Originally Posted By: dsutrina
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I use 3D reporting and it takes me 2 hours to complete a report. It is killing me. Any suggestions?
I use 3D reporting and it takes me 2 hours to complete a report. It is killing me. Any suggestions?
Originally Posted By: jpope
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Join the club
I think you will find that most reports average around two hours regardless of which software you use.
--
Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: sbeckman
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Yep , same here…I’ve stream lined my style though, I have learned not to take pictures of EVERY defect I spot, rather use the narrative to describe it. But I still put in 10-12 pictures. My reports now takes me about 45 min to an hour. Hey Jeff, I see your using Report Host sometimes now, have you seen a preference to it over the Matrix?
–
Scott Beckman
www.home-integrity.com
Originally Posted By: jpope
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Hey Scott,
I have a select few agents that prefer the Reporthost reporting method. Personally, I prefer my Matrix software. It looks much more professional with or without the binder.
I've been using Reporthost for about 8 months now and still haven't used all my free ones 
--
Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: hgordon
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Well here is my point of view…for what it’s worth!
It does not really matter which software you use...the extra time it takes is not for the "standard every day same ol same ol"...those of us who take 2 to 3 hours doing a report take that long because we wont settle for a plain "multiple outlets loose" or "multiple areas of the exterior require further monitoring as minor to average cracks were noted on the finish".
No, we EXTRA REPORTERS are the ones who would take the extra time to TRULY REPORT.
So, here is the bottom line...use the one that you feel most comfortable with...the one that produces the best results for you...and if you are looking to save time, don't be a good inspector!
Bottom line is that we do not get paid enough per inspection as we should. I agree with many who have said that they are going to go to 1 inspection per day....4 hours on site and 4 hours reporting....and simply get paid what they should!
Since when do we not inspect the garage or the balcony? So why are we only charging for "under air"? Guys, we need to re-evaluate the what it is that we do...and realize that what we are doing requires better pay....OK...I'm drifting, so I will go start another thread.
Originally Posted By: Brian A. Goodman
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Bottom line is that we do not get paid enough per inspection as we should. I agree with many who have said that they are going to go to 1 inspection per day…4 hours on site and 4 hours reporting…and simply get paid what they should!
There you go Harv.
If you can trim time by improving your technology, hiring help, or generally working smarter, great. But don't take away from quality or service, in the inspection or the report. What goes around comes around.
Originally Posted By: sramos
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I don’t feel so bad. I thought something was wrong with me- taking a couple of hours to do a report. By the way, I use Homegauge. It has afforded me some productivity improvements.
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Steven Ramos
EnviroVue Home Inspection
866-541-2883
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley
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Just remember that most of your buyers will only read the summary page.
Originally Posted By: phinsperger
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| jpope wrote: |
|
I have a select few agents that prefer the Reporthost reporting method. |
The agents are not the ones paying for service. What matters is what the client perfers and understands not the agent.
--
.
Paul Hinsperger
Hinsperger Inspection Services
Chairman - NACHI Awards Committee
Place your Award Nominations
here !
Originally Posted By: jpope
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| phinsperger wrote: |
| The agents are not the ones paying for service. What matters is what the client perfers and understands not the agent. |
I beg to differ.
These particular agents ARE the clients. Most of them are "E Brokers." The buyers are out of state and the agent handles everything for them INCLUDING payment for the inspection.
They tell me what they want and I deliver, simple as that.
In most of these cases, I never even meet the buyers.
--
Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: jpope
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| bwiley wrote: |
| Just remember that most of your buyers will only read the summary page.  |
So true Blaine. That is until they find a problem 6 months down the line
--
Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: dfrend
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| Quote: |
| and if you are looking to save time, don't be a good inspector!
|
I agree that doing a good report takes time, but I have to differ with that quote. One should always be looking for ways to shave time off. It is a business. But you need to evaluate where you can and can't do it.
| Quote: |
| those of us who take 2 to 3 hours doing a report take that long because we wont settle for a plain "multiple outlets loose" |
In my opinion writing the same paragraph for the same problem 10, 15, or 20 times is a waste of time. It can be shaved off. I am not going to put 20 pics of single outlets that are all loose. I will Identify that there is a problem (pattern) and note it. Same for things like checking outlets. I will always check a representative number of outlets, but to check every outlet is not practical. For those of you who do, great, nothing wrong with it. I however must balance my time so that I can handle other clients as well. I don't take anything away from my service to do that, but I save time where it is practical.
