Originally Posted By: psmothers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Rob -
I looked at all the major reporting software on the market. They all are good. It really comes down to a personal preference. You can ask 10 different people and get 10 different responses to which is best. I went with 3D because I liked the way the report looked. I would advise you to look under the software section and start reading. Download all the demo’s you can and look for yourself and see which you like. Another good idea is to look at actual sample reports from the different softwares and see what style/layout you like best. I did that by viewing sample reports from the web sites of our various members. You can see a good sample of a report made with 3D at this site.
We just had a post on this in our Members-Only Discussion. I cut and pasted my response from that post here. Sorry for those who have now read this response twice.
-- Foxe Smothers
"Its not a matter of will we rebuilt it is matter of how soon..."
"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Originally Posted By: Guest This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I’ve been using Inspect Express for about a year. I admit, I had some rocky moments, but the vesion you’ve downloaded is really quite nice and is far superior to the version that I started with.
Photo's go where you want and can be sized in the text with or without word wrap. The boiler plate is pretty good, but it needs to be personalized and all changed to first person. I spent a few hours taking out all the "we's" and changed em all to "I's" .
I don't use the summary portion, but did generate one by mistake once and it was nice too.
Tell Mike I sent you, and call him up. He might have a special going.
He's been very, very helpful to me and since his products are good, going on excellent, I don't hesitate to recommend them.
The other thing... ask if he has a paper manual on the program, and act really disappointed when he tells you "no". I figure if I get enough people to say they want one, maybe he'll get one printed. The program will do a lot and I keep finding more every day.
Originally Posted By: mike coppage This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I do not recommend First Choice software
the support person, Andy Crossfield won't return phone calls and this morning his message said he was away for TWO WEEKS 
Originally Posted By: mike coppage This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Gearge,
I bought the "Full" version for 250.00
Having no other HI softwarte to compare it to I can't say its difficult, however it has some features (the auto summary page) which are not working correctly. When I was reduced to leaving my support question on a cell VM and never heard back from Andy I got the feeling it might be a glitch in the program that he knows about
Anyhow I guess I picked it because it looked OK, he did a pretty good job selling it on the phone and promising great tech support  ,and the price!
Now I'm really looking for something that produces a good report and I would be able to write it as I go through the homes because I really don't like"homework" at the end of my day.
Originally Posted By: jwortham This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Mike,
No offense, but that's some ugly software. Basically a checklist with pictures added.
You might be better off getting a couple of the hand-written lists and using them as templates to make your own. Helluva lot cheaper and easier to modify.
This is probably one area where picking something based on price is a very bad idea!
It's the last thing your client sees from your company, so it should be a "Best Foot Forward" kind of deal.
Originally Posted By: gwells This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Mike,
I'll be the first to admit that I have some strong opinions about reporting software but I think that the First Choice software is pretty cheesy for the price. Our Report doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but then it only cost $60 and it has everything you need to do a good inspection.
We have more than 500 inspectors across the US and Canada using our software. Many inspectors have told me that they would like some more advanced features but it is easy to use and produces a nice looking report. Some inspectors use our software for a while until they buy one of the flashier programs. Even those who step up to something else tell me that they felt like they got their money's worth out of it. I have had many inspectors buy our software with the intention of later moving up to something else, only to call me and tell me that they see no reason to go on to something else.
I am not really trying to make a sales pitch for our software. My real point is that most home inspection software is grossly overpriced. I certainly agree that the software is your most fundamental tool as a home inspector and you want it to look good so that you look good. But, why does it have to cost $250+ for reporting software. I don't get it.
I have had many people in the real estate industry tell me that they prefer my reports over those of most other inspectors in my area. There are three or four of us in my area using our report. Again, my point is that a report doesn't have to cost hundreds of dollars and be a hundred bizzilion pages long to be a good report. Most people don't want to wade through a bunch of stuff. They just want to know what condition the house is in.
My advice, for what its worth, is to give them a good report that is easy to read but covers everything and give them a lot of pictures.
I take at least one photo for every item in my report. My clients love that. I am almost completely paperless. I give the client the report and all the photos on a menu driven CD. The report has a digital signature and cannot be altered. It has been accepted in every facet of the industry. Mortgage companies like it, insurance companies like it, even real estate agents like the report. It can be e-mailed to anyone anywhere. The CD can be copied a thousand times if necessary. I have clients who send copies of the CD to family and friends just to show off the house.
The best part is that it cost me only about 50? to make a CD!
By the way, Target has Imation 48x CD-R's on sale this week for 16? each ($8 for a spindle of 50).
Originally Posted By: ktrice This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I would like to say that i bought the inspection software from George Wells and just like he said it may not have all of the bells and whistles that others do it is still a great buy for the price. For guy’s just starting out or the veteran this is a great little piece of software. So i would highly suggest buying it. Also the service from George has been great.
Originally Posted By: kluce This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Rob Zimmerman wrote:
I've been using ITA's software and am finding several areas I personaly find falling short.
I am now thinking on changing SW. I just ordered a trial of 3Ds software
www.3dinspection.com Any thoughts on it?
What do you use? Why or Whynot?
Thanks
Rob Z.
(Yes, I have submited for membership) 
What are some of the problems you are having with Ita software? I have had the software for about 2 years and still finding little things here and there that makes it easier.
Originally Posted By: gwells This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Ken,
Thanks for the kind words.
I try to look for the best value in product or service I buy for my business. Ultimately, it comes out of my pocket. If I can find a tool for five dollars that does the job as well as one for $500, that's the one I'll buy.
I originally developed my reporting system five years ago when I was getting into the home inspection business because I was not willing to give anywhere from $5-25 from every inspection to someone else for a report.
I think I may have mentioned to you that I now give my clients their reports on CD. I give them a nice looking CD in a custom sleeve for a total cost of well under one dollar. In fact, this past week Target had Imation CD-R's on sale for $8 for a package of 50. That is only 16? each! I pay 7? for the label, 20? for a DVD case, and 2? for the sleeve. I am not sure of the cost of ink but assuming a cost of 35?, the total is still well less than one dollar.
With that CD, I give the client all the photos I took during the inspection. I typically take 125-250 photos. The best part is that I get calls all the time from new clients who have seen one of my CD's. I love it when I get a call from someone and they tell me that they like the way I do my reports.
Originally Posted By: cradan This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Quote:
I am almost completely paperless. I give the client the report and all the photos on a menu driven CD.
George...we're certainly interested. How precisely do you arrange a menu-driven CD? Is this a function/product of your software, as an inspector loads data into the forms, or, have you superimposed some other technique to produce an inspection report CD with clickable, menu-driven functions for the client?