Spent a while reading through past posts on the forum for how long inspections could take over the weekend.
On a related topic, I’ve seen a few posts about this here and in the Facebook groups, but I wanted to get a group consensus on including overview/reference photos in the report in addition to defect photos. I find most inspectors tend to include photos of defects and key mechanical equipment mostly, just curious as to your two cents.
Personally I like to include photos of everything in the information tab in addition to the defects. It helps me keep track of what I’ve inspected as well as gives a virtual tour of the property as I go.
but for instance I did my brother’s new house last October and he just finished renovations… the inspection report has the condition of the house when they first bought it, which is almost forgotten now.
And people moving in from out of state may find more value in the overview.
In my opinion, too many photos fluffs up the report. Customers want an easy to follow report that notes the defects of the home. Not a memory book of your trip through the home.
If my report has a concern noted, major > minor, the majority of the time a single photo is included, sometimes more. I also include photos for the SOP items, like location of main water shut off, location of power main shut off, etc. The latter is the “how your house works” stuff. When using the comment “Numerous issues observed”, typical of decks, I’ll have lots of photos, including an arrow on the photo and the issues noted in a caption under the photo.
Information tab photos: Not sure what you mean. My report format has a green check for everything I’ve inspected that has no defect. I leave it at that, no photos. Dishwasher works fine, check. Foundation walls are fine, check. GFCI is good, check. etc… For SOP things like gas shut off, main power shut off, etc, I do include a photo most of the time.
If you want to view how I use photos, link to my web site and click on the sample home inspection report.
At the same time, I don’t want pictures to be unnecessary “fillers”.
For the record I’m just starting conversation. A know a lot of guys do the overview photos, but many more don’t. And when I said it helps me remember what I inspected I meant as an added benefit, it’s not like I would forget to inspect a room because an interior pic of the room isn’t in the info section under interiors . During training my instructors would provide overview photos in their reports so I followed suit. Even if they don’t make it into the report, I’m taking the photos for my records anyway.
I take pictures of cluttered areas or of areas that can’t be inspected for one reason or another, but I normally don’t put those pictures in the report, I will put pictures of attic spaces, crawlspaces and roof shots to let my clients know I did indeed inspect those areas, but the majority of the pictures in my reports are of defects, not only do they help the client understand the problem, but it can also help with clarification of the location of a defect.
I see you are using Spectora. That overview tab must only be present if you use item ratings. I don’t use the ratings and don’t have an overview tab. I only have the information and limitations tabs.
I use Web Writer from Home Gauge. My Overview is the Summary section in my report that lists all findings with a short one line statement, each of them categorized, and no photos. Keep the Overview or Summary short and simple. That’s its function, quick overview or summary. If they want to see photos and details, they can link to the body of the report.
Edit: My SOP Information is only narrated. No need to say the driveway is asphalt and then show a picture of the asphalt driveway. Most people don’t even look at this information. Some of it is CYA stuff - Electrical for example: 20 breakers 110 volt, 3 breakers 220 volt. You go back for some reason and discover there are 21 breakers 110 volt - What happened?
I used to just use the information tabs. I don’t use the limitations tab, the limitations are in the info section for each section. Funny enough I use the overview so clients can glance at what was inspected and scroll right down to the defects. The intro in the report explains to check the info tab for important overview info and pics and I tell them at the end of the inspection.
i put a picture of the front of the property on the inspection details page but that’s it in the report. i take lots of cya pictures for the required things but they go on the website for a month and on the sd card in the mail with the hardcopy bound report.
i just got done writing a cool tool to download the pictures whereas before it was a couple of powershell scripts rolled into an exe. now it looks like a windows '98 window.
I know I am probably going to get some heat in hear, but I include pretty much every photo taken in the report. I have had clients call to complain that the refrigerator isnt working 6 months after the inspection when they just move in and ask if I even checked it. There will be a photo in the report of it being temped out and video and photos of the ice maker. I do a video of the dishwasher running, garbage disposal and garage door to name a few. I include photos of the roof to show I was up there. I have temp photos of the supply vents to show the a/c was working. It can be alot, but can also be helpful. I have had clients call because they cant find a reset for a gfci or a water shutoff, and I can go to the report and walk them through it. It takes longer and does make for a very long report. There is a summary for the highlight real of issues. Im going on seven years strong and so far all of my clients have been very happy with the level of detail in the reports. I get more referrals from past clients than just about any where else. That is just my style though and recommend everyone following what works best for them.
I include photos of all the slopes. It’s for selfish reasons though…if they need a wind mit or 4 point, two weeks later, I don’t have to get out the ladder.
I have never heard anyone tell me that I had too many photos in the report. I have however been told something like this multiple times: “You’re way more thorough than our last inspector at our current home, we aren’t even sure he went up on the roof”. Also heard “The most complete report I’ve ever seen”. That was from a REA.
I’m not superman, I just document what I do, which is the entire house. If you want the summary, ignore the rest, but for the folks that want it, it’s there.
I get the same thing and have the exact same point of view. I see alot of 4 page checklist reports and have had clients complain that the last inspection they had the guy was only there an hour. I just try to do the best I can for my clients. I generally just do the 4-pt and wind mit at the time of inspection, they are included as a package and saves me a return trip.
I do the same as Mark and Justin.
I document the performance of all the appliances with photos and model numbers and videos to show that they were working on the day of the inspection.
Plenty of opinions and methods and each has their own way they prefer. You should read all, consider them, then act the way you believe is best for your operation.
Having said that I do not place “Glory Pics” in the report. Each is displaying an issue or condition that needs to be conveyed. Sometimes I will place many pictures of the same issue for example sealants on the exterior. That is to impress upon the client I am not lazy or blowing smoke up their arse that it is FUBAR around the entire home! I find plenty of issues where “Glory Pics” only make the report way bigger than it needs to be.
A significant problem you should consider are all the extra “Glory Pics” and how they can be used against you later. I have reviewed many sample and actual reports from other Inspectors that FU their inspections. They throw in a picture of an issue or a “Glory Pic” that displays a significant other issue they failed to identify anywhere in the report. No matter if it is an issue picture or a “Glory Pic” you should make sure you review it and ensure you did not miss something. Hence throwing in “Glory Pics” is additional work for little return.
Front of the house, Foundation, Envelope, Roof…etc… Time, Temp, Wayfinding - Direction determination, Defects, Deficiencies, Boiler plates, Serial numbers, Manufacturers tags, Cable labels or wire markers.
<20-30 plus photos per report.
Average report is 70 plus pages.
Most of my clients want to know what is broken or not performing so they can weigh it against their risk tolerance. I recommend keeping the extras to a minimum, especially on homes with many defects or issues.
My conclusion is this: take as many photos as you want, but all the fluff falls into the realtor category, which I am not. It can dilute the important issues with the home, contribute to reader fatigue, and challenge their report navigation skills.
The InterNACHI SoP states the following:
A home inspection is a non-invasive, visual examination of the accessible areas of a residential property (as delineated below), performed for a fee, which is designed to identify defects within specific systems and components defined by these Standards that are both observed and deemed material by the inspector.
