Before buying a house, it is very important to have a house inspection before signing the final offer. It is much better to hire a certified house inspector then trying to do the inspection yourself. Many people tends to only look at obvious problem, like whether things turn on, is water running, any obvious leaks, etc. The house inspector will check those things too, but they are also train to look for structure problem, which would cost a lot more to repair than just fixing the switch or the pipe. You want to get a good estimate on repair cost before you sign the contract. If something is really bad, you can bargain for a lower price to cover the repair cost.
There are many house inspection company on the market. Pick one that give you the best report. What is a good report? First the inspector has to be through, but you don’t really know unless you have reference. Second, the report has to be easy to read. The report often come in a from of a huge check list. A list of code word on the check list is not very useful information to the home owner who don’t know how to interpret the data. You want to hire a house inspection company that use the Home Reference Book for their report. It is not only a check list, it has detail descriptions on everything you need to know about a house. Highly recommended for first time home owner.
Some people just let the inspector do their work and read the report afterward. To get the most worth of your money, go to the house inspection, follow the inspector around when he is inspecting and ask him if you any questions. You are not buying a few pages of paper, you buying an inspection. The best way to get all the information is seeing the inspector do his work. Of course don’t obstruct his work or he will kick you away. Most often the inspector are welcome to have someone accompanying him. It is less boring to talk with someone during the job. It is a lot easier to understand what’s wrong if the inspector points out the problem right in front of your eyes then trying to tell the problem in words when reviewing the report. Moreover, you can pick up a lot of useful house maintenance tips and details about your house. I would never know which circle breaker control which socket or how radian heat system works if I didn’t follow him around.