A good home inspection report makes you stand out from the competition. It gives your business more credibility, which is essential to earn clients’ trust and get referrals. The success of an inspector mainly relies on the quality of the report they provide. It can be a challenging and time-consuming process. But if you do it right, you can save time and be effective. 

To help you in this process, we listed five elements of an excellent home inspection report. 

1. Tailored to the property

Every home you inspect is unique, and its condition is different. For this reason, your home inspection report should reflect the specificities of each property. You can use a template, but the information you include needs to be tailored to the house you are examining. Some home inspectors use checklists with pre-filled information that they just need to tick in. Checklists aren’t ideal because you can only insert limited information. The same happens with pre-printed materials that inspectors fill in manually. A good home inspection report should be drafted digitally, with space reserved for custom information and data. 

2. Clear and detailed 

The purpose of a home inspection report is to give clients an in-depth understanding of the condition of a house. Therefore, your report needs to be concise and detailed. The structure of the report is also important. Splitting it into different sections with titles and subtitles will make it easier for the reader to digest the information. Your clients should be able to understand your findings and recommendations easily so they can act on them. Here are extra tips to help you write clearly:

• Eliminate unnecessary words and sentences
• Use jargon and technical terms sparingly 
• Write in an active voice rather than passive
• Cut unnecessary repetitions
• Avoid filler words

3. Include images

Are you familiar with the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”? Most of the time, an image can have a greater impact on the reader’s mind. It simplifies complex concepts and makes it easier to visualize the gravity of an issue. Pictures also serve as proof and are excellent to compare properties’ conditions over time. Good-quality images are the perfect complement to clear and detailed information. Luckily you can now take high-quality pictures on your smartphone, cutting costs for inspectors, and removing any excuse to not include them. They make your home inspection report look more professional and thorough. 

4. Follow industry standards

Industry standards are a set of procedural rules that most members of an industry follow. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNachi) issues international standards of practice for inspecting properties. Following these standards is essential for many reasons:

• Ensure your business is relevant in the market
• Give clients the assurance you are providing  a quality service
• Mitigate risks of mispractice and lawsuits
• Improve processes and create consistency

5. Easy to store, share and print 

The format of your home inspection report is also something important to consider. You should be able to share it easily with any stakeholder. As home inspectors are often on the go, accessing reports via links or PDFs and sending them by email is the most efficient way. It will save you time and printing costs. PDFs are compatible with different systems and devices. They are quick to access and are the best type of file to print. You also contribute to a more sustainable world by sending your reports digitally. Your clients can then choose whether they are fine with a digital copy or prefer to print the material themselves. 

Home inspection report software

Drafting a report is a time-consuming and often tedious process. Nowadays, you can find software and apps that help you eliminate all the extra work after an inspection ends. These platforms allow you to insert information in real-time and generate automatic reports anytime during the process. 

Most home inspection software has this functionality. Some even include extra features that help inspectors deal efficiently with their daily chores. 

Click here to see a sample of the report our software Inspections by Vinteum automatically generates at the end of an inspection. You can send it to the client from the system in just a few clicks. Start a 14 day free trial and see how you can conduct inspections and generate reports efficiently. 

Wrapping up on home inspection report

The quality of your home inspection report will define your reputation as a home inspector. Putting extra effort into it is essential if you want to impress clients and grow your business. Make sure to provide custom reports that clients and real estate agents will find easy to read and digest. Including pictures and concise information will help in that way. Use a format that follows industry best practices and is easily accessible to all.

Lastly, invest in new technology that helps you work smarter instead of harder. A home inspection app enables you to generate automatic reports in seconds. You will stand out from the crowd and get more clients by being quicker and more accurate.