Im using the US Postal Service these days. Anyone have a suggestion for something cheaper/faster. If your using USPS which method of shipment are you purchasing.

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Why are you mailing out hard copies anyway?

By the time you mail out the hard copy and the USPS actually gets around to delivering it, their option period is probably going to be up anyway.

I hadn't mailed a report in years. Are their still people who don't have the internet? C'mon now.

rick

I also stopped mailing hard copies of reports a couple years ago. I'll still mail one if somebody really wants a hard copy but not printing and mailing has saved me a lot of paper, time, and postage.

On the inspections when I printed a report for my client (new homes and warranty inspections), I not only e-mailed the report (or made it available to download from my website), but I sent the printed copies (2 copies) via FedEx, next day.

Just add it into your fee or add it on for those who need it if not many needed it (I simply had it added in, needed or not, the fee was added into the inspection cost).

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

If you teach your buyers and agents one way they will do it that way.

I email only. I dont print any thing. If they don't have email i will send it to Escrow or the agent. They need the info in the report now not next week. if i email it today what good is a report they will get by mail 2 days later.

If you email it to them they now have power over the report and can post it on a website. send it to others or review it any time they want.

What i would print out and send by snail mail is the same thing i email them and they can print it out.

Best

Ron

I stopped printing normal home inspection reports about seven years ago! The first few years, I had to still print a few but as time went on it became less and less. I now charge an additional $10 if they want a hard copy and $25 to FedEx. For a CD copy, I don't charge anything other than a mailing/service fee.

I don't advertise my fee for printing, and I really don't recall the last time a client even asked for a hard copy. I have had a couple of agents ask for a hard copy because they did not know how to print from the PDF. They were also too cheap to pay the $10 and found someone in their office to print it for them.

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Scott Patterson
Spring Hill, TN
http://www.traceinspections.com

Depending on somebody's printer, they may not be able to print PDF files. If the printer is older and has out of date print drivers that cannot be updated, the only soultion is a new printer........or asking somebody else to print it for them. I had a 5 year old Compaq printer that would not print out PDF files so I had to upgrade to something new that would.

You most likely had something else going on, PDF Files have been around much longer than five years. I still daily use an HP G85 All-In-One printer purchased in 1999.

All Reports are Printed On-Site and Emailed to Client.

For clients that can not stay or do not attend the inspection, the report is emailed along with a hard copy sent via USPS Priority Mail.

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Joseph P. Hagarty
Main Line Inspections, Inc.
http://www.householdinspector.com

Hard copy and ! emailed copy???? If the client wants me to email it to them they are not getting a hard copy as well.

Sometimes they wants me to email it to a few places and or print them a few copies. I tell them very politely that I will email them and then they can do with it as they wish.

Just me

Ted

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Ted Menelly
"Castle"
Home Inspection Services

I don't even e-mail the report.
I e-mail the client a URL where they can retrieve the report after I upload it to my web site server.

For instance;

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Thank you for ... etc.. etc..
Your Home Inspection Report is available for viewing and printing at
www.home2spec.com/Smith
(doesn't exist)
Your report will be available at the above mentioned URL for the next 30 days.
If you have any Questions feel free to call me @ xxx-xxxx

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Critical Home Inspection Services
www.Home2Spec.com

Just curious. Is it not just as easy to email to the client and Realtor as it is to upload to your site. I know folks that do that as well. Creating a file, uploading the report to it. I just turn my report into a PDF and email it off. Maybe a few minutes of time at best.

Ted

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Ted Menelly
"Castle"
Home Inspection Services

I email the reports too (PDF), but some of my clients need a hard copy report. Like Jerry P, its included in the cost of the inspection. I was just looking for the most cost effective way to mail or ship.

I used to always provide a mailed hard copy along with an emailed pdf. Sometimes I would have to fax, which usually didn't work well. I always thought it was a good customer courtesy to provide a hard copy. Many clients wanted one. Overtime people want a hard copy less and less. I always email and will provide a hardcopy upon request. If I can mail regular I don't charge for it. If Fedex I charge cost. Often times though if their current residence isn't a drag to get to I will drop it off. "What? Is that guy crazy?"
I have ulterior motives! I get to hop on the bike and ride... any reason is a good one to me.

__________________
Accurate Inspections & Consulting, Inc.
847/736-9975
Markus Keller

Ted,

I also made my reports down loadable from my site.

However, I did it for a different reason. My .pdf files were frequently 15-18 MB in size, and few people could accept an e-mail that large.

I e-mailed the ones I could, made them all available from my web site for downloading (whomever the client gave their username and password to could download and print their own copy), and even printed hard copies for my new construction/warranty inspections (which was most of my business).

Instead of taking the attitude of *I don't friggin' do that*, take the attitude of *sure, ma'am, I do that out of courtesy for my clients* ... of course, though, you will be compensated for it, because you can charge more.

One way to have to keep your prices low is to refuse to step up to the plate and actually do something extra for your clients. Pretty soon it becomes ... 'You really need to use Ted, he does this, and this, and this, and this, and he only charge a little bit more - but he sure is worth it.'

Try it, you'll like it.

__________________
Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

I guess I should not use the word never or the like. I do (rarely) mail a report off. I do print a report on site if I finish it and will hand them their copy. No, I am not an insufferable p---k. I guess I was trying to make the point that some folks just want it all and expect it. I accomodate some and do charge extra on occasions depending on the circumstances.

As in your case Mr Jerry, I have never had a 1000 page report with 300 photos. Most can be optimised down to a meg or even less. I guess when I take the Jerry course of inspection and start doing 3 day 15,000 sf homes I will have to go another route. The closest I got to that point was almost doing a 22000 sf government seizure for an investor.

Again excuse my bluntness about never , or wouldn't. That is obviously not true. Just simpler to make a point I guess.

Oh yeah, my clients love my little miserable a-s

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Ted Menelly
"Castle"
Home Inspection Services

Forgot to add a bunch of

There was no sarcasm intended.

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Ted Menelly
"Castle"
Home Inspection Services

I got that.

But, if you were to

You would still be short changing your clients ... those should take a lot longer than 3 days.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

When I did on site hard copy reports (seems like a lifetime ago) I would sometimes mail them. I used USPS Priority mail unless they needed it next day, then I used FedEX. I would sometimes hand deliver them, or drop them off at my bank (I have a great relationship with my bank) so they could come by and pick them up.

When I started using a computer based reporting system I printed out the report on site, put it in a binder and handed it to them. I would print extras for the agent if my client requested. I also would burn a c/d if they wanted.

Then I figured out how to upload them to a web site (I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes) and life changed.

An odd thing happened one day that also was a head slap moment. MY printer broke during the printing, and all of a sudden, downloading the report was NOT so hard, and the NEED to have that hard copy in hand was NOT all that important either. A light went off.

I started handing my clients my card with the download information and their password on it explaining how the report would be available for download and also making sure they DID have a computer, or access to one, and also making sure they had a high speed connection. I told them I could also burn them a c/d too if they had dial-up.

In the rare case where they don't have a computer, 99% of the time their Realtor pipes up with "I can print it out for you back at the office".

IN a few cases I print it out at home and mail it to them, or drop it off, or they pick it up at my bank.

I really expected an uproar when I quit printing on site. When a Realtor started in, all I would say is, "My printer broke yesterday, sorry....but, I can do this for you....". They seemed to get over it quickly.

Now, what do I do with the 50 or so binders in my garage? I guess when school starts up I can donate them.

In the past year I have mailed a few c/d's, and just a couple printed reports. I use regular mail or Priority mail flat rate envelopes.