We have covered this "how much time to do an inspection" so many times, I'm sure there is an old thread where you can see opinions there too. It usually ends up with someone saying that "you can't do a good job unless you take this long, or do only one a day/week/month", or "your report isn't worth crap unless it has 6,000 photos in it, or is at least 600 pages". I'll press on anyway.

I use a pocket PC around my neck during the inspection. I take photos too, but probably less than 50 for the normal house. I don't keep any photos I don't use in the report.

I'm also in that "about an hour per/1000SF" realm. Seems that most houses take me about 3 hours, sometimes close to 4 (talking about houses <3000SF), and that includes finishing the report (most of the time).

There are times that I go back to the office to finish it: 1. If I'm finding something out of the ordinary, 2. If the agent or seller is being a pain in the butt, and I want more quiet time to finish, or 3. it's getting late and I want to go home and have a beer/dinner.

I just don't like to work after I get home. I have always generated on-site reports (for almost 20 years now), so I like to be done with work when I'm done with work. With paper reports it was very easy. Then photos came into play and I had to haul around a photo printer. When I switched to computer reports, it didn't exactly change my life, it didn't make it any faster or easier either. It just made it better for my clients.

I spent a lot of time working on my library. I tried to cover just about everything I would come across, so I really just had to check a box and move on to the next item. I may have to edit or add a word here or there, but it's very simple AND fast.

One thing I did that helped me was to "pre-check" a lot of stuff, so I really only have to go to the pocket PC when there is an "issue" or problem. For instance, I have that the garage door opener operated OK and reversed properly pre-checked. I don't have to change anything unless something wasn't right when I inspected the door opener. It saves me time.

My time to transfer the memory card, insert the photos, add notes is usually 30 - 45 minutes including uploading the report to the web site (that part only takes about 2 minutes). I also use that time to talk to my client and re-cap the inspection, so they get a half hour or so at the end bringing them up to speed on what took place during the inspection.

I think the ability to move quickly is from being very familiar with the software and the experience of having done thousands of inspections. My way works for me, and may not work for someone else.
JF