’t there.
I completely agree with you about using the royal “we”. Unless you have a team of Inspectors working together (and I do have another Inspector working for me who I will bring for the larger houses) that would just sound silly.
Now, I would use the term “recommend” for something I saw as a upgrade, for example upgrading insulation to current standards. Otherwise I want to make my report writing as strong as I can. If something needs to be fixed, just say so.
I will agree that some things may be based on the Inspector’s opinion, however much of what we see is fairly black and white. If the roof leaks, if water is getting into the crawl space, if a GFCI fails to trip or as in your example the guard rails are climbable by a small child (and I see this on decks 10’ off the ground!), it needs to be repaired. That’s not just an opinion. Whose responsibility that may be isn’t my concern. I’m just there to tell them what the house needs to be safe, durable and energy efficient.
On the other hand, if I see a cracked rafter that looks bad but isn’t showing any deflection, it may be my opinion that they should get it looked at by a GC or engineer. It’s all situational.
Now, you are right that a seller can try to discredit the report, and some will. Their success ratio is pretty low, though. I just try to make it as hard for them as I can.