The best e-signature app for home inspectors: the agreement signed before the ladder comes off

What an inspector needs signed

• The pre-inspection agreement: scope, exclusions, limits of liability and how disputes are handled, signed by the client before you start. Some states' inspector rules say what it must contain, so check with your licensing board.
• Add-on services: radon, sewer scope, mold sampling or a wood-destroying insect inspection, each with its own terms or its own line in the agreement.
• Both buyers: spouses or co-buyers who each sign, often from different places.
• Report release: who may receive the report, such as the buyer's agent, lender or attorney.
• Business paperwork: agreements with associate inspectors and specialty subcontractors.

The shortlist

The five, one by one

Spectora: the agreement is part of the job

When a client books through Spectora, an automated message leads them into a portal where the agreement and payment are waiting. If they still haven't signed by inspection day, its help center shows the on-site fix: open the inspection in the app, tap Sign Agreements, and have the client sign or tick a consent box. The features page says the report doesn't unlock until you're paid and the contract is signed. The software is $109 a month or $1,090 a year, additional inspectors $99 a month or $999 a year, and a website costs extra.

HomeGauge: keep your report format

HomeGauge is now part of the Spectora family, though its page says Spectora continues to operate independently. It lists online agreements, scheduling and payments, and online report delivery and storage, for $89 a month after a 30-day free trial for new customers. Inspectors who've written HomeGauge reports for years can keep the format and still get agreements signed online.

ISN: back office priced per inspection

ISN prices by volume: $7.25 per inspection for the first 50 each month, $5.50 up to 100 and $3.75 up to 150, with no setup fee and a 30-day trial, though monthly minimums may apply. Clients sign from an emailed link, initialing and signing at the bottom, then download their copy. On site, ISN Mobile collects the signature, but only with a live connection; its help center says agreements can't be signed offline. You can require the agreement signed before payment, and link agreements to inspection types so a radon add-on brings its own terms.

Palmtech: one flat price per user

Palmtech is a report writer with business tools, and its site says you can schedule inspections, get agreements signed and collect payments in one app. Every feature is included for $50 per user a month or $500 a year. Its pages don't describe how agreement signing works, so run a real agreement through the free trial before you rely on it.

SignMaster: signing without the report writer

SignMaster writes no reports and can't lock one until payment. It suits an inspector whose report software handles agreements poorly, or who has other paperwork to sign. Send the agreement as soon as the job is booked, with automatic reminders and a sign-by date the day before the inspection, which makes the reminders more frequent as it gets close. If it's still unsigned at the house, open it on your iPhone or iPad and hand it over for in-person signing; co-buyers sign one after the other. Associate inspector and subcontractor agreements go out the same way.

Which one fits

• A new or small inspection business that wants reports, booking, agreements and payment together: Spectora.
• You're happy with HomeGauge's reports: stay, and use its online agreements.
• A multi-inspector company that wants back-office control and per-inspection pricing: ISN.
• A flat per-user price with every feature included: Palmtech, once you've tested its agreement signing.
• Your report tool doesn't handle agreements well, or you need business contracts signed: SignMaster, next to it.