Lucent

Home inspectors can use Lucent, which pairs inspection software with administrative and marketing support. The company is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, and states that it covers inspectors in all fifty states. The company says its offer covers software, administrative management and marketing tools for running a home inspection business, whether the inspector is experienced or newly trained.

Software that runs the inspection

Inspectors use the Lucent system to run inspections and generate reports. The company says the efficiencies built into the system let an inspector deliver a finished product within a matter of hours. The inspector keeps their own business identity and sets their own fees and schedule, while the inspection and report work runs on Lucent's software.

Automated messages to everyone involved

Emails are sent automatically to every party with an inspection, with messages written to be clear to an average customer. Calendar invitations go to the inspector and to the real estate agents involved, and email reminders are sent through the calendar 12 hours before the inspection. The company says customers expect this kind of dependable communication at each step of the process.

Reports that summarize the findings

The inspection report includes an automatic summary of findings, and the company says the report was designed to present pertinent information and complicated data in a familiar way. Report language and contract language have been aligned, so the two documents describe the same things in the same terms.

Agreements, payments and accounting

Agreements can be completed online with electronic signatures. Payments can be taken online through several options, including credit cards accepted through invoice emails sent via QuickBooks. An annual fee accounting service is offered for tax reporting. The company says upgrades to its software are free.

Insurance and legal protection

Liability cover is part of the package: general liability insurance and professional liability coverage, with errors and omissions protection. The company also says its customer contract offers the most legal protection possible, and that its contract wording and report wording are aligned. Inspectors who need specialist input can draw on an in-house group of Florida-licensed construction and engineering professionals.

Running the business as an inspector

The company describes itself as a partner that works to make an inspector's business more professional, profitable and efficient, and that gives back time the inspector would otherwise spend on tasks outside the inspection itself. It describes the model as one in which the inspector focuses on the work while the company handles the administrative and marketing side.

Lucent provides home inspection software together with administrative and marketing support for inspectors. It is based in Lakeland, Florida, and says it serves all 50 states. Inspectors keep their own business identity, set their own schedule, and run inspections and reports on the Lucent system.

What Lucent offers

• Inspection reporting: reports with an automatic summary, designed to present complex findings clearly.
• Client messaging: automated emails to everyone involved, with calendar invitations and reminders before an inspection.
• Online agreements: electronic signatures and online payment processing.
• Insurance and legal cover: general and professional liability, errors and omissions, and legal protection under the company's contract.
• Specialist access: a network of Florida-licensed construction and engineering professionals.

Who it serves

Both experienced inspectors and newly trained graduates starting a home inspection business.

Key facts

• Based in: Lakeland, Florida
• Coverage: all 50 US states