Summarize a home inspection report for a busy buyer

About this exercise

Your buyer wants to know what matters in the 40-item home inspection report before your call. You want exactly 3 numbered lines, one per open Safety or Major item, each as item - what the inspector recommends, under 60 words, plain text. Skip the item the seller already fixed, skip minor and cosmetic notes, and add no advice of your own. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Missing the addendum. The deck railing is marked SAFETY in the list, and the fix is in an addendum below. Try: Add: "Skip anything the addendum says is closed."
• Adding your own advice. The AI adds repair costs or tips like 'ask for a credit', which aren't in the report. Try: Add: "Use only the inspector's recommendations. No advice of your own."
• Including small stuff. The AI covers the drips and scuffs to be thorough. Try: Add: "Only open Safety or Major items."
• Letting the AI pick the layout. The AI writes a long summary with bold ratings. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 3 numbered lines like '1. Garage outlets - electrician to install GFCI'. Plain text."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 60 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 14 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Says how many lines
• Limits to Safety and Major
• Checks the addendum
• Bans outside advice
• Sets a word limit

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