Recently we heard from a new homeowner who thought they knew exactly what they were buying after having the house fully inspected by a home inspector. To their surprise, when they called in a contractor to do some renovations, the contractor found numerous errors and mistakes made by the home inspector.

Sadly, the house is going to be much expensive to renovate than was initially budgeted for.

In this blog entry, we try to give you some things to think about during a home inspection.

1. Seasonality of Inspection - When you have a home inspected prior to purchase, consider the season that the home inspector is working in . For example, if it is winter and the roof is covered in snow, how can the inspector properly judge the quality of the roof ? If this is the case, try and get documentation from the homeowner on the condition of the roof, the warranty, and the last time the roof was worked on.

2. Knob and Tube Wiring - It is very difficult for a home inspector to determine the extent of knob-and-tube wiring in a house. Often, you will get an estimate percentage from the inspector. Since the inspector can’t rip out the walls and actually see the knob and tube, their determination is made based on the plugs and switches.

3. Hiding the house’s faults - As a home inspector’s visit to your house is brief, often they can miss things that have been hidden from the inspection. A common example of this is when homeowners paint their foundation walls to hide mold and leaking.

4. Home inspection liability limitations - Remember that the inspector is not liable for missed items during an inspection. They are only liable for the amount of the actual cost of the inspection, so before you agree to the results of their inspection, make sure there isn’t anything you think they’ve missed .

5. Insulation in the Attic - This is one area often missed in an inspection. Due to the difficulty of getting into the attic, the volume, type and quality of the attic insulation is often not included on an inspection.

So what is the end result? Home inspection services are very useful and can give the homeowner peace of mind when making a decision on buying a home. However, given the nature of the job, it is important to choose a home inspector with experience, not just the cheapest one. There are some really great home inspection companies out there to choose from. Please try to keep in mind some of these lessons during an inspection.

For more information on home improvement visit The Home Renovation Guide - http://www.homerenovationguide.com - The complete guide to home renovation.