DEAR TIM: My husband and I are getting ready to purchase an existing home. We don't want to buy one with lots of defects. Can we inspect the house ourselves or is it necessary to have the house inspected by a professional? If so, how do you locate a good house inspector? What types of things should we be looking for as we walk through the house? Sally M., Bedford, IN

DEAR SALLY: Many years ago I used to do home inspections for buyers before there were inspectors. The buyers I worked with felt that a seasoned builder knew what to look for in a house, and how to spot small problems before they became big problems. Within the past 15 years, the home inspection industry has become big business. Just about every home buyer in my town requests an inspection from a full-time home inspector. Not only is it a good idea for existing homes, home inspections are a swell idea for new homes too.

I doubt that you can do a thorough home inspection. A knowledgeable home inspector takes years to train. The best inspectors have lots of field experience, have passed written examinations, are fully insured and take ongoing continuing education. When you have forged the initial contract with a seller, be sure to use the absolute best inspector you can find. Ask the inspector to provide you with a certificate of insurance that indicates he/she has professional liability or errors and omissions coverage. Be sure that the policy is current and that there is enough coverage to pay for a mistake(s).

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An expert home inspection can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars. A competent inspector will spot problems that may cause you to rethink your purchasing decision. Sometimes it is better to walk away from a problem house rather than try to spend years of hard earned dollars fixing problems. Buyers are often blinded by dreams that obscure blatant defects and flaws. Professional inspectors have no emotional ties to the transaction and are there to find flaws.

You can look and locate obvious defects as you walk through a house for the first time. If you discover enough problems, you may choose not to make an initial offer on a particular piece of property.

I suggest you begin by looking for obvious structural problems. These can be cracked foundations, slanted floors, bowed or bent beams, doors and windows that don't fit uniformly within a frame, cracks in brickwork and stucco, severely cracked concrete floors and slabs, etc. Structural problems tend to be the most expensive problems to repair. Houses with structural problems can also be harder to sell in the future. The repairs often leave scars. A future buyer will see a repair attempt and possibly wonder if the problem has really been rectified. You may suffer financially if this happens.

Moisture problems are sometimes easy to spot. Look for stained ceilings, walls, interior foundations, basement floors, exterior siding, damp crawlspaces and moisture around plumbing water and drain lines. Hunt for efflorescence salts. These fluffy gray-white powdery deposits can be found along cracks in basement floors and walls and in masonry work. They are usually a sure sign of water infiltration or slow seepage. Consider a visit to the closest firehouse. If the fire department has made visits to pump water out of the house for any reason, it should show in the public record of their run activity.

Inspect the exterior for drainage problems. I prefer to see a minimum of four to six inches of foundation projecting above the soil around the entire house. Soil should slope at least 6 inches within the first ten feet of run away from the foundation. Look for raised planting beds that can trap water against a house.

When you finally decide to hire an inspector, beware of slick sales pitches and testimonials. Some associations require that an inspector simply send in an application and a small fee to become certified. You want an inspector that belongs to an association that requires experience, written examinations and continuing education. Don't settle for less!

Author's Notes:

At the time this column was written, the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) had the toughest set of requirements for membership of all of the inspection associations. Many professional engineers who do home inspections are ASHI members.

States that currently require home inspectors to be licensed are: Texas, North and South Carolina, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Oregon.

Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Nevada require a form of registration or certification.

Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Louisiana have legislation pending that will probably result in some form of licensing or certification. (These facts were published in the November, 1998 issue of Builder magazine.)