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It's a great day here in Northern Utah. This past week was a slow one. The market has really slowed down for the Agents in our area. Lenders are also struggling. As I was taking advantage of the "hit and miss" inspection schedule, Shelly brought to my attention that we are still ahead of last year's figures and that November is traditionally our slowest month of the year.
I did have the opportunity to help Bill Schwahn from Montana get set up with his 3D Inspection software. Bill needs every bit of timesaving help he can get to keep up with his rigorous schedule. Not only does he have to drive great distances to satisfy his clientele, but he also is developing the reputation for being THE INSPECTOR for the entire state. I haven't been to Montana in a while, but as I remember it there were only 2,000 people in the entire State. =:>
Bill was gearing up for a day earlier this week where he had a duplex in the morning and a 6-plex in the afternoon. If you are not computerized, the time spent compiling the information after you leave the site can be overwhelming. Once Bill gets the hang of the 3D system, these types of inspections will become easy to perform, document and print out. Congratulations Bill...... Your marketing efforts are paying off!!!
AII ™
PRESIDENT'S REPORTIt's been a week since the Annual Meeting took place in Las Vegas. It's been a week of catch-up, as well as reflection and planning. A brief report, to be expanded on in later issues as space permits:
The meeting was a great success on
a few levels, a disappointment on others. I think all of us that
were there would agree that there was a charge in the air about
our Association. As we held this meeting in conjunction with a
Home Inspection Association based in the midwest, there were a
lot of inspectors from all around the country. I think AII™
had
members from seven different states represented. It was interesting
to see how AII™ inspectors were constantly seen clustering
in the hallway, gathering around tables in empty rooms, sitting
together at meals, and generally hanging out together in groups.
I know that it made an impression on the rest of the people at
this conference, most of whom were
"clustered" in ones and twos. It was clear that the
AII™ people genuinely enjoy each other. Scott DeWitz and
I later joked about changing the name of the association to A.B.I.
= American Brotherhood of Inspectors.
We held an open meeting on the Friday
of the conference to air out our questions and concerns and hopes
for the direction of our Association. It was well attended, with
everyone present contributing. As you would expect from a roomful
of inspectors, there were a great many "conditions"
observed, and areas were identified that are "not functioning
properly".
The issues of "Serviceability and Durability" were the
primary focus. The interesting thing here was that instead of
stopping at identifying conditions, we had to step out from under
our "umbrella of protection" as a group and prescribe
what action to take to remedy the conditions. Opinions are strong
when you get a bunch of us together, and every one of us is used
to having our opinion listened to without question in our daily
work.
The round table discussion began with identifying goals and objectives for improving the Association. We moved from an outpouring of general ideas and gradually narrowed down to the things that will be acted upon first.
Number one was the recognition that we have not been able to promote ourselves successfully as an association of professionals when the phone doesn't get answered consistently, there are no up to date promotional materials to send out to people inquiring about us, and our public presence is subdued.
There is no way that we can ask someone within the association to take that on, and our Executive Director position is not defined clearly enough to take on some of the necessary tasks. Some of the things that need doing cannot even be identified by us because none of us have ever had that job description. Just as we encourage people to hire a professional when it comes to inspecting a home, we have recognized that the Executive Director task is asking for something that none of us is trained in. It was acknowledged that most other successful associations put the responsibilities of nurturing and growing in the hands of a person trained in that. So a Committee of Two was formed, (Brent Foster and myself), to pursue the concept of hiring an Association Manager for the short run, either on payroll or as a consultant.
That person's job would include the obvious such as the phone and mailing issues, but would also help us with the broader issues of what steps to take and in what order and with what resources and on what timetable, etc., with the objective of raising revenue for our non-profit association, attracting new membership, and organizing our next conference.
Brent and I have a self-imposed deadline of December 15 to report our progress on this issue. You will hear more of it soon. If you have ideas on this subject, please email me AND Brent as soon as possible.
There were other valuable discussions and topics, but those will be reported later. That's all for now - Scott Merritt
INSPECTION
SOFTWARE FEEDBACKScott Merritt sent back the following feedback from last week's MMM that dealt with the 3D software and hardware improvements......
