Best App to Catalog Move In and Move Out?

[Kraig Kujawa]

Hi there, I'm looking for an app that lets you take pictures, notate, and save Move In or Move Out inspections. (So far example - take a picture of a hole in the wall, type "Damage in Living Room wall due to Flatscreen." Then be able to output it to a file via email or something.

What's your favorite app to do this and why? 

I found an old thread about this, but technology moves so fast, I thought I'd put up a new one.

Thanks

Kraig

[Nathan Gesner]

All the apps suck. They are far more time-consuming than necessary.

I take pictures and/or video. As long as you have a process, it goes pretty quick.

I go through a house and do a quick visual inspection to identify specific issues I want to document. I turn on all the lights, open all the cabinets, close all the doors to closets/bedrooms/baths, look inside appliances, pull appliances out, etc. Basically, I try to identify every problem first and then I start to record.

With pictures, I start outside by standing at each corner of the property. I take photos that show every angle of landscaping, home, driveway, fencing, etc. I take exterior pictures of every door, window, etc.

Inside the home, I take a picture from every corner of the room, ensuring it covers the entire floor and ceiling. Doors are photographed front and back. Every window is photographed up close to show presence of screen and if there are window dressings or blinds, I take a photo with them open and closed.

If there is a problem (scrape on the wall, carpet stain, etc.) then I take a good close-up. Don't get too close because you want to show the context of where it is located. I will sometimes set my hand next to the damage to show size.

On a typical 3bed/2bath/2car home I will take around 200 pictures, depending on condition. On a 2bed/1bath apartment I may take around 100 pictures. It takes 30-40 minutes to document a house and about 15 - 20 for an apartment.

I take photographs before tenant moves in and when tenant moves out. If there is cleaning or repairs to be done, I will update my photos once everything is finished and before the next tenant occupies.

With high-def video, many will record with video. This can be a little faster but you have to be careful about moving too fast because it's difficult to grab a screen shot of something specific. The trick is to focus on the damaged area and hold still for two seconds so you get a good, clean shot of it that can be saved as a photo.