Home Inspector Pro Inspection Software Forum

Dominic asked if I would post the template I put together for a single family home.

Sooo here it is.  Enjoy

I'll try to get a sample report done in the next few days and post it as well

Cheers

Hi Doug. Thanks for helping out. This is the exact type of community we are trying to build here. It's nice to see a template from Canada being posted. There are quite a few people using the program in Canada but I don't think I've seen a template posted here yet, though I have seen a sample report.

Dom:  You have provided more help than I could ever have hoped for.  It is truly my pleasure to give back

Cheers

Doug

Looks good Doug.
I notice you use all sub menus.
Download mine to see what I am talking about.
The advantage with mine is fitting more sub catagories maybe , so that I can narrow down photo drops when I add more later.
Dis-advantage as you look at the top is the tabs will squeeze closer together on a small screen.

I hope more Inspectors will share here.

Looking good Bob! I'm going to make another post so people can easily find these templates.

Hummmmm....lots of downloads but not much comment.

Still trying to find the time to do a sample

Cheers ::)

Doug , I agree that more people need to participate.
Other wise we can call it the Bob and Doug Show.

We have lots of "lurkers." Guys who hang out and read but don't post. Talk up!!!

Thanks for the template Doug!! and Thanks for the link Dominic!

Sure thing. Glad to see you over here :D

My pleasure Mario  Hope you find it useful.

Still trying to find time for a sample report, but it will appear

Cheers

Doug

For some reason I tried to view both, but my evaluation program tries to open and cannot so I cannot view either. I must have some kind of glitch.

What do you mean your evaluation version opens? When you copy the templates to C:\Program Files\Home Inspector Pro\Data can you see the file when you Click Open Template?

You on XP or Vista?

 ???   Doug, does your template open with Adobe Reader?   it doesn't open for me.   Tom

When I double clicked it within the message board. I just downloaded and opened it up with hip and it did work.

Tom, Doug posted a template, not a sample report. Sample reports open up in Adobe Reader. Templates are the structure and narratives in the report. You would need to download it to your computer and copy it into the program folder C:\Program Files\Home Inspector Pro\Data

Tom:

I think you have to have the HIP software to view it. 
I'm sure Dom will chim in here.

Cheers

Sorry guys just have not had the time to get a sample together

Will try this week.

I'm pretty sure Tom has downloaded it already, he just needs to copy the template to the program folder.

Where is the "Program Folder"?

My computer files...?

..your web site..?

Help the layman, please.  Tom

Tom:

Dom's post #15, above gives you the path to the place where the template should be saved.

cheers

Doug

Dear Doug and Dom,

I went to my computer....C:\Program Files\Home Inspector Pro\Data.   I see some of my templates and report projects.

Hip software? ??  On my computer I searched "HIP".  I found something that gave me 6 pages of a computer program (text).

I have right clicked the link that Doug has on his replys...."Re: Report Template for single Family Dwelling".

This is were I stop.  No down loads appear and if I "copy" the Link (button) then try to "Paste" it some where...it goes back to one of the Posts where we are now.

Is this helpful for us?

Hey Tom,

Feel free to jump on live chat today (top right corner of this site) and I can help you out. First HIP = Home Inspector Pro. The guys have just shortened it to make it easier to type (I really think it's because some of them wanted to start calling themselves hippies again).

You found the right folder! What you need to do is click on Dougs link above, then click Save. Depending on your browser it might ask you where to save, if it does, click My Computer on the left side of the save window and follow the path to the Data directory. Otherwise it might just save automatically to your Desktop or Downloads folder (are you using XP or Vista?). If it ends up there, right click on the file, click copy. Then go to the data folder, right click and click paste and you're set! Now you can open up the program and select from his template.

Like I mentioned, if you're still having problems just click on Live Chat in the top right and I can control you computer and take care of it for you.

 :)    Doug and Dom,   Thanks to U 2   I get to see an outstanding template.  This will be a tremdous hellp as I work on mine.

Tom

Hey Tom, Glad to help you get it loaded. Doug put a lot of work into his template. I know a few other guys have told me they will be posted theirs soon as well.

Tom:

Glad you got it fixed.

BTW thanks for the comment on the template.  I pissed a buddy off when we went to Myrtle Beach golfing, He wanted to go drinking and stuff but I stayed and worked on the template!  Duhhhhh

glad to help

Cheers

At last!
Here is a sample report using my template.  This is a very boreing 2-3 year old home my son just bought. Not much to report butyou get the idea. I added the cover page photo.  The rest are just informational no real defects.  (others are on CD for the client)

The report is not glitzy and colourful but it is fast and easy to print, as I print on site.

