I learned from experience that it is a tremendous mistake to close on a homeowner loan prior to having a home inspection first. You shouldn't be trapped into thinking you can judge a book by its cover because the property looks fantastic on the outside. No one wants to find out they made a big mistake moving into a home where everything starts going wrong. Again, speaking from experience my wife and I replaced the central air and heating system, the hot water heater, the main electrical line to the range, had to repair the plumbing, discovered the basement leaked, and shortly thereafter, replaced the roof.

Having someone that you can trust working with perform your home inspection is a wise choice. Often it isn't something that goes bad instantly where you can hold the inspector accountable, like the house we bought that the roof needed replacing only a few years after we moved in. If we would have known this before closing on our homeowner loan we would have negotiated the replacement or at least a credit toward that. A cracked foundation can be hard to detect by someone that is not trained and can be a huge expense later. I discovered how important this was when I had water coming in our basement and ruining a brand new carpet that we just had installed after moving in.

The matter that more and more people are facing these days is mold and mildew. Don't hire a home inspector that doesn't have some knowledge of detecting this. In case you tell yourself you don't mind, you may never be able to sell your home if you discover it later. It will likely be the kiss of death if your home is discovered to have some in it. Run and do not look back if the potential home you want has mold or mildew in it. Canceling the purchase agreement is your only option once you discover it unless you are a fool.

Stay right beside the inspector as they go thorough you home. Now trust is not the issue it is only that you need to feel comfortable that they are looking at everything. Ask questions if you're unclear what they are finding. Are they looking up into the attic, in the crawl space beneath the home, the electrical wiring, the plumbing, the water heater, etc.? Did they go on the roof to look for signs of leaking or soft spots? Follow them around and verify with them.

Since your house will most likely be the biggest investment you make in your life it just makes sense to invest in a home inspection to know that everything is going to be fine. Again, it is worth it for peace of mind. As you can see it is important to add a home inspection as a contingency for purchasing the home.