Safety Category

[John Dirks Jr]

Thanks Brian. Great point. I need to make mistakes in order to improve. The more I make now the better I will be then. I am happy I stuck my neck out. I will probably keep doing it if I believe I can gain from it in the long run.

[John Dirks Jr]

Jim,

Ouch!! You sliced me up pretty good there. I should not have put the mumbo jumbo statement in there I admit. I left myself open to that one. But in the context of the entire paragraph I think you know what I was trying to say. Cut that one part out of a paragraph and its easy to attack it on its own.

The safety category would be the final section of the report and would not include anything other than what would be included in the rest of the report. Just a second chance to have those extra important issues pointed out clearly. A safety summary of the actual issues that were included in the report. Thats all. It is interesting to hear that you have thought about it yourself. My own thinking of exactly how to implement the idea has changed since I first considered it.

[Chris Bernhardt]

I think John in the end you will find that breaking out safety items or any other topic out for re-presentation will just bogg you down and doing so just won't make sense on every house.

Do what Jim K. said and just write what you see and leave it at that. Don't try and re-present what you find. I guarantee you it will lead to confusion and you will get calls why you said one thing about something in one part of the report and something a little different somewhere else.

If you want to be different do what Walter said so the client goes away really liking you and let your experience with your clients guide your report design.

Do what Jim K said and find a preprinted report system or buy one of the software programs that best appeals to you til you have more experience.

Back to what Walter said about the Charlie Wood factor, One of the praises I often get from the realtors is the patience that I have with the clients. John there are many inspectors out there that are assholes and have no patience or skill at explaining findings verbally on site to their very own clients. These guys will often answer a clients question by telling them "it will be in the report"

Chris, Oregon

[Les]

John,

So far in this thread you have heard a million bucks worth of advice. Actually most of it is quite good. Chris is an inspector that I have learned to admire and generally like the way he thinks. I especially like your questioning and retorts. Yer gonna make it, if you listen!

Brian, how did you figger out how to write the man quote? Does it really need the apostrophe??

[John Dirks Jr]

Ok guys, where in the report is a standard place to mention things related to smoke detectors? Interiors?

[Chris Bernhardt]

In my report it's in the electrical section because that is where it is in our Oregon SOP.

It doesn't have to be there you can put it in some other place that makes sense.

Chris, Oregon

[John Dirks Jr]

Yeah if the detectors are hard wired to house current I would agree they belong in the electrical section. Then there is the battery operated ones. They arent really a part of the homes electrical systems.

What about Carbon Monoxide detectors? Do any of you recommend those anywhere in your reports? If so where?

[Brian G]

Originally posted by Les

Brian, how did you figger out how to write the man quote? Does it really need the apostrophe??

I'm pretty sure "man's" is a contraction of "man has", so the apostrophe is needed. That's the easy one for me; you always need it with a contraction.

Brian G.

Does This Prove Men Can Have Contractions? [:-bigeyes

[Brian G]

Originally posted by AHI

What about Carbon Monoxide detectors? Do any of you recommend those anywhere in your reports? If so where?

Oh hell yes. I recommend low-level CO detectors to everyone with any gas appliances, without fail (google "CO-Experts model 2004"). I have a section at the end of my report called "Other" that I use for all the little things that really don't fit well elsewhere.

Brian G.

Gotta Have a Catch-All [:-thumbu]

[JerryM]

FWIW I'm in total agreement with Jim Katen on this subject. After all, is it not the main thrust of our inspections and resulting reports to deal with occupant safety issues, which as we all know is the single most compelling reason for our building codes? Of course my question is rhetorical.

I repeat the legal bear-trap all home inspectors must be aware of, which is illustrated within the California Real Estate Inspection Association’s standards of practice; i.e.: “a real estate inspection report provides written documentation of material defects discovered in the inspected building’s systems and components which in the opinion of the inspector are safety hazards, are not functioning properly, or are at the end of their service lives.â€

[hausdok]

Hi Jerry,

Good to see you chiming in here. You should visit more often!

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by hausdok

Hi Jerry,

Good to see you chiming in here. You should visit more often!

I'll second that. Please stick around, Jerry. I haven't had the chance to chat with you since Joanne's old forum.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[JerryM]

Thanks Mike and Jim, and Jim do you still have that third arm grown from that chemical spill?

Sorry I missed going to Chicago and sitting with you at the very first NHIE exam writing deal. I finally retired from teaching and doing bldg code seminars and now will have more time to cross swords with other folks in what I believe to be one of the noblest professions since St. Florian put out his first fire.

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[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by JerryM

Thanks Mike and Jim, and Jim do you still have that third arm grown from that chemical spill?

It freaks people out so I keep it under my shirt an tucked down my pants.

Sorry I missed going to Chicago and sitting with you at the very first NHIE exam writing deal.

I was sorry to hear you couldn't make it. It was a fun session, but the group of people was a bit on the dry side. They could have used a trouble maker like you.

I finally retired from teaching and doing bldg code seminars and now will have more time to cross swords with other folks in what I believe to be one of the noblest professions since St. Florian put out his first fire.

Well, I hope you continue to spend time here. It's a very dynamic place.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[JerryM]

A professional inspector is a highly trained observer and reporter of “conditionsâ€