The purchase of a property is one of the most important investments that you will ever make, and one that you may have made more than once. And, having a property inspected before the close of escrow is essential to that investment. A professional property inspection is not simply an economic investment but an investment in health and safety. For instance, you might learn that a roof is deteriorated and ready to be replaced or that a pipe is leaking and needs to be repaired. But, you might also be alerted to the presence of a suspicious substance that could be mold and a potential threat to the health of you and your family. However, you need to be aware that the average property inspector is not a licensed specialist, and that inspections are not technically exhaustive. For instance, a property inspector is not likely to be an indoor air specialist, a geologist, a structural engineer, a general contractor, a foundation contractor, a heating and air-conditioning contractor, or a licensed plumber or electrician, and will not have specialized knowledge. To use an analogy from medicine, a property inspector is a trained professional but not a specialist. And it is essential that buyers understand this, and thereby have reasonable expectations about inspections and inspectors. So, what can a buyer reasonably expect from an inspector?

Property inspectors agree to accept for a fee the considerable responsibility of evaluating and reporting on the complicated conditions and components that make up a property, with the understanding that the inspection service has limitations. Regardless, one of the most important things that you can do as a buyer is to share any concerns that you might have with your inspector, whether the concerns are personal or about the property itself. For instance, if you or any member of your family suffers from allergies or asthma you should share this so that the inspector can take even greater care in the evaluation of components and conditions that can affect air quality. Similarly, you should share any negative experiences that you might have had with previous properties so that the inspector can hopefully spare you a repetition of that negative experience. Now, let’s look at some important aspects of a property inspection and understand what you can reasonably expect.

It is unlikely that the house you are buying is perfect unless it is brand new, and even then the chances of it being perfect in every respect are slim. The older a house is the greater likelihood of defects and deficiencies, not only because of the wear-and-tear that occurs through time but because of the significant advances that continue to be made in building technology. Given these advances, and the extremely complicated issue of building codes and local regulations, you should not anticipate that your inspection will be technically exhaustive. As indicated earlier, your inspector is like a general practitioner, or someone with sufficient knowledge to alert you to the need for the services of specialists. However, let’s consider some fundamental concerns affecting all properties regardless of their age.