Before reviewing this module, you should be familiar with the types of inspections, and the basic photo requirements. You should also have your app downloaded and be familiar with the basics of using it. This will be a more comprehensive guide of what to expect when completing an inspection.

Behavior and Attire

When completing inspections, remember that we are a representative of our clients and the mortgage companies. Remain professional in all interactions with homeowners.

• If a homeowner asks why we are there, we should always refer them to their mortgage company. We are not given the specific reason for an inspection.
• If a homeowner asks us to leave, we should do so. We can do our best to take photos to support our interactions, and notes should be made in the order.
  • We will never want to do anything to escalate a hostile situation.

Most clients accept a semi-casual dress code when completing inspections. Jeans and sweatshirts are generally acceptable, but avoid open toed shoes, extreme styles, or any item with inappropriate language. Appropriate attire is a great way to ensure you look professional and will not draw negative attention.

Order Instructions

When completing an inspection, every order will have instructions with the specific goal of the inspection. If you are ever unclear we encourage you to ask before completing the order.

The general types of inspections were covered in a previous module, but there may be specific requests for those types, and there are also other specialty order types.

Many orders will request you deliver door cards or letters to occupants, or leave specific postings at the property.

Door Cards and Postings

There are multiple documents that may be left at a property. It is important to understand the difference between these items:

• Door Card (or Door Hanger) – will be a card that is typically requested to be left inside a confidential envelope. These will be left at occupied properties to request the homeowner contact their mortgage servicer.
• FTV or First Time Vacant posting – This is a posting that will be taped to a front door indicating a property has been determined vacant. These will never be left with an occupant.
• Post Secure or Emergency Contact posting – These are placed when locks are changed by the preservation crew. We will very rarely be asked to replace these. These should be present on any orders where we are being asked to complete an interior inspection.

In most cases, if an order is asking you to provide a door card to an occupant, that door card will be attached to the work order in EZ.

Some door cards are provided by clients and will be mailed to you upon starting inspections. Most door cards are printed by you, and are available attached to the order and/or in the documents section on EZ. There are even printable copies as a temporary measure for most of the mailed door cards.

Door Knock Photos

Many inspections will request we attempt contact, even if we are not leaving a door card. This is an extra measure to ensure we are accurately reporting occupancy.

To support attempted contact it is advised to provide a photo showing your hand at the door knocking, or finger on the doorbell. If you make contact before this photo is taken you can always provide a photo of your feet supporting you were outside the car and approached the house.

Escalated Issues

Most inspections are uneventful and don’t have much to report. In cases where we find escalated issues, it is important those are reported correctly. Examples could be a posted violation needing addressed, severe recent damage, a water leak (or hearing water running). If something needs urgent attention it is best to call or text from site to report this.

Bad Address / Unable to Locate or No Access

There may be times if you are unable to locate a home that the address given is incorrect. This is reported as a bad address. This is rare. If you are unable to locate a property you can try the county assessors website to verify if the address exists, but there are times we must report to the client that the address provided is invalid.

Similarly, there may be times we are unable to access the property. This is most common with condos, or gated communities. We should be providing as much information and photo documentation as possible to support why we could not get to the home.

Interior Access

We will never be entering a home for a vacant inspection unless our instructions indicate to do so and a preservation company has changed locks on the property. For example if you find a home to be vacant but unlocked, you will still not go inside.

When we are asked to complete an interior we should be provided with a lockbox code to gain access. In the event that the lockbox code doesn’t work, or keys are missing or not working, inspectors are asked to have a set of HUD keys as a backup option. Additional information is provided during on-boarding about this.

Due Dates, Start Dates and Extensions

Every order that is issued to you will have a due date, when the client has requested to have results back.

Some orders may also have a start date. If a start date is listed this means the order cannot be completed prior to that start date.

Most areas have a goal of 95%+ of their work being submitted before the due date. What is reasonable for your particular area should be discussed during on-boarding. For many orders extensions can be granted of at least a day or two on the due date. For more rural areas it may not be achievable to complete that amount of work by the due date, since we want routes planned to be profitable to inspectors.

Busy Dates

It is very common to see large amounts of orders issued around the 15th of the month and 1st of the month. This is very beneficial in most areas, because more work open at the same time means more efficient routes.

Safety

Inspector safety is a top priority, and we will not ask inspectors to enter unsafe or dangerous situations. If you encounter a situation you are uncomfortable with, please call before proceeding.

Background Checks / ABC#

Most companies in this industry use https://www.shieldhub.com/ for background checks. When you have a background check through Shieldhub you receive an ABC# or Shield ID. If you have not been asked to purchase a background check, but are asked on forms to supply this ID you can simply enter NE123456789 to complete the inspection.