What a great week walking through open houses and looking at the homes in your dream neighborhood! You have been searching for your dream home and have finally found what may be your next castle, palace, paradise, and place of residence!! But hold on for a second, have you had the home inspected by a professional home inspector? How do you know if there are any problems lurking with this home?For first time buyers and even repeat buyers home inspections are a crucial part of the home inspection period, maybe even the most important.

Some questions you might want to ask your real estate agent are?

1. How do I choose a good home inspector for the state or province that I live in?

2. What are the qualifications and background of the home inspectors that I am looking for. Ask them and get it in writing if possible.

3. Find out where your home inspector went to school, what type of licensing they have, and how long they have practiced in the field. What kind of a report will they provide? Do they have a background in construction, architecture, engineering etc.

One final note of importance, make sure that your real estate agent has been practicing in the field for several years and actually cares about you as a lifelong client. A good real estate agent will help you in the interviewing process because they want you to be a life long / long term client, have good home appreciation, and buy a home that of course they will be able to resell!

Review your home inspection carefully and work with your agent and other advisors to deduct if this home even after seller repairs are made will be worth it to you.

A home inspection may cost you $250, but a good home inspection is priceless if you want to really have an expert opinion about the home you are considering purchasing. Many people think that they don't need or can't afford a home inspection. The question I pose is will you be able to afford thousands and thousands of dollars of repairs after the home closes escrow and something that could have been detected by a professional home inspector was identified and corrected by the seller.

Why take on the seller's lack of maintenance, when you can use this as a negotiating chip in the home purchasing process. Employ the best realtor that you can too, it will make all of the difference, ask them for their professional resume!

Protect your families interests and consider consulting with your professional representation on how you can prevent this most common problem in the real estate industry. Of course consult with your own legal counsel, real estate agent, accountant, and other professionals and advisor's relating to this articles content. The author of the content of this article accepts no responsibility for the implementation of this articles content and it is purely for informational purposes and for informing the public about potential issues relating to consumers and the real estate negotiation process. Please consult your professional counsel about implementing any of this information for your individual situation first. All situations are unique and very different consult your attorney or real estate professional representation before considering to use any of the above information.