To say that one is not a good inspector because they save time is a little bit drastic.
--
Daniel R Frend
www.nachifoundation.org
The Home Inspector Store
www.homeinspectorstore.com
Originally Posted By: phinsperger
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| jpope wrote: |
| These particular agents ARE the clients. Most of them are "E Brokers." The buyers are out of state and the agent handles everything for them INCLUDING payment for the inspection.
They tell me what they want and I deliver, simple as that. In most of these cases, I never even meet the buyers. |
Sorry Jeff, I don't do very many of those type of inspections so it wasn't the first thing I thought of.
--
.
Paul Hinsperger
Hinsperger Inspection Services
Chairman - NACHI Awards Committee
Place your Award Nominations
here !
Originally Posted By: Brian A. Goodman
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These particular agents ARE the clients. Most of them are “E Brokers.” The buyers are out of state and the agent handles everything for them INCLUDING payment for the inspection.
They tell me what they want and I deliver, simple as that.
If you ever go to court the judge will tell you that your fiduciary obligation was to the buyer, not the agent, therefore the buyer is your client no matter who pays the bill. In the legal view it's the buyer who is relying on your professional work product to make a business decision, not the agent.
Appraisers have to deal with this issue every day, where the bank / mortgage company is the client rather than the buyer. In those cases the buyer has already made thier decision, and it's the financier who is relying on your work. If you wanna see a buyer get mad as hell, tell them you can't discuss thier appraisal with them because they aren't the client.
Jeff, do you use a pre-inspection agreement? If so, who signs it on these jobs? Agents very rarely have power of attorney.
If you're only dealing with the agents there's nothing wrong with using the format they like, but don't confuse that with being the client.
Personally I insist on direct contact with all my clients. If some little thing comes up later I don't want to be a faceless stranger to them, I want them to have a chance to build some small connection with me through the process. To know me is to love me. 
Originally Posted By: ekartal
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Jeff probably gets many clients that are going to relocate to sunny California
. Here in cloudy Illinois, the client is present 90% of the time.As far as not getting paid for what you're worth, I have heard of inspectors that charge per hour. It's a given that you need to be a top notch inspector to go that route.
Erol Kartal
Originally Posted By: gbell
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Correct me if I am wrong.
I thought California real estate law gave the agent the power to represent the buyer with the inspector.
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Greg Bell
Bell Inspection Service
Originally Posted By: jpope
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| gbell wrote: |
| Correct me if I am wrong.
I thought California real estate law gave the agent the power to represent the buyer with the inspector. |
Tis true 
In any event, the client is the person whose signature and name appear on my pre-inspection agreement. This may be the agent, or this may be the buyer.
My reports are thorough and conform to National and California standards whether they are Matrix reports or from Reporthost.
| Quote: |
| If you ever go to court the judge will tell you that your fiduciary obligation was to the buyer, not the agent, therefore the buyer is your client no matter who pays the bill. |
I certainly understand the legalities and my report format will never be the issue.
--
Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: Brian A. Goodman
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Well hey, if the law says you can, you can. There no reason why the format should be an issue, unless an inferior one was purposely chosen to grease the deal.
Originally Posted By: jpope
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I don’t think one is “inferior” to the other although the Matrix report has some CA specific items that are not part of the default Reporthost format.
I spent many hours tweaking Reporthost to closely replicate my Matrix. Eventually I will progress to Porter Valley. I'm just not looking forward to customizing another program. 
--
Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
"At JPI, we'll help you look better"
(661) 212-0738
Originally Posted By: sbeckman
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Ditto Jeff, PV looks good, but man… talk about a time sucker! Tweaking PV so I can flow my inspection is not what I’m looking forward too either. Hell I’M STILL rearranging Report Host, and I have been using them for 6 months!!
To all above me who were talking about report quality suffering due to shortening the righting time, that's what has been so difficult. I'm not dropping quality for speed ,rather fusing them. I'm actually getting more work because of it. 30% of my work is a repeat client, cause they love the attention I give each and every one of them, and I only spend about 30-45 minutes finishing the report. So I guess I'm doing something right. I just don't think most people need to see 4 pictures of mastic used around roof penetrations, once noted and pictured, I move on.
Anyway Jeff, I guess I'll see you in Vegas in a month, take care.
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Scott Beckman
www.home-integrity.com