HELLO MICHAEL:
Thank you for coming to the conference, especially for the things you have to say about the direction of this group. It never happened where I was able to pigeonhole you and pick your brain without an audience, which I regret.
I just read your MMM. So just how much does 3D pay you? Truth is, I spent over two hours talking with Carl Fowler from 3D and getting excited about that program. I went up to my room to get a check and returned to a crowd at the booth. I wandered over to the ITA booth and spent another two hours with Sterling Smiddy and his efforts. I ended up writing him the check Friday.
I don't think you can go wrong with either system.
What sold me on the Inspectrix system were the following, in no particular order:
I was just very pleased to see the number of options that are now available. I was fretting that my Newton-based RAL report would have to continue to satisfy me for another six months until the next great thing came along, but now I am ready and eager to make the switch because either of these systems is so promising. Although I am intimidated by the amount of time it may take me to get the system up and running the way I'd like. The 3D system appealed greatly because I figured I could have leaned on you for help!
Do you know of anyone we might ask to give an overview, unbiased, at our Spring get together, who might know most of the hardware and software options?
My week is a killer, essentially doing the inspections I missed last week on top of my normal schedule, followed by a school festival all day Saturday. It sounds like a Leavitt Schedule. Bye for now, Scott Merritt
Scott's e-mail brings up some interesting points. I responded to him with the following.......
Scott:
Thanks for the kind words...
As to the question.... "So just how much does 3D pay you?"
Nothing!!! I believe that you are kidding, but just in case you are serious... My efforts with 3D were strictly to create my own inspecting solution because our Association did not offer one. After creating my own computerized report which followed the AII™ style, I then started to share it with others. I don't look to make my living off of form design. I have helped other members of the Association with 3D because I believe in the product and have found success using it. My fortune is being made inspecting... I have no desire to make a living off of other Inspectors.
As to which software system to use, Support will be the key. I hope that you can find someone close by to turn to when you struggle to figure it out. The learning curve is always difficult with any software. Most Inspectors learn 10% of a software's power and then never pursue the remaining 90%.
As to the issue of whether "ITA will have a voice command recognition that will take you to any field within the report without any keystrokes by next October"..... Don't believe it. The voice recognition capabilities are on the market now, but the limitations are endless. In the perfect setting (no noise in the background, mouth very close to the microphone, etc.), voice recognition works very well. I, too, see the day of this miracle. I have a wonderful voice recognition program right now, but it requires a perfectly positioned microphone in a room without any background noises. I am skeptical about "next year" promises from anybody. Don't hold your breath for next October. If they were that close to discovering it, they would promise to deliver in the next couple of months. They must be waiting for the next generation of systems that have yet to be created.
Then there is the dream of having a "wireless voice recognition, so you can theoretically leave your computer in your vehicle and talk your way through a complete report, as crazy as that sounds."..... This is not crazy at all. The wireless set-up is already on the market... The perfect environment is not... Sterling is expressing a view into the future that we all share. This has nothing to do with his current software program. I shared with the MMM readers a year and a half ago my adventures with voice recognition software..... When the next generation arrives we will ALL have it. This is a hardware issue and not a software issue, and certainly not exclusive to ITA's inspection software.
Regarding your new choice of
hardware.... "The device I am getting
through ITA is a full-on computer weighing 2 pounds, (about the
size of the HP Jornada device), but with full Windows, not just
Windows CE, and easy enough to slip into a holster like I presently
do with my Newton."... I love the machine that ITA
is selling. I wish that it had been available 2 years ago at the
same $1,100 price. If it had then I would already own one instead
of my current large laptop. 3D would also run really great on
the hardware you purchased. I think that the 2 pound machine is
still too big to lug around, yet a wonderful machine. It will
run any of the current computer softwares out there. It sounds
as though Sterling was saying that the Windows CE version was
somehow a "lesser-desired" software instead of the much
anticipated software program that it really is. The challenge
is that regular programs will not run on Windows CE unless they
are re-programmed.
When I compare
the large, 2 lb. full-size pen-driven and keyboard machine that
you are discussing with the 9 ounce Cassiopeia-- in my opinion,
there is no comparison. 9 ounces verses 32+ ounces. The new 3D
software will run on units as light as 4.5 ounces. The real key
difference is that ITA does not offer a CE companion software
to their full Windows 98 software....... This is the big limitation.