Doug

Your sample looks good.

I like your general information section.

I did notice that you have one n in comments and fireplace spelled wrong in the fireplace section.

Great job.

Do you add photos on site?

Looks good Doug, thanks for posting it!

Hey David:

Thanks for the input I'll fix the typos
As for photos... I burn them to a CD and put it in the binder for the client.

I average about 30 inspections/ month sometimes 3 a day so I really don't want to take the time to add all the photos (OK... OK Dom... you say it won't take long)  However I have been told by several realtors that I am the only one in my area that prints on site and provides photos.  No body cares if they aren't  in the report.

I like the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it."

Just try it once :) I know lots of guys that still print on site AND add photos. Try it from home. When you print, print in draft mode which will speed up the print job.

Hey Doug thanks for the template post. What do you do when there are less than 4 bathrooms? The bookmarks appear to show on the PDF and the headings print on the general info page that you would give to clients. You have a lot of detail listed have you thought about combining some areas to reduce the number of clicks? To me the bathroom part of the template is the most challenging as every house has at least one. Some have multiple half baths and bigger ones have more than four. Anyone have a maic wand?

Roger

Roger, there is a magic wand, if you have more bathrooms you simply click Edit Template, click on one of the bathrooms and click the copy button. Your template really only needs one bathroom and bedroom as you can duplicate them as many times as you want instantly. Check out http://www.homeinspectorpro.com/Home-Inspector-Pro/How-to-move-copy-and-edit-items-in-your-template.html which is in the Animated Tutorials section for more detail.

Also many inspectors combine the bathrooms in just one section and the bedrooms in just one section. It creates a more condensed report. If you're going this method you just use the locations section to number the areas, like Master Bath #1, Downstairs West Bath #2, etc. Then within each tab you just number the comment, like under Sink tab you could put 'Moisture under sink was seen in #1,#2 (to say it was in both). This gives you a legend at the top of the page and the details under. This is especially good if you're printing on site as it cuts the number of pages down dramatically, plus in most homes you won't find that many things wrong in the bathroom/bedrooms so it makes the report fuller to combine them.

Just noticed you said what do you do when there's less than 4 bathrooms! Go to Report Settings->Section Colors & Print Order. You can uncheck any section that you don't want to appear on the report.

Hey Dominic, Thanks for the tip. Just a thought, if I use multiple bathrooms and I need to edit one in the template, it makes sense to delete all but one, make changes then copy the new bath to my favorite number of bathes.

Exactly. That's why I recommend that you do the first bathroom, that way you'll have any new comments in it. Then duplicate it. We have it in the plans to eventually allow sections to be 'linked' so that if you add comments in one section it adds them in the other. This actually is how the program was 2 years ago but we got many guys who wanted the plumbing section in the attic to have different comments then the plumbing in the bathroom (for example). So we disconnected it all. Now we'll add in an optional sync so that you can have it either way.

Hi Roger

I deal with the bathrooms like Dom said (above) 

I like to provide specific info on the usual trouble spots so that is why I use seperate bathrooms/ kitchens with specific comments. That way the client knows isues found in each bathroom without trying to discover which one is bath #1 #2 etc.  As for half baths just leave out the items not present or indicate not present.

As for bedrooms-- there are not so many things to point out so I cover them and the living room, dining room den etc. in the "other interior areas" section, like window hardware inoperative in master bedroom or fog in thermopane window in living room.

Cheers

I agree Doug. I like listing each bathroom separately. Dom has two easy ways to either add a bath on the fly or delete extra baths. I am thinking for my template I am going to set up two full baths and one half bath since that covers about 40% (the largest percentage) of the homes I inspect. Large homes I will add on the fly and smaller ones I will select not to print extra baths. In my area the realtors list 2 1/2 baths on the sales literature. If I say there are three baths (one being the half bath) I will get a phone call from some confused party. Thanks for your hel Doug.

Roger

Some people are really picky I Guess...
I've never had a problem like that ...but in my neck of the woods there are not so many lawsuits.   

Cheers

I was able to get your template into the program. But it does not open when I click on open it just shows me the client information page. How do I get to view the template?

Thanks

Its along the menu at the top of the program after Report Settings.

Thanks Dom.

No problem!