No matter how much experience you have, it is important to know how to create an inspection report. Either you are a novice to a home inspection or an experienced professional looking to improve on certain aspects. These seven best practices can help you improve the quality of your reports.

Start with a brief introduction.

You might want to, for example, explain:

• The purpose of this report
• What the report does and doesn’t cover
• Do you have any industry standards that you adhere to?
• Any handouts included in the report should be mentioned.
• What the client should do when they have questions (i.e. contact your office).

Include a brief executive summary. 

This section will give you a quick overview of your main findings and satisfy the client’s desire for the “important stuff”. It should list all components and systems that are not functioning as intended or which adversely affect the dwelling’s useability or require further investigation by a specialist.

You should include a disclaimer to instruct the client to read the entire report. This example would be: “The summary is intended to be an amenity. It should not replace the full report.” Before making any home inspection em> decisions, please read the entire report.

Read the content thoroughly.

A home inspection report of high quality is customized, detailed and covers all aspects of a residential property. This is far better than a generic inspection report with few checkmarks and bare comments.

The report document should include your observations about the visual condition in and around the home.

• The roof, including drainage systems (gutters and downspouts) and all roof penetrations. (chimneys, vents, skylights).
• The exterior of the dwelling – including wall-covering material, soffits and fascia, window/door exteriors flashing trim, porches, patios decks, balconies, carports
• Access points: driveways, walkways and gates, steps/stoops, ramps, handrails, and stoops.
• Landscaping Trees/shrubs/plants. Retaining walls, surface grading, drainage systems, and sprinkler system.
• Groundworks – foundation, basement, crawlspace
• Interior Floors, walls, ceilings and doors/windows. Steps, landings. Ramps. Railings. Guards. Handrails. Attic.
• Plumbing system: valves, water heating equipment, fixtures/faucets and toilets.
• Thermal envelope – insulation and ventilation
• Heating & cooling systems
• Chimneys and Fireplaces (visible/accessible parts, lintels over the fireplace openings), damper doors/frames or cleanout doors/frames
• Major integrated appliances
• Garage-door operation

The reports may include estimates for the useful life of various aspects of a house, such as the structure, roof and major equipment, as well as paints and finishes. This may increase your risk.

You can find more information on home inspection report contents at the International Association of Certified Home Inspector in Essex County or American Society of Home Inspectors websites.

For easy reading, format the content.

This can be achieved by using some common formatting techniques:

• Headings break down the content into helpful sections, with each section focusing on a specific topic.
• Bullet points are easier to digest than long paragraphs. They offer clear, concise information that is easy to understand.

Use your words to achieve clarity.

And this is how it works:

• Observe the property from every angle.
• When possible, use simple language and concise sentences.
• Make difficult technical issues understandable.
• Explain what you mean when you use technical terms or industry jargon.
• If you discover an issue, tell the client and explain its implications.
• Prioritize other issues, so you can communicate with your clients which matters require immediate attention and which are less urgent.
• Stick to the facts, don’t make assumptions.
• To catch any typos, check your spelling throughout the report.
• Include any descriptions that are required by your state.
• If you feel it will be useful, make sure that reference materials are easily accessible.