mjwirth

This concerns me too because it is the exact opposite of what we want to do. With Tap Inspect you really need to know what you want to report and how to do an inspection. An inspector knows what's important and what needs to be reported. We don't need 1842 items to click off and a list of possible comments to choose from for each item. When I see a crack or a water mark I have a pretty good idea of what I want to say and where I want to report it. Software will never be able to do that for me but it can help me record it, add photos, build the PDF and send it to the client. That's the stuff we want to make quick and easy. Let the inspector do the home inspection and teach their client about the house they want to buy. That is why we got in the business. Marc has some good suggestions, thanks. I do know some guys are using a bluetooth keyboard because they don't like the little virtual one on the iPhone. Some use the iPad because the screen, photos, keyboard and buttons are easier to see and use. One even has an IR camera that talks to his iPad over wifi. IR photos go right into his reports. Cool but too much for me. We are looking at developing a web interface to let you do as much as you want on the iPhone or iPad and then pulling the report up in a web browser later and polishing it your satisfaction. Same kind of workflow as using a PDA to collect notes and then a PC except the photos are already imported and there is no software to install and update on your PC. It is several months away but from what I am reading it would make a big difference.

I'm glad for the compliments and understand the skepticism. As home inspectors we are an independent lot. Get three inspectors in the same house and you get three different reports. Hopefully we all report the same big stuff but after that, who knows. Some inspectors like to go back to the office and do their reports. It works for them. Some inspectors like the detailed narrative style, some like simple check lists. Whatever works in their market for they way they do business. While reading through the "How long to do reports?" thread it sounds like we all share the same frustrations and many of us already use pdas to collect data. What is so different about a smartphone or an iPad? Tap Inspect was developed to address these problems because I, as an inspector, share them. One thing is certain, Tap Inspect is not for everyone. Some inspectors just don't get it. You are free to add as many items and sections as you want and record as many informational and deficiency comments as needed with Tap Inspect. It is up to the inspector. Is it the idea of using your phone to do reports that concerns you about Tap Inspect or is it the belief you are stuck with the basic template? Let us know and we'll work on making it better.