No matter how much they want to gloss over this point, it is the
major limiting factor of which I am glad 3D has overcome. Finally
the option to carry a device in your shirt pocket to capture the
inspection information.
I was saddened to here the following deciding factor in your purchase decision for the ITA system...... "The kicker for me is that there is a database business package that includes a whole bunch of stuff, including form letters, scheduling, invoicing, contact managing, and other features all in a single program that you can jump to from the main menu."...... All of that is part of 3D too. It is part of their full office system. The free demo disks that 3D gave away at the conference only have the Report Writer and the Word Processor, but I have been taking advantage of the Database and auto document merging for over a year now. It makes the compilation of new home Punch Lists and Report Summary a breeze.
I also recommend that you see if ITA has a training course to familiarize you with the full power of the system. It can be a slow process to develop and integrate each new step of any inspection software because there are so many great features. Find some others who use it so that you can turn to them as a resource. It will help you greatly.
I applaud your reasoning...... "It was also a consideration for me that ITA is the oldest and largest inspection training company, they are heavily involved in CREIA, most familiar with the California inspection, and it's not a bad bunch to get to know." No question... Good call.
Now, regarding the market saturation of a particular software.... "No one else in my area is using this system, and there is an appeal to being the first to present something new and beneficial to my local market, as I did when I began with the Newton a few years back." One good aspect of the 3D system is that you can change the printout appearance to your liking. That makes 2 different inspectors in the same area have two completely different looking reports. The same is probably true of ITA. If not, then you run the risk of another local inspector issuing a mirror image of your report. This may not be a good thing if the other Inspector is a greenie, yet looks equal to you.
As to my ability to help you with your software transition... "Although I am intimidated by the amount of time it may take me to get the system up and running the way I'd like. The 3D system appealed greatly because I figured I could have leaned on you for help! I would have loved to help. The only person I know running ITA is Richard Grisham.
You have inquired if I...... "know
of anyone we might ask to give an overview, unbiased, at our Spring
get together, who might know most of the hardware and software
options?" Every computer literate Inspector has bias.
Every rep will push his own product and agenda. I personally have
no axe to grind or buck to make. I have offered my help to AII™
members as a payback to the group that helped my success. The
forms I offer to the members run $205. 
This
covers the long distance phone calls and the numerous hours that
I get called upon to help them get up and running. The only benefit
that I get from 3D is that I am included in as a Beta tester.
This allows for my input on software design to be implemented.
I was able to give them valuable AII™ feedback on the CE
version so that our reporting format would be compatible as they
added the needed features. This is why I paid such close attention
to the AII™ members comments in Las Vegas as they held the
little machine. I passed each comment along to the 3D programmer.
I hope that you can get to know some people like me who specialize in the ITA software to help ease your integration. Michael
COMPUTER
DREAM REVISITED
Since receiving Scott's
e-mail earlier this week it has caused me great reflection as
to my motives, dreams and desires for computerization and AII™.
Four years ago we attended the AII™ Annual meeting when Bill
Ball stood up and pulled from his hip holster a strange new device
called a Newton. He said that the day would come that we could
perform AII™ quality inspection reports on handheld devices.
Everybody "ooohed" and "aaaahed" at the thought.
Brent Foster and I kicked around the idea and then began to beat the bushes. We both approached programmers and inquired as to how much it would be to have the AII™ checklist computerized for use on the Newton. The bids were open-ended on the astronomical end of the scale. Each programmer saw dollar signs as they dreamed of the "Per Inspection Software." In other words, we would pay them a fee for each inspection performed.
Brent and I shared our findings with many of the Association's members and only a handful were able to conceive the idea of a computerized inspection report. Most couldn't get over the fact that they would have to trade in their supply of pencils and erasers for a high tech computer input device. The bottom line is that we could not drum up the funds for the venture. Nor could Brent and I justify to our wives the great expense on the whim that other members would pay their fair share when the product was finished..... I did run it by my wife, but that is where it ended.
