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MONDAY MORNING MESSENGER

Message Prepared For Home Inspectors and Especially for Members of the

American Institute of Inspectors®

November 15, 1999

GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I.™

It's a great day here in Northern Utah. We made it home safely from a great social gathering. There were so many adventures that took place this past week in Las Vegas at the Annual Meeting that it was hard to keep track of them. The first and foremost memory was Friday night's dinner menu at the Rosewood Grille. Who would of thought that I would ever be part of eating a 9.5 pound Maine lobster???

That's right! A 9.5 pound Maine lobster to be shared by Jon Gudnason, Ron Cloyd and myself. Brent Foster had his own 3 pound lobster to partake of. I don't know if common sense totally went out the window, but that one lobster came to $199.50 divided by three of us.

Common sense was really missing when the lobster meat was gone and one particularly hungry member of the threesome ate the eyeballs...... That's right, the lobster eyeballs. When the waiter found out about it he, at first he couldn't believe it but then he brought out a plate with eight more eyeballs and another dish of melted butter. These were also gobbled up with the justification that every extra eyeball ingested helps to broaden the Inspector's vision in this profession. =:->

COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE

One of the highlights of this year's conference was the Venders area. Since the conference was combined with an Appraisers group and another Home Inspectors group, there was quite a large number of vendors. This allowed for a side by side comparison of several software and hardware solutions. Most of you know that I have quite a bias towards the 3D Inspection software system because of my 3+ years both using and developing inspection software forms. 3D was not the only computer-related vendor in attendance.

FieldDesk Inc. from Texas showed off their form and they have quite a bit of time invested. Coming from Texas, they have specialized first in the Texas inspection form, and then in the normal inspection form. I was not as enthused about their software as I was their choice of computer software. They use the HP Jornada that is just a little larger than a checkbook. When the lid is raised it reveals the screen and the keyboard. The machine runs about $899 and operates with the Windows CE operating system. Inspectors looking to have a wider screen and a keyboard along with the pen driven feature should definitely consider the HP Jornada.

ITA from Oceanside, California was there with their Inspectrix software. Many people like the Inspectrix because of its apparent user friendly software that will produce either a checklist or a narrative format. It is loaded with Windows and Mac type icons and looks very sharp. The ability to modify and change the reporting format to more closely identify the AII™ reporting style is unknown. Richard Grisham has used this system the longest, but mainly uses it for the summary portion of his report. He issues a handwritten checklist onsite and then follows up with a computerized summary with digital pictures. ITA wa showing off a small $1,100 sub-computer with a pen touch screen. If this piece of hardware had been available a year ago I would have immediately taken advantage of it.

APPRAISERS... WATCH OUT!!!

Several Appraisal software companies were also touting product that would take care of the Appraisal, 203K and yes, of course, the home inspection too. Afterall, with the new FHA changes any Appraiser must also have the skill to do everything the Home Inspectors do. We all know that this is a joke, but it should send out a huge Red Flag to all of those Inspectors who currently handwrite their forms. If an Appraiser with no real training can now publish a computer generated Home Inspection report then they will appear to be more qualified than the Home Inspector that has many years of experience.

You may not agree with me, but I would watch out.....The temptation to take the FHA Appraisal fee and the Home Inspection fee is going to be too overwhelming for some Appraisers to resist. It doesn't really matter how accurate the Appraiser's Home Inspection report is.....Banks and clients love computer quality reports. Besides, do you want to be the one to introduce computer generated reports to your marketplace or do you want it to be the Appraiser??? The Appraisers are already computer literate. They own the hardware, including digital cameras. The software is available. The only thing lacking is the Inspection skills. Every Appraisal conference they have attended in the last couple of years has urged them to learn how to be Home Inspectors. I once again make the plea to the Association members to get computerized before the world and marketplace pass you by. Unless you are planning to retire or change careers, the writing is on the wall....Get computerized now!!!

