I have been testing Spectora since September of 2018. I honestly like the product and it has worked well for my new business.
The problem is that I average 2 inspections a month, yes I am getting out and marketing my business, and find that the $99 per month steep for me starting out a new business considering I am a Disabled Vet and only have my disability as current regular income. I can justify spending the amount if I were to have an average of four inspections a month.
I have contacted them about a discount on the monthly fee or even pay as I go by purchasing 10 inspections until I can get my average up to four inspections per month.
Their reply was: “We’re not the cheapest software out there, you have a lot of other options.”
And: “It doesn’t sound like our pricing works for you. I know starting a business is expensive. I’m just being honest. We’re a premium software and we’re not the best choice for everybody. Does that make sense?”
I will be trying out other software, any suggestions?
Currently looking into ReportHost as an alternative as they have a pay as you go feature. Once I get my average up I will go back to Spectora. Hopefully.
Seems like they would expand their pricing structure as to be attractive to all Inspectors. Leaving money on the table never seems to be a good idea for any business.
I encourage you to try ReportHost. Indeed our default payment plan is 6/report. There are no up front costs, or any other costs. If your company grows, we have subscription plans that can bring it down to .50/report.
We were the first web-based software for home inspectors back in 2002, and have some unique features that other software doesn’t have. For example, we backup and archive all your reports for no additional costs. You can reload, revise and republish any report you publish. You can download your reports in bulk for free too.
It sounds like you spoke with a member of our support team so I apologize if it felt dismissive! That’s definitely not how we strive to leave customers feeling.
There are many factors to weigh when we considered pricing structure and it’s just not as simple as changing our code and business structure on the fly (as much as we’d love to!). Plus, as you get to doing many more inspections a month the cost structure benefits you!
So I’d say in your search, look for a software that has a modern report format, business tools, automation, etc. that will help your business grow to where you won’t have to worry about per report pricing. We have seen many start with a per report software to save a few bucks and then switch over to Spectora and wish they’d done it sooner since it helped change their business! I’d be happy to put you in touch with a couple users that were in your position, just let me know.
Most softwares out there allow you to backup and archive your reports, reload, revise, etc. I’d say focus on the quality of the finished product and user experience of the mobile app and desktop software tools and you can’t go wrong!
I like Horizon. Been using them since the get go. Tried another one of the “premium” ones but found all it did was complicate things and they wanted to sell me more and more stuff.
Horizon leaves me alone, is on top of things when i need assistance, and is easily customized.
Just starting out and using Report Host because of the pay per report structure. It works well for me. They also offer 15 free reports for Internachi members.
I am in the same boat. With the challenging market and current inspection demand, I am re-looking at all my business expenses. I have been with Spectora from the start of my business and have been satisfied overall with it except the price. I really do not want to change to a new inspection software system and learn how to use it smoothly, but the $99 monthly fee for Spectora may push me to change.
You can save a little bit by paying annually. It’s not a huge savings but you should always take advantage of things like that if you can. A $10 here, a $5 there, a $20 over there, it all adds up and can make a difference. It’s kinda like your auto insurance. You will pay more if you do the monthly plan instead of paying for the whole 6 months up front.
I’ll stick with HomeGauge. I haven’t tried the other inspection software services, but I know their Customer Service cannot be better than HG. And their recent price increase pales in comparison to our real “pricing” problem: Here is a screenshot from a home inspection that was performed last week in my region by some of the busier competition.
I perform small repairs on homes and businesses that I am not inspecting. Many times the customer sends me a whole or partial recent home inspection, expecting me to estimate repair costs based on the descriptions and photos. I take it with a grain of salt, as I know that so many of them are actually wanting my estimates for negotiating price concessions. I always have to get to know the prospective customer better before I will spend any time on their checklist.
