If you are looking for a house to buy, informal and formal home inspection service should be part of your home buying process. This will prevent you from suffering stress and spending a lot of money in the future.

You can do an informal house inspection before hiring a professional home inspector. This will save you professional house inspection fees, as it would be costly to pay a professional home inspector for every house that gets your attention. You can also ask the homeowner or the broker for disclosures on the house condition. In California and in some other states, home sellers need to inform buyers about certain house conditions including potential hazards to buyers.

Even so, you still need to do your own informal and professional house inspection because there might be potential problems that the sellers do not know or did not tell you.

The professional house inspection can be done before signing the agreement to buy the house. If the contract is signed before house inspection, the validity of the contract must depend on the result of the professional house inspection.

When choosing a house inspector, check the website of the American Society of Home Inspectors. You can also ask your neighbors and friends for recommendations. Do not ask recommendations from your real estate broker, as the broker-recommended house inspector might prioritize the interests of the broker. General contractors are often good home inspectors, as they know how houses are built and how defects in construction arise.

Accompany the home inspector during the inspection process. Good inspectors check all the major parts and systems of the house, such as plumbing, heating, ventilation and electrical systems. They also inspect the roof, drainage and foundation. Their fees depend on the size, type, age and location of the house to be inspected. It can range from $250 to $500.

Aside from the general house inspection, you should also have a pest inspection. Some general home inspectors are also registered pest inspectors, but they usually charge an additional fee for pest inspection. The special inspector will check termites, flying beetles and other wood-boring pests. They will also check rot and other wood fungus infestations.

There are also specialized home inspections available if you want to be certain about several hazards, such as lead, asbestos and mold, and about the strength of the house to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. If the general inspector identified problems in certain parts of the house and you still want the house, you should hire inspectors that specialize in those parts. The special inspector will tell you the extent of your future repairs.

Finally after the general and specialized house inspections are completed and the inspectors did not find any major defects, congratulate yourself because you have already found your dream house. But if the house inspectors found major defects, such as termite infestation or defective plumbing systems, then you should negotiate with your seller to have the defects corrected or the price reduced.  John Cutts