Posted: Dec. 17, 2006

Jan Fecteau wasn't worrying about unstable foundations, leaky roofs, carpenter ants, rotting beams or tainted soil when her real estate agent took her to look at a quaint Cape Cod in Delmar, N.Y.

She noticed the home's price tag fit her budget and its location was close to her job. More importantly, she liked the look and feel of the house. What Fecteau didn't think to do was locate a reputable home inspector to check the underbelly of the house.

Like many home buyers, she trusted her real estate agent to find one for her. Only later, after home inspector Paul Doyle found termites in the basement ceiling, did Fecteau realize the critical importance of an inspection.

Home inspectors warn buyers of potential problems, but they can also help sellers improve the marketability of their homes by pointing out needed repairs.

"We are sometimes dream breakers," said Jason Micare, an Altamont, N.Y.-based home inspector for nine years and vice president of the local chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors.

Micare's job is a critical, but not required, link in the home-buying process. The inspection is deemed to be so necessary that nearly all real estate agents and attorneys advise their clients to have the home inspected before a sale is completed.

Micare says more than half of his clients are from broker referrals and the rest are people who have contracted him before, were referred by real estate attorneys or found the company on the Internet or in the phone book.

In most cases, Micare is called to inspect a home after a contract has been signed by the buyer and seller, during what is known as the attorney-contingency period. The contract could be scuttled by the buyer during this time if an inspector discovers more than ,000 worth of problems with the structure's roof, foundation, heating and cooling systems, plumbing and electrical systems, walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors.

He said nearly every home he inspects has at least some kind of electrical issue. Carpenter ants and termites are often to blame for bigger problems. He often sees homes, especially starter homes, that have been updated by amateurs, often by men who fancy themselves as handymen but who lack the knowledge needed for serious repair.

"I see a lot of nice kitchens that are held together by glue and paper clips," he says.

Buyers can expect to pay around 0 for a home inspection. Many inspectors are also trained to do pest, radon, well and septic testing, which can cost another 0, according to Micare.

Micare has seen plenty of money pits. He once found more than ,000 of previously undiscovered termite damage in one home.

"It's difficult to tell a young couple who have found the house they like that they shouldn't buy it," he said.

In Fecteau's case, an exterminator fixed the termite problem, the home was reinspected and the biggest purchase of her life was completed.

Real estate agent Dee Jones has seen the repercussions of not-so-thorough inspections. Several years ago, she sold a home with foundation issues that went undetected during an inspection. The buyers of the home put the house back on the market last year, only to learn of the serious structural issues from a different inspector.

Jones said the homeowners later sued the home inspection company they initially hired when they bought the house. Micare cautions buyers not to rely solely on their real estate agents to find qualified inspectors.

During the now-cooled housing market boom, a new breed of inspector with no experience began cropping up in the area, he said.

Beginning in April, home inspectors were required to take the National Home Inspectors Exam. Micare said the test has proved counterproductive.

In the past, trainees had to possess a technical background, know someone in the business and perform 500 to 1,000 inspections with an American Society of Home Inspectors-approved inspector.

ASHI-certified inspectors also have to pass the National Home Inspectors Exam, an ethics test, become a pesticide technician and annually submit proof of continuing education. Newcomers now only have to pass the test to be certified. That doesn't mean they have the knowledge or experience needed to be a home inspector, according to Micare.

"I could spend 10 hours alone on teaching the specifics of a water heater," he said.