Blog

Dear All,   

We would like to confirm that version 8.36.1203 of ‘Form.com Mobile’ application is now available on App Store and Google Play Store.       

Best regards,

Wolverine

Dear All,

We would like to let you know that version 8.34.1171 of ‘Form.com Mobile’ application will be available on December 20th, 2018.

Please upgrade the application via App Store or Play Store to use the most up-to-date version for data collection.

We will make sure to send another notification once the application becomes available on the stores.

Best regards,
Wolverine

Dear All,

We would like to let you know that version 8.31.1118 of ‘Form.com Mobile’ application is now available.

Please upgrade your application to use the most up-to-date version for data collection. 

Best regards,
Wolverine

Dear All,

We would like to let you know that the new version 8.30.1117 of ‘Form.com Mobile’ application is now available on Google Play Store. This was an emergency fix for the synchronization issue.

Best Regards,
Wolverine

Dear All,

We would like to let you know that version 8.30 of ‘Form.com Mobile’ application will be available on September 27th, 2018.

Please upgrade the application via App Store or Play Store to use the most up-to-date version for data collection.

We will make sure to send another notification once the application becomes available on the stores.

Best regards,
Wolverine

Good morning Everyone, we hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

We would like to for you to take a moment and review these guidelines for emergency notifications.

Emergency notifications are defined  as:

• Anything that is an immediate threat to our subject property, to a neighboring property (house), or that would cause harm/injury to any person who steps on the property or enters our house.
• The emergency needs to be something that is actively happening, and not a “potential” future emergency if the stars align.
• Anything that is NOT an emergency, but you feel should be noted can still be included in open comments and descried with details. Any photos can be moved to an open photos spot and referenced in the comments.

Things that we have seen which are NOT an Emergency:

• Damage(s) that is/are not causing an immediate threat, or continued threat/damage to the property, neighborhood or persons.
• Minor amounts of discoloration that does not appear to be “excessive” (defined as more than 100 contiguous square feet).
• Water stains that do not appear to be an “active” roof leak.
• An unsecure notification when the inspector is able to close/secure the property before leaving.

We really appreciate your dedication and all the hard work you do on our behalf. Let’s be safe out there!

Dear All,

We would like to let you know that version 8.29.1047 of ‘Form.com Mobile’ application is now available on App Store and Google Play Market.

This Update will include:

1. Vendor Form:
   1. Navigation Icons – now inspectors will be able to navigate between sections of the form on the same page using the section icons at the bottom of the screen. Only the icons that apply to specific inspection types will be displayed.
   2. Alert on Submit button – after clicking on the Submit button an alert message will be displayed to respondents asking to confirm that they want to submit.
2. QA Form:
   1. Alert on Submit button – same as above

Please complete the following steps to complete the update to your mobile app:

1. Disconnect the phone from WiFi
2. Uninstall The Form.com Mobile Application
3. Shut down the device. Do not restart the device, as you must shut down the device completely.
4. Wait for 30 seconds before you restart your device
5. While still disconnected from WiFi, download the Form.com Mobile Application
6. After the app has been fully downloaded, you can then reconnect to WiFi and synchronize the device.

After this point you can use the app normally. Please make sure to relay this information to all vendors and sub-vendors and that their apps have been updated to the newest version. Please update the app as soon as possible to avoid any errors or confusion.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to the IT department at Wolverine for more information.

Dear Inspectors,

Wolverine completed on-site training in MO and KS this past month. I want to thank those that attended. I hope it helped you know what Fannie Mae and Wolverine’s expectations are, what you need to look for, and gave you tips on how to complete these inspections quicker and more accurately.

I also want to thank our Fannie Mae representative Tom Cutsinger for sharing his time and expertise. I urge our inspectors to take advantage of the on-site training opportunities, especially when Tom will be there with us. Tom’s experience in our industry spans both being a contractor as well as from the investor’s perspective. His instructions are clean and precise, and he will answer any questions we have regarding these inspections and World App.

Last month the numbers of false deficiencies were down from previous months. False deficiencies examples include but are not limited to: reporting a house open because a door or window were unlocked upon your arrival but you were able to lock it before you left, holes in walls, the presence of discoloration that is not 100 contiguous square feet (10X10) or more, and reporting something dirty that has been cleaned but is stained. We are still missing too many actual deficiencies. Some that we missed this month are

• grass clipping left in the flower beds, walkways and driveways
• accumulated debris on the exterior
• damaged or temporary fencing
• debris left in cabinets, drawers and closets
• windows, windows sills, counters, and floors that have not been wiped down
• missing or burnt out light bulbs (there must be a light bulb in each light socket, even if the electric is off
• wires must be capped, and all pipes must be capped
• fixtures like toilets, sinks, and tubs should be wiped out

These are items we missed reporting that should be very easy to spot as you walk through the property. It is easy and quick to check cabinets, fixtures and closets. Just catching those would be a great improvement to this statistic. Wolverine will continue to offer WebEx Screen share training for new inspectors, inspectors that will be required to attend due to flawed results or false emergencies, sub vendors, and any inspector that has questions, or seeks more training. With prior notice from you, we can arrange to have a Fannie Mae representative attend the training sessions. An invitation to training this Wednesday, August 7, at 11:00 AM, EDT will be delivered by tomorrow.

