"Use this Home Inspection Report Kit to Simplify Your Business, Save Time,
AND Save Money !"
"Finally! A Home Inspection Report that is simple, easy-to-use, very effective,
and presents a professional image !"
Dear Fellow Home Inspector,
Whether you're just starting out as a home inspector or if you've been a home inspector for many years, what
I'm about to tell you about home inspection reports may seem somewhat SURPRISING and CONTROVERSIAL.
My name is Mike Pompeii. I am an
experienced home inspector, have Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Engineering,
and am a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.). I've also authored several popular
books: "Become a Home Inspector!" and
"Build Your Own Home!" I'm telling you this because I have
been around the block and back in the home inspection business, and I would like to share with you a
valuable lesson that I learned along the way.
Here is that lesson in a nutshell:
What your home inspection customers REALLY want is your knowledge and expertise about homes, and this information must
be conveyed to them in a SIMPLE and CONCISE manner. The SIMPLER, the BETTER !!!
This means that most of your customers DON'T REALLY CARE if you use a super fancy software generated report... in fact,
my customers actually PREFERRED a simple, handwritten report that was delivered to them ON-SITE.
Why? Because the report was CLEAR, CONCISE, EASY TO UNDERSTAND, and they received the report
IMMEDIATELY after the inspection.
I'll say it another way... My customers actually DID NOT CARE if the report had photos, fancy fonts, and lots of hard
to read text. THEY JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THEIR HOUSE.
This was great news for me. I was tired of spending 3 hours on an inspection, only to go back to the office and spend
another HOUR messing with complicated software and generating a fancy report. With the simple hand-written report, I was
COMPLETELY finished after my 3 hour inspection, my customer had a professional looking report in their hand, and I WAS DONE.
Just think about it:
- No more going back to the office to finish
- No more time spent wrestling with complicated software
- No more time spent typing in comments
- No more uploading photos
- No more emailing or uploading reports
- No more computer hassles.
I actually had an EXTRA HOUR to
spend with my wife and kids !
IS THERE A DOWNSIDE TO HAND-WRITTEN COMMENTS ON HOME INSPECTION REPORTS?
The answer is... it depends. It depends on the type of report that you use, the format of the report, and how
neatly you can write or print. Let's look at this in more detail.
REPORT TYPE
If you are going to use a report with hand-written comments, my experience says that a report that has both a CHECKLIST
and a NARRATIVE section is best. The checklist helps to guide you through the inspection and to not miss anything. The
narrative section lets you describe whatever you find.
And, of course, the report must present a professional appearance. This can be done by: 1) formatting and organizing the
checklists and narrative sections in a simple and straightforward manner, and 2) printing neatly.
NEWSFLASH:
YOU DO NOT NEED A FANCY, COMPUTER-GENERATED HOME INSPECTION
REPORT IN ORDER TO PRESENT A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE !!!
If you can print letters and words neatly, then a report with handwritten comments is definitely for you. Being an engineer
and former draftsman, I could write comments in very neat block letters in my home inspection reports.
But what if you can't write or print neatly, no matter how hard you try? A handwritten report with scribbles and hard-to-read
words just does not present a professional image. You have several options here: Either practice writing neatly until
you can do it well, or you must use a computer-generated report or software.
I've always used block lettering in my reports because it is consistent and easy to read. Block lettering is simply writing
in all capital letters, and is simple to practice and easy to get good at it.
BUT I THOUGHT THAT SOFTWARE AND COMPUTERS WERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE THINGS EASIER ?
That's what I thought, too. But in the home inspection business, I found this to be simply not true. Software and computers
definitely make MANY things in life and business easier, but in my experience, NOT when it comes to home inspection reports!
I learned this lesson the hard way by spending a lot of time and a lot of money experimenting with different types of
home inspection software and different types of checklist-type reports.
SO WHAT ABOUT THE CHECKLIST-TYPE OF HOME INSPECTION REPORTS OUT THERE NOW?
There are many types of excellent home inspection reports that are available, but most have several MAJOR DOWNFALLS that really
turned me off...
- Too much info is jammed into too little space.
- The fonts are too small and hard to read.
- You have to pay about $8 to $20 PER REPORT !!
I can't believe that some home inspectors actually pay these fees for each and every report they use. If you do 100 inspections
per year, that's an extra $800 to $2,000 out of your pocket. If you do 500 inspections per year, that's a whopping $4,000 to
$10,000 out of your pocket !!!
THERE IS A BETTER WAY...
This HOME INSPECTION REPORT KIT solves ALL of these issues, and is available for you to purchase and use.
I developed and refined this HOME INSPECTION REPORT KIT over the course of many years and many home inspections. It's simple,
neatly formatted, and very effective. It also saves you precious time AND money.
Best of all, my customers and their realtors SIMPLY LOVE THIS REPORT, without exception. Why? Because it conveys
all the important information in a CLEAR and CONCISE manner and the customer and realtor don't have to wait hours or days
for the report. They receive the report ON-SITE.
Here's what others say:
"Mike, I'm like you in the simpler the better approach...everyone says my reports are clear,
concise, and professional...you have made a big difference in my business, and I wanted to thank you."
---Richard M., New York
"I was a little skeptical at first, but after giving the report a try, I have to tell you that I am now hooked."
---Jerry G., Utah
"Hey Mike, really like using the report kit...it's so much easier...no more software hassles for me!"
---Steve T., California
"Your report kit really did simplify my business...and my clients and real estate agents really like the report...thank you!
---Mike B., Florida