What’s the top home inspection software?
For home inspectors, using a software that’s fast, easy to use, and reliable is hugely important. And the smart ones know that their clients’ experience with the software is equally important.
Home inspectors need two basic things from their software: They need a software they can rely on to complete their report quickly and reliably, and, a software that will produce a clear, attractive, and well-formatted report for their client. They want to save themselves time and headaches, while impressing and informing their clients. Further, there are several features that are helpful and useful for the business side, like payment processing & invoicing, automation & scheduling, and customization & photo editing. Often, inspectors that put price before quality will have to risk potentially dealing with a second-rate product.
We’ve test-driven and reviewed several softwares and present you with a ranking of the best home inspection softwares available.
Best Home Inspection Softwares
Top 6 Softwares for Home Inspectors
Spectora
Easy to use; Attractive, colourful design; Loaded with features; Popular software with a large community of users; Excellent support; New version coming early 2022; Expensive; $99/month
Tap Inspect
Easy to use; Nice, user-friendly interface; Unfortunately not available with Android, only works with iPad & iPhone; Expensive; $90/month
Scribeware
Newer software gaining popularity; Clean, attractive design; Great technical support; Very user-friendly interface; Expensive; $99/month
HomeGauge
Good design; Good reputation and history; Clients must create an account to view report; Seems like lots of inspectors are jumping ship (away from HomeGauge); $69/month
Eneris
Clean but basic looking interface; Attractive layout; Canadian company; Relatively unknown, newer platform providing great value; Can they keep innovating enough to increase traction? $35/month
Horizon
Longstanding, trusted software; Includes bonus Carson Dunlop images; Outdated design and UX; Convoluted interface; Popular software with a large community of users; Can’t publish report from smartphone; Good customer support; Update coming in 2022; $79/month
Other home inspection softwares (not tested):
EZ Home - $20/month
Palm-Tech - $50/month
Spectacular - $60/month
Home Inspector Pro - $74/month
*All above prices per month, in USD, when billed monthly. Many software companies offer discounts with annual subscription, and many have special offers for new customers.
What does it all mean?
All home inspector softwares perform the same basic function (producing a report from inputted data) and many of them have similar features. What are the differences?
For most inspectors, the choice of which software they choose to do their work simply comes down to what they’re used to. Often they get a recommendation from a peer. When inspectors start using a new software there’s a learning curve, but once they get used to it they start to get more comfortable and for the most part they wind up sticking with it. Though there are definitely some inspectors that switch softwares, the majority of home inspectors find it easier to work around the quirks or problems of their software that to download a completely new software and build their templates from the ground up. Remember, not everyone is tech-savvy, and not everyone enjoys learning the minutiae about a new platform.
Read up on inspection software. Ask your peers. And keep in mind when you ask an inspector if they like their software, you’ll probably get a resounding “yes”. Why wouldn’t they say yes? If they didn’t like their software, they wouldn’t reasonably be using it! Ask them what they like about their software. How do they use their software? Do they use all its features? Ask them how many softwares they tried before settling on their current software. Did they just take their friend’s or their instructor’s recommendation? Did they do hours of research? Did they sample and try several?
Currently, our favourite software is Spectora and it’s the one our inspectors use because it makes our job easier and our employees, clients, and agents love it. We’re looking forward to the new build and new features coming soon!
