Just last year (2008), I had to pay for a real-estate inspection. For the first time in over 32 years, I purchased an existing home that I didn't build myself. Fortunately, I hired the best inspector around to perform my real-estate home inspection. The inspector was certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors. As I followed him through the house, it was obvious that he had done many real-estate inspections. He zeroed in on all the mission-critical aspects of the house and was extremely thorough.

Many years ago, I used to have my own real-estate inspection service. Back in the 1970's, when you opened the Yellow Pages, there wasn't even a heading that existed for home inspections or real-estate inspections. Many young people have no idea what the Yellow Pages are or were. They were the first search engines. The Yellow Pages were phone books that listed businesses under different categories. If you needed a problem solved, you opened the Yellow Pages. Now people solve problems by typing their problems into search engines!

Purchase my Easy-to-Use Home Inspection Checklist Now. This Simple-To-Use Tool allows you to spot many defects before you have to hire a real inspector. You can then eliminate a house and move on to one with fewer defects.

You have nothing to lose. If my checklist doesn't work for you, I'll give you your money back. Oh, one more thing, it's an Instant Download! You can have the checklist in your hands just minutes from now!

One of the reasons real-estate inspections became a huge industry was a subtle change in the laws in many states. For many years, the law put the burden of defects that might exist on the buyer of real estate. The Latin phrase 'Caveat Emptor' - Let the Buyer Beware - was the standard. Sellers of real estate or other chattel were held exempt if they sold goods that were defective.

But slowly the law started to change as more buyers won lawsuits about serious undisclosed defects. At the same time, real estate brokers were sucked into this costly legal vortex by being named as defendants in the lawsuits. The homeowners felt they should be held to a higher standard as they saw the houses each day and should be able to spot problems.

It didn't take long for the Realtors to figure out that it was in their best interest to help promote using builders, or any professional engineer, to look at a house once it was under contract. Suffice it to say, the real-estate inspection industry can trace its roots to the legal profession.

The inspection of real estate can be an involved process. My inspection took about three hours. Some inspections can take even longer. If you want a thorough inspection, you often have to bring in more than one inspector. In my case, I also brought in a septic tank specialist who looked inside the tank, tested the cleanliness of the leach field and tested the pump. Unfortunately, my septic system is below the leach field, so the secondary waste water in the tank has to be pumped uphill about 25 feet in elevation.

It's easy to locate real-estate inspection services. I think the Internet is the best place to start. Beware of using inspectors recommended by the Realtor. For many years, real-estate inspectors were known as deal killers. Many Realtors don't want the deals to blow up, so some unethical salespeople and brokers would recommend an easy inspector. You want a real-estate inspector that used to be a drill sergeant in the Marine Corps.

Furthermore, you want a certified inspector that has to meet tough qualifications and is required to take continuing education. Not all inspection certification programs are equal, not by a long shot. At the time this column was written, I feel the toughest real-estate inspection association is the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). Take a look at their requirements and see if you don't agree.

To save money on inspections, it's really a good idea to take with you on all showings your own real-estate inspection checklist. Your form will not be as detailed as that of an ASHI inspector, but if you can see major problems that would eliminate the house before you go to all the trouble of placing an offer, why not do that? These checklists exist out on the Internet, and they prompt you to look at foundation problems, water leaks that have been disguised, roof condition, exterior drainage, etc. You have to be really careful when you look at homes as it's easy to overlook the true condition of a home. Often your mind glosses over defects as you try to place yourself in the house.

If you do hire a professional, you'll get a real-estate inspection report at the conclusion of the inspection. Sometimes the inspector will give it to you immediately, and other times you may get it sent to you within hours as the inspector transfers photos from the inspection onto the report. Photos in the report are invaluable. You want to ask for these as they can win arguments down the road if the deal goes south.

Be sure to get a good real-estate termite inspection if you live in the lower 48 contiguous states of the USA. Termites are everywhere, and are more active in some areas than others. I've been told that there are two types of houses: those that have had termites and those that will. Termites have a motto: Take no prisoners. Given the opportunity, they will invade your home. The worker termites forage for new food sources constantly. It's a survival skill so they are constantly introducing new food to the colony.

