Although a home inspection is always a smart investment, many
home inspectors facilitate a bland, checklist style report. Hard to read and
engage in, sometimes with unclear explanations and photos that provide little
clarity. Eventually it’s filed and forgotten about, with education and impact
opportunities fallen by the wayside.
An industry with relatively no change or adaption requires
changing, at least a new perspective or unique way of presenting the
information. Inspection companies, such as Home Fax™ Inspections, utilize
creative ways to enhance and change the way
inspection reports are viewed.
#1: No home is perfect. Every home requires continuous
maintenance.
One of the most important purposes of an inspection is to
show a buyer what’s truly impacting their safety, well-being, and investment.
People perceive differently, but consistency and clarity help avoid confusion
and misunderstanding. The way many
reports are presented and communicated often determine a buyer’s perspective.
A checklist with multiple ‘defects’ running down a seemingly
never ending list has a different effect than a consistent set of impact
ratings that change “Satisfactory”
comments (which is the most positive
expression used by most inspectors) into Low Impact ratings that show a
buyer, ‘this is a positive aspect’, not a defect or deterrent.
#2: Every house has a story
Streamlined processes and organized flow of observations tell the story about your home, instead of
checklists that fail to paint a picture because they’re disorganized to
readers. Understand how a missing downspout extension affects the vapor barrier
that led to mold and water penetration in the basement windows through a
process of organized steps, for instance.
#3: Limitations on reports
Many inspectors are restricted
and prohibited from fully inspecting the property and gathering additional
information that reaches beyond the scope of the inspection. As a result, many
buyers do not receive supplemental records, such as
Environmental Records and Hazards Reports, which may have a serious effect on their family’s well-being,
health and safety.
True story:
Home Fax Inspections viewed a 1,200 sq. ft. single story residence that was 20 years
old, built in 1994, on 3 acres of land. Vertical cracks were present on the
interior kitchen floor, with small staircase cracks along the wall facing the
exterior. The outside corner, near the same exterior wall, had a 2” separation along
the foundation. Environmental records showed that an underground river was
running directly through that same section of the homes foundation; the home
was destined to crumble from the moment it was constructed.
If you’re thinking
everyone, or at least everyone you hired would know that, why was a house constructed
on a 3 acre parcel in the only small area that had an underground river? They
didn’t know.
Even more, a standard inspection report would only tell you that
1) a structural crack was observed, and 2) staircase cracks were observed along
the wall.
Which example paints the true picture?