I mentioned above that it doesn't matter how good the Appraiser's Inspection Report is...this may have left myself wide open for misinterpretation. I think that Appraisers are going to have to learn quick before they get too many lawsuits from incompetence. The truth of the matter is that the Appraisers are already in tight with the lending institutions. If they tell the lender...."The home also needs to be inspected and I can do that for much less than the Home Inspector," the lender may decide it is easier to use them. Don't let that happen....Get out there and market your credentials to the lenders right now.

I would also recommend that you market your services to the Appraisers. Stress the high liabilities and the repercussions of errors and omissions in a home inspection report. This may keep the Appraisers in their own profession and will most likely get their referral to you. This is not meant to knock the dual professionals out there who are both Inspector/Appraiser like Clay Higgins. Instead, it is to discourage Appraisers from inspecting without credentials and insurances. Inspector/Appraisers like Clay are an asset to both professions.

WINDOWS CE

The most exciting item in the Vendor's area for me was the small, little Windows CE running machine at the 3D Inspection software booth. AII™ members know why I was so excited. Afterall, I have been waiting for over two years for a version of 3D software that would operate on the micro version of the popular Windows operating system. Carl Fowler from 3D let me know via e-mail that he would be bringing a palmtop unit with an operating home inspection form installed.

Those of you who did not get to see the unit are probably at a loss for what I am referring to. Palmtops are the little pocket organizers that you can see at every office supply or computer store. The pocket organizers are not powerful enough for computing, but they now have more powerful units that run Windows CE that can perform many computing tasks.

My dream has always been to have a small screen that can capture the inspection data via a pen, checking off boxes. The handheld device could then be connected to either a desktop or a laptop and have the data transmitted to the full scale computer for printing or e-mailing. The limitation has been the software that would run on the Windows CE platform. There have been numerous inspection-specific softwares that would run on a full Windows system, but very few that would run on Windows CE. Those that did were very limited in their ability to be modified to a traditional AII™ inspection style.

I can remember talking with the RAL owner/programmer a year ago at another conference. He told me that I could either climb into his expensive system with the limited non-changeable format or I could take a hike...... I kept walking. My reason for sticking with 3D has been their original philosophy that every Inspector should be able to have complete freedom of how they wanted to modify their report form. I liked the philosophy when I originally heard it and three years later, I still appreciate that the philosophy of form modification is a reality.

PLEASE NOTE: 3D's new CE version of their popular software will operate on any of the CE compatible hardware. Unlike other CE inspection softwares that are formatted for a particular screen or CE unit, 3D is being designed to operate on any CE machine.

For the first two days of this year's Annual Meeting, it was impossible to get your hands on the 3D prototype is you were not an AII™ member. We had groups of 15 to 20 people oogling the machine at one time. It was like a new baby being seen by the extended family for the first time. The moment it left one persons hands it was into another's hands. There was definitely a buzz in the air, originating with my enthusiasm. Many comments could easily be overheard.....

Does the thing really work?
Can you really use this for an inspection?
It is so unbelievably small!
It is too small!
If this thing works, then I am ready to computerize.
This machine is too small, I like the other hardware over at the other booth.
How do I get the information from that little thing and into my bigger machine.
You mean I can tap in all of the information and then speak the detailed comments into the built-in recording system to be keystroked in later?
How much more is the CE version of 3D going to be?

All of these are valid questions and observations. Let's break them down....

Does the thing really work? The unit did work. It was loaded onto a Compaq unit that runs about $499. The unit has a color screen that unfortunately performs very poorly in the daylight since the screen tends to wash out. Indoors, however, it was great. The CE version of 3D was just completed the day before the conference and a lot of features still need to be programmed. What we got was a sneak preview and not really viewable to the general public. Carl Fowler agreed to bring it because of my insistant nagging...... It paid off!!!
Can you really use this for an inspection? YES!!! It is designed to be an accessory to the full running laptop or home-based computer. It is not designed to be a fully stand-alone computer solution.
It is so unbelievably small! I originally fell in love with the Newton years ago, but it is now a dead hardware. It weighed about a pound and was probably 11" x 6" and about an inch thick. The Compaq Aero that we held in Las Vegas weighed only 10.92 ounces and measured a compact 5.27" x 3.34" x 7.8". It had a 2.4" wide by 3.2" tall viewable area, 64K color high resolution, TFT display with a .24 mm dot pixel pitch. It currently runs $499 and, in my opinion, will be outdated in 6 months. In fact, a year from now we will laugh at the hardware that can be purchased today.