When you finally decide to order your residential real-estate inspection, try to be present during the inspection. You'll be able to see the things the inspector discovers, and he'll be able to explain to you in person the severity of any issues. I don't know if the perfect house exists that's problem free, so don't expect a report that says there are no problems. Use common sense when evaluating the report, and be sure to get accurate estimates as to what it might cost to fix major problems.

EXTRA NEWS from Tim Carter:
Purchase my Easy-to-Use Home Inspection Checklist Now. This Simple-To-Use Tool allows you to spot many defects before you have to hire a real inspector. You can then eliminate a house and move on to one with fewer defects.

You have nothing to lose. If my checklist doesn't work for you, I'll give you your money back. Oh, one more thing, it's an Instant Download! You can have the checklist in your hands just minutes from now!

Column Q&A

A building inspection is typically a service provided by a government agency. The reasoning is twofold. First and foremost, the government uses this power to help protect the health and welfare of the citizens. Building inspections point out defects in the construction that could cause collapse, fires or conditions that might cause rapid deterioration of the structure.

Building inspections create more tax revenue. Although often denied by elected and appointed officials, monitoring building inspections allows the government to keep track of real estate improvements. Most towns and cities get tax revenue based upon the value of improvements on the property. When you apply for a building permit, which is the first step in getting a building inspection, the tax auditor's office is notified that something is happening on a parcel of land in the community. Typically, the real estate is worth more money after the project which means the government can collect more taxes.

The actual building inspection service is almost always performed by a government employee, or a subcontractor working for the government. Hopefully, this inspector has been properly trained. Often building inspectors are former building contractors who have decided they still want to be involved in building, but in a capacity with much less liability.

A series of hurricanes over the past twenty years has put Florida building inspection in the harsh spotlight. But it was Hurricane Andrew in 1992 that blasted ashore and proceeded to expose concrete slabs as well as poor construction practices, and sub-standard building inspection standards. The building codes since Andrew have been strengthened considerably to the credit of the building inspection profession in south Florida.

Commercial building inspection is not much different than residential inspection. There is a separate commercial building code that must be followed, and in many ways it's far more stringent and complicated. Commercial buildings almost always have more people in them and fire hazards and evacuations from these structures are more problematic. Tough commercial building inspections are a good thing as they also are concerned with the welfare of the general public as well as people that work in the buildings.

When I was still building everyday, I would order my county building inspection over the phone. It's now possible in many areas to do this online. The same is true for a city building inspection. Each government is different and some are more progressive than others. No matter what, you'll have to set different appointments at different stages of construction for the building inspector to come to your job site.

Keep in mind that there are many things to inspect, but the inspector can't view all things. They typically inspect the soil conditions as you never want to build a building on bad soil that won't support the weight of the structure. A seasoned inspector can often tell just looking at the soil that all is well.

The framing of the structure, all mechanical systems, the insulation as well as many of the safety items like stairs, handrails and alarm systems are checked during the different inspections. It's common to have different inspectors look at the different systems.

A home building inspection doesn't normally take long to complete. The inspector may be on site for five to fifteen minutes. It depends on his workload and what needs to be inspected. The building inspection department can almost always be found in your local town or county offices. Just contact your local town office to see who is the building inspector. I lived for twenty years in a small village in Ohio. The village didn't need a full-time inspector so they contracted all inspections to the county. It was convenient and the county appreciated the business.

You don't need a building inspection checklist, but it would be a good idea to see if the building inspector would share a copy with you. This way you know what things he'll be looking at when he arrives at the job site. Some of these checklists can be very complex, so don't expect to understand some of the terminology on the forms if you can get copies.

New-building inspection is perhaps the cleanest form of inspecting as you're not working inside an old building that was erected using an ancient code. Be sure you keep in mind that some laws require you to upgrade old buildings to the current code if you do a large renovation. It's mission critical that you investigate this before you buy an old building. You want to make sure that you budget enough money for the project. Many a homeowner has been shocked when they learn thousand of extra dollars have to be spent to finish a job they thought was going to be within budget and on time.