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 Home Inspection Report 

To continue, it's important to receive a detailed hand-written inspection report, not just a checklist from the inspector. The checklist may not cover specific areas, details, and engineering advice first time home buyers need. It's important to find out if the home inspector is a member of any professional affiliations, such as NABIE (National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers) and NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers). NABIE and NSPE only accept professional licensed engineers as member, unlike home inspection trade societies. Don't be misled by the "certifications" that the home inspector may have, as these can be purchased by anyone and aren't hard to come by. It's more important to look at the professional affiliation they may have.

 Your Attendance is Important 

During the home inspection, it's important to attend the actual inspection. You will learn about the systems set up in your home and see things that you did not notice initially when you first looked at the house. The inspection should take about 2 hours, so it's well worth your time to walk around with the inspector. Make sure to ask questions to the inspector, and don't feel silly doing it. Here is your opportunity to learn about the structure and overall layout of your house. As you walk around with the inspector, make sure that he/she covers all of the main points. The structure of the home is obviously a very important aspect of the inspection, so you want to double check the inspector and make sure that they are thoroughly going through their inspection list. This is another advantage of hiring a P.E. to inspect your house as they specialize in structural engineering. The other areas of the inspection such as plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems are very important as well.