Laser Sketch Apps

[NachoPerito]

No offense to the OP of course. I may have come across harsh and you are a trainee so you are getting your learning in. This issue has come up many times on this forum and getting a laser is a very important piece to be the most efficient appraiser possible.

 

[NC Appraising]

OP,

It is a learning curve and it takes some time to learn on what works for most homes.

For example, go mobile is just not for measuring. When I leave, all of my pics are labeled, the sketch is done and in improvement section is finished.

I take pics of everything. If it is in the URAR, I have a pic of it. It helps for revisions and owners that complain. It also saves me from writing notes.

For a simple ranch, why not just measure the interior and add for the walls?

80% of the time I am using the gutters for targets and I have a .5" tape glued to my disto.

Bushes? Again measure it from the interior. You can estimate it or start from another area in the mobile sketch.

I have a de-teachable clip board for a target. I use it all of the time.

Using the brick near the windows is another trick.

I would stay away from the blue tooth feature. On most walls on the exterior I am measuring two times. ie using the +- and this becomes a pain. If you are a techy go for it. By the time you connect, get that bay windows, etc. It is just faster for me to measure with the laser and manualy input the measurement.

Copy and paste the first floor is another trick.

In alamode, you have a paint drawing feature, which is similar to windows paint. You also have a voice recorder and a text. You can also add comments to the photos.

 

[Tom Woolford]

I never used the bluetooth either. Never trusted it.

 

[RSW]

I use both the lazer and tape. I also use total mobile.

 

[Digger88]

One of the most mind-boggling things I have come across is that after almost 20 years of the laser being mainstream there are still people that still need to be convinced that it is an improvement. I guess it is generational. It makes me think of when people had light bulbs in the house and the neighbors were like "I have these candles that work just fine, why would I change?"

I have to imagine that companies like Leica are frustrated that there are still tape users in the market, but change takes time.

well for $600 my leica is a POS. the bosch i use as a backup has never gone wacky on me but my leica freezes, restarts or the laser wont shine sometimes unless i restart even with fresh batteries. think i might have got a lemon.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

I guess a high production appraiser rushing from house to house could save what? Maybe 5 minutes? The laser is most useful for the really complex 8+ corner homes. And in bright light us visually challenged often find the dot difficult to see even with the red glasses. A true appraisers tape is IMHO quicker than a laser in bright light. When 2 people the laser is faster...but how much? A couple minutes? And for us who don't use forms, the Bluetooth function is a nothingburger.

Frankly a wheel works fine. It's just more awkward. But measurement is such a small part of a commercial or agri appraisal, the measurement tool is a single spot on a leopard. Dissing those of us who have routines different from yours doesn't make your appraisal one iota better.

 

[Mejappz]

I’ve been disappointed with my Disto D5 for for measuring long distances in the sun. I really miss the old Distos were it had a telescopic View finder. Haven’t tried the newer ones, but if I was in the market for one I would look at a Bosh.

 

[Raven59]

The older you get the less obvious the red dot becomes. The dot has kept my optometrist in business and caused me to search for a red dot apprentice.

 

[ucbruin]

The list of gyrations that AF members, who swear by lasers, share regarding capturing the red dot seems not worth the effort....

 

[NachoPerito]

The red dot can be tough although there are new Disto lasers that have eliminated the need with a camera view finder.

I don't do much measuring on the outside anymore. Just get the walls on the inside and add for thickness. bing bong bing bing bong and you're done.