Nolan Kienitz

Which inspection report softwares have searchable comment libraries? When did those softwares first show up on the market?

The application I'm using has always been able to do such.

Send me a message direct to my email if you want to know the app I'm using.

"locked" ...

Likely needs to be "unlocked" so it can be adjusted where the user wants it.

Find 'em like that most often at a final inspection of a new home construction. Builder has the T-Stat "restricted" so that it can only be turned up (on heat) a few degrees or turned down (on cool).

I advise builder to have HVAC contractor unlock the T-Stat or I provide them with the appropriate page(s) from the T-Stat manual to adjust same.

I've come across a number of T-Stats in homes that were still restricted and this was many years after the home was built. Homeowners seemed to be OK with it and didn't even realize it.

Clients don't see the folders ... they are for me and how I've always kept data points sorted.

Other users of this application utilize their comments in a far different way than I do. The great capability of a database driven s/w like Kurt's method.

The folders and the way I sort and use the comments is quite easy for me anyway.

I'm just anal and old-fashioned that way.

I'm curious. Aren't folks comment libraries word or phrase searchable?

Yes they are ... at least in the application I use.

JD,

Here is a screen shot of my RapidRemark panel of basic 'folders' under each folder are many specific comments or "RapidRemarks" as they are called in my report generation application.

I periodically create other folders as I find I have too many RRs to sort through. Kind of like what you are in the process of now.

Click to Enlarge

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Beloved friend of TIJ Joe Ferry - [:-devil] - has a website article on contract verbiage that limits liability to the inspection fee. He says he doesn't know why any inspector with 300K in E&O would do such a thing to his clients. It's like paying a $3,000 premium to protect the client against damages by the inspector then saying in contract verbiage 'no, you can't touch it'.

Marc

Because the E&O is there to protect the inspector, not the customer.

In reality and practice that is true. Albeit I had one potential client (repeat: "potential") demand that I told her how much my E&O coverage was and who the carrier was.

These were almost the first words out of her mouth on the call. I advised her that I had coverage, but that it was not her business to know any more and that the coverage was for my protection.

Her response was that she HAD to know so that she would know how much she could sue me for should I miss something from the home inspection.

Goes without saying I was close to dumbfounded, but maintained my composure and told her I was too busy for her inspection. She did a lot of stammering and peddling, but I repeated that I would not be doing any inspection for her.

... Takes all kinds it seems.

Texas TREC just put into play a new SOP and Report Template (01/01/2014) and there is a proposal out already to be discussed at an upcoming meeting that will put some verbiage in the report template and rules that will deal with limiting liability in some way or another.

I'm still a bit fuzzy on what I've read so far. Seems like TREC is trying to get any/all limiting language out of any TREC promulgated document. This is not to say an inspector can't have a "separate" document with such verbiage, but it appears they are trying to distance such from anything TREC touches.

That being said ... if/when approved there will be yet another new template that will be produced. Albeit ... just some verbiage being added as best I can decipher at this time.

Gotta love it ...

He might have been trying to polish his use of excessive verbiage on his quest for a Pulitzer Prize for a long home inspection report ... []

JK - Nice, succinct, to the point edit.

Just in case someone wants to invest in an adventure outside of inspection.

L&L Classic Auto For Sale ... Idaho

Hemmings Commercial Classified

Mike,

Check out this location ...

Age de-coder for: American Standard

American Standard HVAC

Nothing new in the article and no offense taken ... Just wanted to share that I happened to see it in the "news" ... so to speak.

It is merely a rehash of what some writer pumps out with input from others who don't really understand the home buying process.

I'm certainly not championing the article ... just simply made an observation that "at least this time" the "inspection" bullet was at the top of the list ... as Marc noted for my defense.

I can and will be a bit more careful about what I post going forward.

Sort of a general list, but at least inspections were at the top of the list.

Unforseen Costs When Buying a Home

My closest pals on an inspection are my clipboard, pen and camera.

Marc

Ditto. I assemble/compile my report in the comfort of my home office and take time to preview/review/correct/refine before sending to my clients.

I've never grasped the concept of the bait system ...

The stations are separated by some distance ... 8 , 10, 15, 20 feet ... whatever.

When the termites come charging up to the home and they are 'between' the bait stations ... do they stop and look left/right and muse over which bait station to visit or do they just proceed and take the straight-a-head shortcut to the house and start chomping away?

Actually ... I do 'understand' the bait station concept, but it is a cash cow for the companies that use it and it has lost it's luster here in the Lone Star State.

I work with several long-term (might I even say 'old-timers') who have been working bugs for over 25 years and they never bought into the 'bait' system as they felt it was just a ripoff for their customers and the overall benefits from same.

Some folks do well with them.

I stopped doing them ~5 years ago. Fee schedule sucks and FHA/HUD likely won't be adjusting any time soon.

I even had my name removed from the list this past year.

Setting expectations is a nightmare when the consultant tries to be honest/ethical.

Also ... the "K" product not a huge item in Texas.

Randy N. up in Seattle does them and does quite well.

That inspector is a nice fellow, but has had more than one legal (E&O) hiccup along with complaints filed against him at TREC (our licensing agency) as well.

This was on the local NBC TV station this evening (01/31/2014). Another chapter of this story will be on tomorrow evening (02/01/2014).

Issues with CSST just don't seem to go away.

A local DFW inspector is currently being sued due to a home that burned to the ground following a lighting strike that had "some" CSST installed. Lightning hit the home almost a year after he did the inspection. Insurance company is pointing fingers at everyone. Not sure how it will turn out for the inspector.

Lightning Strikes home w/CSST. Burns and there is loss of life.

Then there are the "can lights" in the ceiling. They have plenty of holes and slots on the can as a big path for air movement.

I've been putting in "dux-seal" (electrical clay or putty) to seal the holes to help minimize the air flow.

This is great ...

[utube]

Had to add another link with more detail of the RR.

[utube]

I thought they were supposed to break off and sink into the Pacific a while ago. What's the hold up?

Nevada !!!

One should plan a trip to St. Paul for this ...

Back to the Fifties

I would like to get my building inspection Lic. to work for city's or counties as a building inspector. Is there classed in Phx. that I can take. NO ONLINE CLASSES FOR ME. need classes.

Thx

Lenney MCCoy

You will need to take the ICC test for that.

And likely both the Residential and Commercial sections for the ICC certification.

ICC Certification

Both of those will keep you quite busy for some time.

Well now ... this is interesting.

in Pennsylvania ... Slightly Haunted House

... slight drift here ...

I was at a ham radio testing session tonight (I'm one of the Volunteer Examiners for our local club) and one of the other VEs was telling me about dropping his smart phone into his pool while cleaning this past week.

He's tried rice, slight oven warming and such for 5 days and it appears he is "without" communications ... err, at least via cellphone. His ham radio is working fine ... [^]

World Domination sounds good.

Kogel has the right idea; get a database solution. My best recommendation, though, is don't even start with Access; it's a mess. Trying to put together a simple query is mind numbing.

FileMaker Pro. I can do all the usual client and contact stuff, search reports to find percentages of incidence on anything, or otherwise track each and every detail of the biz in as fine tuned a manner as anyone could ever want. Which, honestly, I don't want.

I look to see where I'm doing the most jobs, fees, referral source, and occasionally I'll do a look to see how many (insert defect here) I find within a defined parameter.

Kurt,

There you go ... bundle your Filemaker Pro package and sell it as an app ... for the inspector to run on his purchased Filemaker {rp program. ??/ !!!

A side job ... so to speak [?]