Early on at Eneris, we were made aware of how home inspectors were presenting their reports to their clients. Over and over we witnessed the same few styles of PDF reports, which had plenty of details about the subject property, but also sprawled 50+ pages.
PDFs are a great way to ensure that no changes are made to a document as it is transferred between computers, and can be printed onto paper reliably. However, PDFs and paper copies of home inspection reports lack the ability to be dynamic about how the report content is being displayed.
As an example, a home inspector might take 200 photos over the course of an inspection, all of which are high-resolution thanks to the smartphones and tablets of today. When these 200 photos are added to a system that will generate a PDF, they are shrunken down in size and quality to make sure the PDF file isn’t too large. By the time the clients and their realtors read the inspection report, the photos can’t be enlarged or enhanced to reveal the details that were outlined in the rest of the report.
On the other hand, websites are a natural solution for providing interactive experiences with users who can view photos and videos in high-resolution, just as they were captured. Since the majority of the people buying homes today will have smartphones in their pocket, sharing the link to a website and having them open it is also as convenient as ever.
In a world where information overload is becoming increasingly prevalent, it pays dividends to be able to break your home inspection report down into easily digestible categories - especially for first-time buyers who aren’t familiar with the various systems contained within a home.
Don’t let clients glaze over while going through the home inspection report with them. Instead, use summaries and presentation modes to break the report down into something that they can interact with. Leaving clients with a lasting impression by producing interactive reports is a great way to get referrals down the road!
Eneris automatically offers both a web presentation mode and a PDF generated copy of every home inspection report that is created. We recommend that home inspectors go over the report in presentation mode with their clients, which they can also sign on the spot. Presentation mode was specifically designed to help clients easily understand the home inspector’s findings without feeling overwhelmed by all of the information presented to them.
See how it all works by getting started with presentation mode here.
Update - February 10, 2022:
Inspection Support Network (ISN) has published a list of common home inspection findings to help inform home buyers, home inspectors, and agents alike. Eneris provides an ISN Integration, allowing for a partnership of our powerful reporting software with ISN's additional inspection business support services.
Read their Most Common Home Inspection Findings article to learn more.