Trade group encourages inspections

The American Society of Home Inspectors, a 31-year-old, national professional group with 6,000 members, reported 1.6 million homes were sold in the United States without a home inspection last year.

"One of the top five mistakes home buyers make is to forgo a home inspection prior to the purchase of their house or condo," said Frank Lesh, ASHI president.

The trade group offers these few guidelines to help home buyers:

Locate an ASHI certified inspector by visiting ASHI.org. Consumers can locate an ASHI Certified Inspector by specialty, language spoken or ancillary services provided.

Confirm that the inspector is an experienced residential inspector and check his or her references. Whether you're purchasing a house or condo, there is no substitute for experience.

Identify how long he or she has been a home inspector and how many inspections he or she has completed.

ASHI certified inspectors are required to have completed at least 250 paid professional home inspections and pass two written exams that test the inspector's knowledge of a home's major systems.

Determine what the inspection and inspection report will cover. Make sure the inspection complies with the ASHI standards of practice (the industry standard) available online at ASHI.org.

Attend the inspection. Home inspectors should encourage homeowners/potential homeowners or interested parties to attend the inspection. It's a valuable opportunity for the homeowner or potential homeowner to learn more about the property at hand.