Brent went on to purchase the RAL system on the Newton, only to later switch to Borealis. Brent will be the first to tell you that each software has its own limitations and reporting style. He didn't want to do any forms creation, but was willing to modify his style to the confines of the very limited RAL system. RAL was one of the companies that refused my pleas to modify their reporting format to allow me to document individual room findings. The owner/programmer of RAL told me that if I didn't like their reporting format, then I had better look elsewhere...... So onward I searched.
Others in the Association, like Scott Merritt, Mark Van Buskirk and Jim Corbin, also jumped on the Newton bandwagon in the RAL or Borealis formats. Still others, like Dan Back and Jon Gudnason, opted for Inspectech franchise software. I was directed to 3D software by Rick DeBoard who was already a 3D user. I had already been doing my homework on other softwares out there including ITA's. Each left me with the same distaste in my mouth..... "Jump into our basically fixed reporting format and all is well. Of course you can add your own comments, but a complete overall re-formatting of the report layout is out of the question."
There was still the dream that an AII™ Certified Trainer could stand before a group of new Inspectors and say..... "You can start off with the 14-page handwritten checklist w/narrative, but you will very soon want to transition into the computerized AII™ version." I couldn't find anyone willing to accept the challenge so I went out determined to make it a reality on my own. I figured that I could do it for myself first and then offer it to others if I came up with a product that was a viable solution.
My wife will never let me live down the next step towards an AII™ report form. I did not yet own a Newton, but I spent $95 dollars (which we didn't have) for a forms software called Power Forms. It was billed as the developer's software for the Newton. I also spent another $35 (which we didn't have either) for the Apple guidebook for programming the Newton. This was like buying a cup holder and a repair manual for the new Lamborghini that I will one day get. I had convinced myself that I could program our report on my Macintosh for the Newton. I still think that I could have done it......... Always the visionary optimist! The biggest challenge that I could see was that the Newton hardware was obsoleting itself every 4 months. That meant that if you bought one it would be as valuable as an old brick doorstop 4 months later.
This brief history
hopefully sets the stage for my latching onto the 3D Inspection
System once I encountered it. Their software allowed me to completely
start from scratch and build a computerized report in the AII™
style. It took months of constant work to perfect and learn the
3D software program (we couldn't afford official training). While
it was true that I could not use a handheld computer to capture
the inspection data, I was able to use the laptop technology.
I have been searching for a pen-driven, full running Windows system
with a reasonable price tag for 3 years. Now the full Windows
pen-driven units are reasonably priced and the handheld technology
is a reality....... The dream is being fulfilled as we speak.
My concern this past week has been the appearance of my financial gain in the 3D software to the AII™ membership. I view the 3D software running my AII™ form sets as being OUR Association software. It is what we were seeking 4 years ago but was unavailable in the software marketplace. Once the bugs are worked out of the 3D CE version in the next month or so, I can vividly see Ron Cloyd standing before his Inspection trainees sporting a full color Casio 32 meg Cassiopeia. And remember, Ron has been one of the last to express the desire to convert into the new computerized millennium that awaits us.
SOFTWARE
REVIEWSScott Merritt has expressed the need for more Inspector feedback on current Inspection softwares available in the marketplace. I have made several requests for test drive reviews from Inspectors currently using the various softwares, with little response. It would be helpful to share with us the hardware requirements and limitations, dollar investments, and software features and limitations. Please E-MAIL Us us your feedback.
LEANING
CHIMNEY
Dear
Michael: Hope you and Shelly got home safely and found your children
happy to see the both of you.
Here
are the pictures of the leaning chimney. They were in the newspaper
the following week with the long and very detailed story of who
did what to whom and why it is leaning.
Basically it is leaning because the foundation was not big enough and the landscaper possibly added to the "problem" by allowing the gutter drain pipe to drain next to the house and very close to the chimney. The landscaper also didn't do anyone any favors by allowing a negative grade condition in the same area.
It sure was nice to spend quality time with you and everyone else in Vegas.
Ron Cloyd - Klammath Falls, Oregon
QUOTABLE QUOTES: "What
separates ideas from reality is tenacity. The tenacity to hold
the vision and follow through and the ability to project the vision
into the minds and hearts of those around you. Enthusiasm is a
primary ingredient." Larry
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AII™
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