Discovery Pro

Yes I saw that--or I SEE THE SNAKE THAT ALMOST BIT ME!!!! HAHAHAH!! Long week this last week and I was playing catch up on a Sunday with more Inspections. SORRY but I just Plain Missed it or in other words i guess my mind was tired and needed confirmation from someone that was fresh. Thanks again guys and yes in TEXAS this is quite common to just use the heat strips--now if I live back in Nova Scotia- like i did 8 years ago then that would be different. But with the price of oil in Canada back then I might have wanted those Heat strips-[:-magnify. I was spending about $600-$800 just in oil to fill the tank every two weeks and that didnt include the electric run it. Let me tell you it gets aweful Cold to a Texan living in Canada. Thanks again DP

Yes I think your right....Actually the Thermostat was a rather old Circular DIAL TYPE thermostat.. Thanks for pointing the obvious out to me... This was the panel tag Image Insert: 52.54 KB Anyways I want to thank you for the pointer--I should have put 2 and 2 together to figure that one out. But I just wanted to be sure. Thanks again DP

Wow--I can't believe i am having a hard time trying to identify a Condenser. I guess this is really my weakest area. 1. I inspected a home today and in looking in the Condenser i could not locate the valve (identifying it as a heat pump). It looks like a normal AC electric condenser. The home is all electric -so wouldn't this unit have to be a heat pump? or can there be an electric condenser with an electric air handler with just heat strips? Sorry for the dumb questions but i dont think i have ever seen this yet. But there will be alot of things i will see with every inspection--i just want to get it right. Condenser: Rheem Model #RAFD 036JAS--3 ton i figured that out. [:-graduat Serial #4082 F3089 4286 -----MFD 08/89 Furnace: Payne Model #PF1MNC043 Serial # 3007A84915----must be an 2007 unit. Looks brand new too. Any help would be appreciated with Heat pump Vs. normal AC Thanks DP

Thank You Hausdok Now I can finish this report. DP

Hey guys Need a little help with the age of the condenser Heil model #HAC236AKA1 Furnace Model #NTC6075FBA2 Ser#L011978060 I think I have figured out the Furnace to be around 1997 and it is a 3 ton from the condenser. But I can't seem to place a year on that model # Any help I forgot to get the serial number from the Condenser if your wondering. Thanks DP PS--I went back to the house tonight and got the Ser# to the condenser #L011734754

Jon, You are correct---I took a course from AHIT in Arlington,Texas(BTW the new stadium looks Kick A**for the Cowboys) last august or july its been awhile I cant remember exactly when but yes they for sure push the idea of on site reporting as the niche to your success with other inspectors in your area. I mean why choose me? what is it that I can offer a client than what they are already getting from their(realtors) inspectors they have used for years. I and many others call this a unique selling point and one in which i think i will be able to accomplish. I am very competent with the computer and also have become more proficient in the use of whisper solutions new Reporter program[cause i couldn't wait on AHITs vista version of reportpro for texas(and yes i own that program as well)]. I know there are many that choose to do the report at home ---but when your away say 2-3 hours from your office I don't want to make the trip back just to hand deliver a report, snail mail it to them or email it to them. Even though i may know computers well when it comes to my client i think email would be the last choice of getting my client his report. It's just my personal opinion that I like the face to face and not the impersonal form of email, but thats just me and my own opinion, maybe some of the younger folk like the internet and the quick form of email but I would rather the old fashion form of the face to face and your done when you leave the site. But that is another topic in and of itself. I am not here to gloat on me trying to be the fastest of inspectors but there is time management that needs to be considered(looked at) and I am looking for the best and most efficient manner of doing it. I say get out there and know your client and what they want--I may have been in the medical field for the last 8 years but before that i was Sales Supervisor for a large beverage company i wont say which. I know i have what it takes to be there for my customer. I took the Texas Exam in March(1st time)--passed it with flying colors--I started really thinking about the format of delivery i wanted to use for reporting, how to set the business up and get it going. Get the webpage up and running, get all my ducks in a row before i see one realtor although i already know several. As of today i have done nothing but practice,practice, practice. I have not charged for one inspection as of this date. I am fortunate to have a wife that makes 6 figures and carrys the load for now. I respect this business for what it is and I will not do the injustice of charging my clients for an inspection until I am ready and able to present them with top notch work. This is not a business you just jump into and say this is what i will do this year. I want to be the best there is and I will accomplish that as long as i stay focused in on the big picture. I am not in this for the short haul, I am here to stay and help others someday with it as well. I am glad i have found a place like this with people who really do care about what they do. I have not been in this business long and have found out about inspectors doing $100 inspections and getting like 6-10 a day done because it only took them an hour to do it. Good for them...I don't want to be that $100 inspector--my time and effort are worth much more. Sorry for such a long post but just thought i would give a little history as to the reasons i am here and want to learn. I will make it someday but it takes perseverance and ongoing training to be the best. Thanks for all that have posted here and I hope you all are successful in all aspects of life. Have a wonderful day. Deals don't die, somebody kills them. DON'T BE SOMEBODY Bobby King Discovery Pro Home Inspections Abilene, Texas

Wow, good info guys and thanks for your inputs. I am glad to know its not just me that has taken longer than 3-4 hours to get through the home---I thought I was just being too detailed. and your right Randy--I sometimes find myself having ADD moments staring into floors and ceilings for sometimes over an hour and finding the same thing i saw only ten minutes into the assessment. Then thats when i almost become lost as to what to do next----uh now I'm behind and oh no I'm going to be late to my next appt.---and then i feel i am doing a disservice to the folks that are there for the first inspection of the day. This is what it feels like when your NEW--but I guess you already KNEW that..... Thanks again DP

Help Please from all you Veterans, I Dont know if this thread is in the right spot but I thought i would ask for some help here. 1. I currently live in Texas and follow the TREC guidelines for reporting although I currently give a much more thorough report than just the min. requirement set forth by the state. 2. I am using the SW Whisper Reporter which i think is a great and wonderful tool for on site reporting. I am giving the report on site and in the hands of the customer at time of inspection. 3. I am NEW to the field and seem lost everytime i walk up to a house. Almost likes its just overwhelming. I have tried to come up with different methods or processes in which i try to follow and write on scratch paper(report) until i am finished with the whole house(including all photos)---Then turn around and try and transfer all that information again onto the SW report. Problem---It is taking about 4-6 hours in doing this and I know I owe alot of this time to being a greenhorn in the field and need practice. LOTS of PRACTICE...I know..... The reason i am posting is this...I want to know from the veterans or others that have found a way to cut time management down to 2-3 hours. If someone could please post information that could help a rookie out without actually riding along would be great...the ride alongs seem to be far and few between because most of the inspectors know i am the competition and they don't really want me along for the Learning Curve unless i am from out of town. Any thoughts? should i just try the inspection with camera only? should i not be using scratch paper reports and try and go back and forth between computer and home? HELP would surely be appreciated and any thoughts I would entertain. Thanks in advance DP