Doorbell transformer?
Now that’s fluff IMHO.
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That just blows my mind.
Our median age of home inspected is 1972 build.
So half all home we inspect are over 52 years old.
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Chances are very good that you are in the 1% of home inspectors who create 100+ page home inspection reports, had that been the case here in Florida I would have never been in the business for 17 years… They used to say Jerry Peck’s reports ran 80-100 pages but I never saw one, scouts honor.
6 hours on a townhouse with 2 inspectors is ridiculous. They have a reason to be pissed.
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I suppose the decision would be not to read a comprehensive report since it is more than 10 pages?
Whenever I write a report I never look at number of pages until the final report is ready to send. The report length is the report length sans the fluff of course. I’ve done short reports and done 125 page reports. The size depends on the house condition and what it takes to convey its condition. Unfortunately there are many out there that try to stay under a certain page length not because it is helpful to the client but instead helpful to their RE Salesperson referral base.
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Awww C’Mon now! It probably had six kitchens, 10 bathrooms, 5 electrical panels, and 20 Tickle Me Elmo dolls!
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Ah, Manny, those dolls take a while, I hear.
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I think this hybrid approach would produce better reports and inspections. It is apparent the OP is under pressure to inspect and publish on-site and provide a walk-through summary in a small window of time.
I suspect his boss has him take pictures of everything because he is constantly being challenged/sued. This is due to attempting to please the Realtors with quick soft reports. Resulting in the company’s work product being crap. The boss has now created a circular firing range.
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Thanks for everyone’s responses, they have been eye-opening. I had not considered the following…
“I suspect his boss has him take pictures of everything because he is constantly being challenged/sued.”
I am guessing that would mean, we are trying to show in photos that items were, in fact, inspected and found to be functional, operational and not defective at the time of inspection, so that we can’t be blamed for missing a defect that arose later?
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Thanks for your response. No, our company does use a Spectora system template, not room-by-room. And yes, I have talked to other inspectors in the company who also have varying degrees of the same frustration. For example, we are encouraged to complete our reports (on our phones, on Spectora, onsite) but the inspector that trained me said that he is still taking 250-300 photos home on his camera roll, that weren’t entered on Spectora onsite…because he ran out of time. That leaves him with a lot of sifting through photos at home that night.
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Thanks for your response. So you have your inspectors take numerous photos of functional and working items, like sinks, toilets, walls, floors, window, etc…even with no defects? If so, Brian Cawhern, CMI, wrote today,
“I suspect his boss has him take pictures of everything because he is constantly being challenged/sued. This is due to attempting to please the Realtors with quick soft reports. Resulting in the company’s work product being crap. The boss has now created a circular firing range.”
How would you respond to that?
Thanks for your response. It’s helping me realize that you can’t be too much of a people-pleaser in this job!
Thank you for your response. Yes, things are GRADUALLY getting easier and faster. Thanks for the permission to not have to be an instant “rock star” at this.
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A few other words come to mind… Overbearing, Toxic, Hostile, Manipulative, etc…
Those are just a very few of the reasons I left other companies and went into business for myself.
I will never again work for another asshole employer!!
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Okay, thanks, we actually do use a Spectora system template, and I have been very curious if a room by room template would be better for me. I should maybe use “search” more.
When you say, “Hopefully your boss is interested in developing your skills…”…in your experience, what would be the best and most realistic way of doing this? Staff training sessions, boss walk-a-longs during actual inspections, or just internet classes, or…?
Sinks, toilets, yes.
Floors, windows, walls, no. Clients can show up and see the floors and walls for themselves.
I don’t see how taking pictures equals soft report. But I’m not here to debate that. Everyone’s going to believe what they believe, and if it works for them, great
I’m just saying, my guys take a lot of photos, and still get done in 2-3 hours.
But I also train them extensively before releasing them to inspect on their own. But not every guy can do it. I’ve let some go.
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That is a great point… and a fair question to ask a prospective employer in this Industry…
What is the Employers experience? Is/was the Employer an Inspector themselves?
It is not uncommon nowadays for inexperienced persons to purchase and/or create a “Multi-Inspector Firm” to make their ‘fortune’, and they not having any real life clue of what the hell they’re doing! Kinda-sorta sounds like the OP’s situation.
Looks like that 60 year old had no problems moving quickly! 
Hell at my age I don’t know if I could even do one Tickle Me Elmo a day!
Exactly…my reason for posting originally…to see if something is wrong here. My solo inspection of a 3bd, 3 bath 1332 sq. ft. townhouse yesterday took me 5 1/2 hours. I took 471 pictures. Logged 40 defects/recommendations and the report was 98 pages. Then I had 2 hours at home on the laptop. I would love to only log defects, but…I just don’t know if I can even broach that subect with the boss???
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