Knowing this I have done some research and found a unit made by Compaq that is only $299. It has a grayscale screen that is visible outside and I think that it will be a low dollar acceptable option. Future improvements in this type hardware will include extended battery life, increased memory, and better outside screens. The $299 model is fast enough and has enough RAM to operate the 3D system. I think that it is a great option that will be easy to dispose of as the higher powered units are continually being newly released.

For those of you that have more expensive tastes, I have found the Casio E-105 that has a remarkable color screen. It runs $599 for the 32 meg model and only $499 for the 16 meg model. This is currently the best (IMHO) color model available yet it too will probably be quickly outdated by bigger, faster, brighter models.

It is too small! I never thought that I would hear Inspectors complaining about the computer being too small, but some did. Those that have been using Newtons want an exact Newton replacement. Those that have never used a Newton tend to love the vision of using a Palmtop model. If your vision is struggling, then look for a larger unit.
If this thing works, then I am ready to computerize. It worked at the convention, but it is about 2 months from being offered to the retail market. At that point even Ron Cloyd will start to produce computerized reports. His trainings that previously required a healthy supply of pencils and erasers to become a Home Inspector will now instruct the Inspectors how to keep track of their computer's data entry stylus. As for the 3D CE development, I will receive a Beta version in about a week and field test the software seeking for needed improvements and identifying software glitches. Am I excited..... YES!!!
This machine is too small, I like the other hardware over at the other booth. Here is the great news.... Any CE hardware should be able to run the software. If the Inspector liked the HP Jornada that Field Desk was using, then buy the wider screened and larger Jornada. There are any of 30 different CE running computers available running from $299 to $6,000. My feeling is that it is an ever improving market and that current units will quickly be outdated.
How do I get the information from that little thing and into my bigger machine. The unit that we held had a cradle base that connected to the desktop or laptop with a simple serial cable. The larger computer had a synchronizing program that quickly took the information from the little palmtop and put it into the full-sized version of 3D on the laptop. From there the report was easy to modify, add text or import graphics. I thought that it would be a very complicated process, but it was quick, easy and painless.
You mean I can tap in all of the information and then speak the detailed comments into the built-in recording system to be keystroked in later? For somebody like Scott DeWitz it is a perfect solution. Scott currently gets all of his inspection information on the 14-page handwritten form as well as dictation of exterior conditions into a tape recorder. He then takes them to his wife who then inputs the info into the computer. With the 3D CE software, Scott will be able to tap the data into the handheld computer and record his comments in the built-in voice recorder. He can then give the machine to his wife to upload into her computer. All of the information that she has manually inputted will already be in the computer. She can then keystroke the verbal recordings, import any graphics and then print it out potentially saving several man hours each week.
How much more is the CE version of 3D going to be? Carl Fowler said that the CE 3D add-on to the base system will be $149. Let's see...... $149 for the software and $299 for the hardware. That is a $448 investment that allows you to walk around doing inspections with a little handheld computer inputting all the inspection information that you need. This is not a stand-alone option, but an addition to the 3D system. Without the full 3D system this will not work! For more information on the complete 3D system and what it will set you back, contact 3D directly at www.3Dinspection.com.

AII ™ ANNUAL MEETING

I'm out of time for this edition and have tons of information to share about the Annual Meeting and the socializing and knowledge that was gained. Tune in next week for more reasons why you should be kicking yourself if you did not attend.