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Dan Malin
10-02-2010, 03:33 PM
I am new and have done a few inspections. They have been great. I use 3D software, which has also been great. I am having a problem with the summary. I have used the 3D form letter and it is not working.... Although the reports are very good, the form letters are not desciptive enough. (I guess) I am looking for suggestions / samples I might use.

Thanks in advance for the HELP!!!!!

Dan

Scott Patterson
10-03-2010, 08:38 AM
I am new and have done a few inspections. They have been great. I use 3D software, which has also been great. I am having a problem with the summary. I have used the 3D form letter and it is not working.... Although the reports are very good, the form letters are not desciptive enough. (I guess) I am looking for suggestions / samples I might use.

Thanks in advance for the HELP!!!!!

Dan

With 3D you can make what you want or change pretty much anything. Just edit the letter to say what you want it to say or make a new one. You can add "fields" to import just about anything in the report onto the summary.


What are you trying to do or what do you want?

Dan Malin
10-03-2010, 09:02 AM
Scott,

Thanks for the response, I have spent the better part of the morning playing with it and going back through the Summary instructions. I think I got it. I was not getting the comments I would make as I did the inspection, when I did the summary. I was not understanding the summary merge setup. I was expecting it to auto merge the info. I have gone back and set it up properly (I think).

Getting the software squared away is almost the most difficult part of the H.I. process.


Thanks again, I will keep you posted if it is not fixed.
Dan

Scott Patterson
10-03-2010, 11:06 AM
Scott,

Thanks for the response, I have spent the better part of the morning playing with it and going back through the Summary instructions. I think I got it. I was not getting the comments I would make as I did the inspection, when I did the summary. I was not understanding the summary merge setup. I was expecting it to auto merge the info. I have gone back and set it up properly (I think).

Getting the software squared away is almost the most difficult part of the H.I. process.


Thanks again, I will keep you posted if it is not fixed.
Dan

You have to flag in the report what you want to show in the summary. I only use Summary 1, IMHO it just gets confusing when you start adding different levels of problems in the summary.

Dan Malin
10-03-2010, 05:12 PM
Scott,

Thanks, I think I have it figured out. The program is loaded with features, eventually, I will master them. I am glad the software is confusing me and not the inspections though!!!


Thanks Again,
Dan

Gunnar Alquist
10-03-2010, 05:31 PM
Dan,

Be aware that if you choose to use a summary as a part of your report, many people will read only that and not the remainder of the report.

I use "summary styles" instead of "marked summary field". This allows me to control what is essentially a single line of information at the summary area. It is necessary to look to the narrative portion of the report for a more complete description and my recommendations. I hope to force the reader to find other pertinent and important information.

I use Sum1 and Sum2. Sum1 is specifically hazardous conditions. Sum2 are problems that are not necessarily directly hazardous, but need correction.

Ted Menelly
10-03-2010, 06:10 PM
The only need for a summary is for Realtors.

The people you want to read the report are the clients.....every word of it and see every picture

One reason Realtors do not like me is because I do not do their job for them. Plus the clients get to see everything in the report including picture and explanations of why there may be a concern in the home. Again Realtors hate that.

Most summaries I see from most inspectors now adays is basically filled with more info than their report. Most of the pictures are there and all the concerns are there. The things that are not there is why they need something repaired or possibly updated or things that could become safety concerns or things that are the cause of all that washout on the side of the home and what it takes to keep that from happening.

Yes, that is all part of a home inspection but for some reason many feel it is not part of a home inspection. Tell them they need something updated or repaired and not put you 3 cents in as to how to keep it from happening again is a fools foley. Realtors will love you and refer the heck out of you for your soft report and explanation. God forbid that you actually tell fo0lks that the movement you see appears minor but for the very sake of peace of mind you should have a foundation company come in for a deeper eval. I tell my clients that sometimes I suggest a foundation company fror dastardly looking cracks and things all looking like they are going down hill but when they take their measurements it just does not add up for foundation work. Maybe a little grading and drainage but not piers.

Other times I suggest at the least a foundation company for peace of mind and the measurements add up far worse than any visual I saw.

Do not get caught up in soft reports. You clients are paying for intelligence and the why and how comes. Do not short change them.

What Gunnar said about forcing them to read the report is a very wise idea. The summary is what should be the short one liners with no explanation and even a little to short so they do read the report. Maybe even keep any pictures from the summary.

Anything for them to read the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Nick Ostrowski
10-03-2010, 06:50 PM
Like Ted said, summaries are for realtors. I don't do them because it's like doing the report twice.

Read the report.

Dan Malin
10-03-2010, 07:16 PM
Thanks for the help and support!!!

Scott Patterson
10-04-2010, 06:32 AM
Like Ted said, summaries are for realtors. I don't do them because it's like doing the report twice.

Read the report.

That is the beauty of 3D, you just mark what you want to appear in the summary. It does not require anything extra other than a key stroke.

Yes, folks do tend to read only the summary. That is why when I find anything wrong it goes into the summary. My clients tend to like the summary feature as it lets them know what is wrong quickly. Do they read the entire report? I don't know, but if they read the summary the will know what is wrong with the home. The summary just cuts out all of the fodder. ;)

I do have verbiage in the report in a few places that tells them to read the entire report and not to depend on the summary for all of their information.