Most concerning is the number of properties we are not able to open. It is imperative you use the lockbox for access. If there is not a lockbox for us there is likely a safety concern, or the property has been sold. You must be aware that at many properties there is both a realtor’s lockbox and a lockbox posted for Fannie Mae’s vendors to utilize. Our lockbox combination will be set to either the last four digits of the account number, or the first four. It could be hung on the front, side or rear door, or on a railing, meter, security gate, garage, light, or exterior ornament, to name some likely places. It is also important to know that it is possible that the door the lockbox is on might not be the door the key fits. You will have to try other doors if it does not work in the door it is hung on. We need to improve in this area, especially on repeat inspections. If they were ordered again that means the lockbox, key and lock were checked, based on your last report. They either found that you were correct and made the fix or, more likely, they find that we reported this incorrectly. Additional training resources can be found at https://fieldinspection.com/vendors/worldapp

Please do not hesitate contacting me at 800-875-7170, Ext. 106, or markd@fieldinspection.com.

Thank you all for your valued service and your conscientious work.
Mark – markd@fieldinspection.com

Dear All,

Wolverine would like to inform you that the Form.com mobile application will be releasing a number of change. Changes that will be made:

1. Form rewording – some of the question/answer option text will be changed to eliminate any confusion/uncertainty in their meaning
2. Additional section headings and updated list of section icons
3. QA will be given an ability to upload photos to QA form on behalf of inspectors

In order to see the changes you will need to synchronize your devices with the server (full sync is recommended).

Please note that since the changes are only on the form side and the application itself remains without changes, there will be no need to download the new version from App Store/Google Play.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Welcome to the first Wolverine Monthly Newsletter. I have started this newsletter to bring you the news of the month, trending issues, a schedule of upcoming training events, Q and A, and a vehicle to get you in touch with the Wolverine team member that can best help you with any issue. It is a fact that if you network with your peers, and have access to the people that can best assist you, we will all be more successful.

It is important that you have access to us when you need it. Included in the newsletter will be a link to our IT manager David Christie, our inspection manager Jen Smith, and to her assistant manager Tina Williams. They have all done extensive office and field training with FNMA, and World App. They have the most knowledge to assist you in completing your inspections while in the field. We want to make the managers accessible to you because of their knowledge, and their ability to make quick decisions. We do not want you to spend more time on these than is required to do them well the first time.

We have found that sub vendors, those of you actually doing the inspections, benefit the most from both the phone and field training. Training provided to the Master Vendors is not always being communicated to the inspectors. During recent field training, we discovered many inspectors questions and were uncertain about many items we want them looking for. Some seemed to have no training other than from prior mistakes or return trips they made for missing information and photos. They have been very thankful for the training because they are able to complete the inspections in a more efficient manner.

Wolverine will continue to offer WebEx Screen share training once a week for new inspectors, inspectors that will be required to attend due to flawed results or false emergencies, sub vendors, and any inspector that has questions, or seeks more training. With prior notice from you, we can arrange to have a Fannie Mae representative attend the training sessions.

Wolverine and our Fannie Mae representative have done field training in a few areas, and will be in Missouri next month. In those situations the inspectors learned things that make their tasks quicker, while providing better results. They learn tricks about the app and ways to avoid return trips to a property for missed items and photos. Most impressive to me all the inspectors felt enlightened, energized, had a new zeal for the project, and a feeling of comradery after meeting the other inspectors. They shared stories with each other and compared issues they’ve had in common and how they learned to resolve them. I would like to think they knew that Wolverine and FNMA were dedicated to their success as well.

Wolverine and Fannie Mae take the time, and resources to make these trips because these inspections are different from most that you do. I like to refer to these inspections as “The Good Neighbor Inspections” because we are there to make sure the property is as nice from the exterior, or nicer than the neighborhood standard, and that the interior is clean and presentable for market. Most importantly we want to make sure that the property is safe for any member of the public to enter. That includes you.

Your next opportunity to join a WebEx screen share training session will be July 6, 2018. I will make sure that all of you receive an invitation to the ongoing sessions. As we schedule more field training I will post them on the newsletter and reach out to those inspectors in those areas. We will be in Missouri the week of July ninth.

Thank you all for your valued service and your conscientious work.
Mark – markd@fieldinspection.com