The short answer
Write each comment in three parts: what you saw, why it matters and what to do next, in plain words. Build those comments once, in your template, so on site you pick and adjust instead of writing from scratch. That's how you write better comments and write them faster.
Reports look professional to realtors when the important items come first in a short summary, every major defect has a photo, the tone is neutral and the report arrives the same day. Hive Inspect helps on both sides. AI Comment Assist drafts a comment in your company's style from a few words, and every report can open with a defect summary, carry your logo and brand colour, and give agents a repair request list built from the report.
Write every comment in three parts
Skip the code citations and the passive voice. Write the way you'd explain it standing in the basement with the buyer.
A weak comment:
Deficiency noted at electrical service panel. Recommend evaluation.
A comment people can act on:
Two circuits in the main panel are double-tapped: two wires share a breaker that's rated for one. This is a common fire hazard and an easy fix. Have a licensed electrician separate them before closing.
Every good comment answers three questions:
- What's wrong? Name the item and the condition.
- Why does it matter? Safety, cost, or what happens if it's left.
- What should they do? The next step and who to call.
If you can't answer "why does it matter", it probably doesn't belong as a defect.
Write it once, then reuse it
The fastest comment is the one you've already written. Keep a library of comments for the defects you see every week, in your template, sorted into information, limitations and defects.
When you improve a comment on site, save it back. In Hive, a comment you write or edit in a report can be saved to the template, on the web or in the app, so it's ready on every future report.
Name the contractor in the comment, too. In Hive each defect carries the type of professional to call, such as a plumber or an electrician, with defaults saved in the template.
Draft new comments from a few words
For a defect you don't have a comment for, start from a draft instead of a blank box.
In Hive, open Add Comment in the web report editor and click Generate using Hive Comment Assist. Type a few words, such as "leaky faucet under kitchen sink", and pick a length: 1–2, 3–5 or 6–10 sentences. Hive drafts the name and description, and for a defect the category and the type of contractor. You edit it and add it. On site, the same drafting runs inside Smart Add in the app.
Drafts follow your company prompt, which you write once under Business Tools → Hive AI. Put your three-part structure and any liability wording you always use in it, and every draft starts that way. Inspectors report AI Comment Assist saves them about 20 minutes per inspection.
Keep the tone neutral
You're recording condition, not killing the deal. Avoid words like "dangerous mess" or "disaster". State the fact and the next step, and let the buyer and their agent decide what to do. Neutral wording is also harder to argue with than an opinion.
Lead with a summary
Most buyers open the report, see hundreds of items and panic. They can't tell a cracked outlet cover from a failing foundation. Put a short summary first and sort it by how much each item matters:
- Safety: anything that could hurt someone, such as exposed wiring or a missing smoke alarm.
- Major defects: expensive or structural, such as a roof at the end of its life or foundation movement.
- Maintenance: the long list of small items any house has.
In Hive, each defect carries one of up to three colour-coded categories, with names you choose, so readers see at a glance how serious it is. You decide which categories appear in the summary, so you can leave minor items out of it.
Let the photos carry the weight
A photo of a rusted water heater says more than a paragraph. Take a wide shot for context, then a close-up of the problem. Circle or arrow the defect so the buyer sees what you saw. Put a photo on every major defect: if anyone disputes it later, the photo settles it.
What realtors look for in a report
Agents read a lot of reports. The ones they're glad to forward share a few things:
- The summary is short and comes first. The agent can brief the client in a minute.
- Each defect says what to do. That turns into a repair request without a phone call to you.
- It reads on a phone. Agents open reports between showings.
- It arrives the same day. Buyers are working against an inspection deadline.
Hive is built around those. Clients and agents read an online report with photos, video and a search bar, and can download the full report or the summary as a PDF. Agents and clients can pick defects from the report, ask for a repair or a credit amount, and share or download the repair request with photos. Agents also get their own portal listing their clients' inspections. See the whole report side of Hive on the home inspection report software page.
Make it look like your company
Put your logo on every report and use your own brand colour on the PDF. A cover photo of the property and the buyer's agent on the PDF cover make the report feel prepared for that sale, not printed from a form.
A checklist before you hit send
- Does the summary show safety and major items first?
- Does every defect say what's wrong, why it matters and what to do?
- Does every major defect have a clear photo?
- Is the wording neutral?
- Are you sending it the same day?
Get those right and your report stops being paperwork. It becomes the reason agents keep handing you their clients. For more on agents, read how to get more inspection bookings from realtors. To finish the report before you leave, read how to finish home inspection reports on site and send them the same day.