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Every inspection is organized into areas — distinct rooms, systems, or zones like the Roof, Kitchen, Electrical Panel, or Master Bedroom. Before you dive into individual findings, InspectIQ lets you write a brief overview description for each area and attach general photos. These overviews set the scene for your client and give each section of the final report a professional introduction.

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What Is an Area Overview?

An area overview is a short summary description that captures the general condition of a room or zone at the time of inspection. Think of it as your opening statement for that section — a few sentences describing what you observed overall before listing out specific findings. For example, an overview for a kitchen might note the approximate age of the appliances, the general state of surfaces, or any standout features. Area overviews also include one or more general photos of the space. These are distinct from finding photos, which are attached to specific defects or observations.
Area overviews appear at the beginning of each section in the final report. They help clients orient themselves as they read through the document and provide valuable context before they encounter individual findings.
1

Open Your Active Inspection

From the Home screen, tap your active work order to open the inspection.
2

Open the Area List

Tap the Areas tab or swipe to the areas panel. You’ll see a list of all areas defined by your inspection template, such as Roof, Foundation, Exterior, Kitchen, and so on.
3

Select an Area

Tap any area in the list to open it. The area screen shows the overview section at the top, followed by all findings recorded within that area.

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Adding an Area Overview Description

You can enter an overview description by typing or by using voice-to-text — whatever works best in the moment.
1

Tap the Overview Field

At the top of the area screen, tap the Overview or Description field to activate it.
2

Type or Dictate Your Description

Use the on-screen keyboard to type a description, or tap the microphone icon to use voice-to-text. Speak clearly and at a natural pace — InspectIQ will transcribe your words in real time.
3

Review and Edit

If you used voice-to-text, quickly read through the transcription to catch any errors before moving on. Tap within the text to make corrections.
4

Save

Tap outside the text field or tap Done on the keyboard to save your description. InspectIQ saves automatically as you go.
Voice input is a huge time-saver when you’re moving quickly on-site. Instead of stopping to type, just tap the microphone and narrate what you’re seeing as you look around the room. You can always clean up the transcription later during your review.

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Adding General Area Photos

General area photos capture the overall look of a space and appear alongside your overview description in the report.
  1. In the area overview section, tap Add Photo.
  2. Use the in-app camera to take a photo, or tap Choose from Library to import one from your camera roll.
  3. Repeat for any additional angles or views of the area.
  4. Tap Done when you’ve captured all the shots you need.
For detailed guidance on taking and annotating photos, see Capturing Photos.

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Reordering or Renaming Areas

If your default template doesn’t quite match the layout of the property you’re inspecting, you can reorder and rename areas to keep your report accurate. To reorder areas:
  1. From the area list, tap Edit in the top-right corner.
  2. Tap and hold the drag handle (≡) next to any area, then drag it up or down to the desired position.
  3. Tap Done to save the new order.
To rename an area:
  1. From the area list, tap Edit, then tap the area name you want to change.
  2. Clear the current name and type a new one.
  3. Tap Done to confirm.

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Adding a Custom Area

Sometimes a property has spaces or systems that aren’t included in your default template — a pool house, a detached garage, or a wine cellar, for example. You can add a custom area at any time during an inspection.
  1. Scroll to the bottom of the area list and tap + Add Area.
  2. Enter a name for the new area (for example, “Detached Workshop”).
  3. Optionally, select a category or icon to help identify it in the list.
  4. Tap Save. The new area appears in your area list and will be included as its own section in the final report.
Custom areas you add to an inspection are saved within that work order only. If you find yourself regularly adding the same custom area, consider updating your default inspection template so it appears automatically on future jobs.