The Summary section is one of the most important parts of any inspection report.
It is usually the first thing agents and homebuyers look at, and in many cases, the only section they print, save, or share.
With Summary Organization, you can now control how summary items appear inside the interactive report. This helps reports feel cleaner, more professional, and easier for clients to understand.
The best part is that you do not need to change the way they write comments. Once the settings are configured, the report automatically follows the preferred layout every time.
What Is Summary Organization?
What Is Summary Organization?
Summary Organization is a feature inside Report Designer that allows inspectors to choose how summary items are displayed in the report.
Instead of using a fixed system order, inspectors can customize the summary to better match the way they explain findings during an inspection.
This feature helps create reports that feel more natural, organized, and consistent with the inspector’s workflow.
to match betterWhy Does This Matter?
to match betterWhy Does This Matter?
Every inspector communicates differently.
Some inspectors prefer grouping issues by importance or rating. Others prefer organizing items alphabetically or by category.
Before this feature, inspectors had limited control over how summary items appeared in the final report.
Now, inspectors can choose the layout that works best for them and their clients.
Every inspector communicates differently. Some inspectors prefer grouping issues by importance or rating. Others prefer organizing items alphabetically or by category.
Before this feature, inspectors had limited control over how summary items appeared in the final report. Now, inspectors can choose the layout that works best for them and their clients.
Main Benefits
Control How Your Summary Flows
Control How Your Summary Flows
Inspectors can organize summary items in a way that matches how they naturally explain findings during an inspection.
This creates a smoother experience for clients reading the report.
Simple benefit:
“Make your summary read the way you explain it.”
Make Reports Easier for Clients to Read
Make Reports Easier for Clients to Read
Large summaries can sometimes feel overwhelming for buyers and agents.
Organizing items by rating or category can make important findings easier to identify and understand.
Simple benefit:
“Help clients quickly understand what matters most.”
Set It Once and Use It Automatically
Set It Once and Use It Automatically
Summary Organization settings are saved directly inside the template in Report Designer.
Once configured, every future report using that template will automatically follow the selected layout.
Simple benefit:
“Set it once. Every report follows your preferred format.”
What Can Be Customized?
What Can Be Customized?
Inspectors can choose options such as:
How summary items are ordered
Whether items are grouped by rating
Whether category titles appear in the summary
These settings help create a cleaner and more intentional report experience.
Where Is This Configured?
Where Is This Configured?
Summary Organization settings are managed inside Report Designer.
Once changes are saved to the template, the summary layout will automatically apply to reports created with that template.
No additional setup is needed for each report.
Who Is This Feature For?
Who Is This Feature For?
This feature is especially useful for inspectors who want:
More professional-looking reports
Better readability for clients and agents
Reports that match their communication style
More consistency across all reports
Example
Example
Without Summary Organization:
Summary items may appear in a default system order
With Summary Organization:
Items can appear grouped by rating
Categories can display in a cleaner structure
The summary can follow the inspector’s preferred flow
This helps reports feel more polished and easier to navigate.
Summary Organization gives inspectors more control over one of the most important sections of their report. By improving the structure and readability of the summary, inspectors can create reports that are easier for clients to understand and more aligned with their personal workflow and brand.
To learn more about how to use it, please review the section below.
Summary Organization - How to guide
Summary Organization - How to guide
How It Works
How to access Summary in Report Designer
Access the Report Designer
In the Left Navigation click on Summary
How to display Summary in the Report
Use the Inline Summary toggle to show or hide the summary in the Interactive Report (IR) and PDF report.
If the toggle is disabled, the summary will only appear in the Summary tab and will not display in the IR or PDF report.
If the toggle is enabled, choose where the summary should appear:
Before start of report
After end of report
How to sort summaries in the Report
Use the available toggles to control how summary items are sorted and displayed in the report:
Sort Categories A-Z sorts summary items alphabetically by category name.
Sort Lines A-Z sorts summary items alphabetically by line name within each category.
Enable or disable each option based on how you want the summary organized in the report.
How to Show/Hide Image under Summary
Use the toggle to control whether images appear in the summary:
When enabled, image thumbnails display beneath each summary item.
When disabled, the summary displays as text-only without images.
How to Group Summaries by Rating
Use the toggle to control how summary items are organized in the report:
When enabled, summary items are grouped by rating type such as Safety, Requires Attention, and Recommendation.
Each rating appears as its own section header, with related categories, comments, and lines displayed underneath.
How do I apply Summary Settings to PDF Report
Use the toggle to apply the same summary visibility and organization settings from the Interactive Report (IR) to the PDF report.
By default, the toggle is disabled.
When enabled:
Inline Summary settings are applied to the PDF report.
Summary Organization follows the same structure as the IR.
Images display under summary items when Show Images in Summary is enabled.
Line-level rating data appears in the PDF when a summary rating is assigned to a line.
Changes will apply to new or unpublished reports after the updates are published in the Report Designer
Summary Improvements in PDF Reports and IR
The screenshot below shows how the Summary settings configured in the Report Designer appear in the PDF and Interactive Report (IR).
Changes such as summary placement, grouping by rating, sorting, and image visibility are reflected in the final report layout after the template is published.
If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call at (800) 700-8112, or you can email us at help@inspectionsupport.com or open a chat in the upper right corner of your ISN!