What to Say—And How to Say It

A guide to better communication with potential homebuyers and agents

March 1, 2022

It can be hard to say what you mean. Even harder still to confirm whether the person you’re talking to understands what you say.

How do you, the professional home inspector, communicate to your clients? How do you explain defects in a house in layperson’s terms, for example, or set expectations before a home inspection ever begins?

I talked to Todd Thuss of Integra Inspection Services (integrainspect.com) about what he’s learned in his first few years as a professional home inspector—from being a better writer than talker to striking a balance between being helpful and overexplaining. Thuss’ inspection business covers parts of Alabama and Tennessee.

“I’m an introvert and have had technical writing classes as part of my engineering training, so I’m probably not the typical example. I’m not good at thinking on my feet, and I do better when I have time to craft a response, then edit it down so it’s clear and simple,”—Thuss said.

Here are some of Thuss’ tips he’s learned over the years.

It’s All in the Report

Thuss tells clients upfront that the report is the primary output of the inspection, and any verbal discussion they have is provided as a courtesy. “It’s essential that they read and understand the report for several reasons,” he said. “One is that they’re going to remember about 10% of what I tell them verbally. Another is that, legally, the report is what matters if something goes south.”

However, a person can be a great inspector and, if they don’t capture an inspection clearly in a report, that skill is meaningless. “We inspectors collect data at the inspection, interpret it, and output that info as communication. That chain is no stronger than any of those three links. Great inspecting skills and knowledge will not make up for the inability to clearly report it to the customers, which are clients and agents,” he said.

Templating Communication

Thuss has spent hundreds of hours crafting the narratives he uses, and many inspections require a new narrative based on a defect he hadn’t encountered yet.

“My narrative library grows slowly each week,” he said. “That library, a reporting template, is the essential core of my practice. In it I get the chance to carefully craft a comment about an observation or defect. I write and rewrite these narrative comments for clarity, consistency, and brevity. That library, my template, is a never-ending work in progress.”

Be Clear and Concise

You’ve probably noticed writing these days is only getting shorter. “It’s interesting to read Victorian-era literature. Speakers would take 10 paragraphs to say the sky is blue. We’ve evolved, or devolved, to the opposite extreme,” Thuss said. “I’ve had agents complain that they didn’t like my report because they ‘don’t want to read’ and just want a single sentence for each defect. My narrative comments were a short paragraph or so.”

Thuss has taken that feedback and crafted a way of writing comments so the most crucial information is summarized in the first sentence—what the problem is and what needs to be done about it. The text that follows includes additional info, if the reader wants to read it, such as what the result will be of ignoring the defect, background on the defect, and so forth.

Thuss said most reporting software doesn’t handle that approach well, though. “I like to shape my reports like an iceberg: the small, visible top is what everyone sees first. If more information is wanted, they should be able to drill down and get more, but the bulk of it remains out of sight such that the report is clean and concise at first glance. A page or two could potentially expand into 120, if necessary.”

Attention spans—and with them, time—are increasingly at a premium, and home inspectors must find ways to say more in fewer words, “while still covering our behinds.”
—Thuss said.

Home inspectors should also remember to report only what is required to be reported. “Don’t waste precious bandwidth on non-essential information. Stick to reporting what your Standards of Practice, whatever they may be, require,” Thuss said. “Put everything else in an appendix. Clients don’t care, at this initial stage, that the hardwood flooring is tongue-and-groove or that the house is French Provincial. But a (very) few might months or years later.”

Plain Language

Thuss said the biggest challenge in relaying home inspection issues in layperson’s terms is avoiding using words that might be unfamiliar to the customer. “You wind up having to substitute words so what you’re saying doesn’t get lost in translation, but this needs to be done carefully so as not to insult the intelligence of the person you’re speaking with. I don’t talk the same way to a client that worked as a general contractor as I do with a school teacher.”

Thuss likes to learn the background of the client he’s working with, like what they do for a living, when he can, as that’s helpful in communication. “Some clients have built houses while others don’t own a screwdriver,” he said.

No matter what, he makes sure to stop and ask periodically if what he has said was clear or if the client knows a term he used, such as GFCI. “Again, carefully, to avoid insult.”

Working as an Introvert

Being an introvert in the field and constantly meeting new people is a stressor for Thuss, but he understands that regularly talking with people comes with the job. Plus, he said clients often appreciate the in-person communication that accompanies the report.

“All of my reviews have come from inspections where I’ve patiently walked the client through the report, making clear I’m in no hurry to clear out. Most people appreciate the effort in explaining things to them,” he said. “It’s essential that the client walks away with a full and clear picture of the condition of the home, what steps need to be done, and the likely severity—money, disruption, et cetera—of the problem.”

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of ASHI. The information contained in the article is general and readers should always independently verify for accuracy, completeness and reliability.


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