Are you buying a house? It's an exciting time for you and it is also a time to proceed carefully. Uncovering potentially expensive repairs now will allow you to maintain the level of enthusiasm you have for this house long after you sign the final papers to purchase it.

You will need to arrange for a home inspection by a licensed professional engineer (P.E) so that you can identify defects in your prospective home.

Here are five strategies to help you identify defects that could be overlooked in the purchase of a house:

1. Visit the Inspect America website. http://www.inspectamerica.com/
This site is a wealth of information for you to understand when buying a house. One of the best features of this website is their extensive checklist for home inspections. You can print off all the pages and put them in a binder for you to identify house defects. There is a place to write notes as well as an actual checklist.

Be aware that the note at the checklist says:
"This Handy Home Inspection Check List Will Help Make House Hunting Easier. This Home Inspector Checklist Is Not A Substitute For A Qualified Home Inspector, But It's A Good Place For A Home Buyer To Start To Become Familiar With Home Inspectors."

You will need a detailed report from the licensed professional engineer. This checklist is information to orient you to the defects you can encounter.

2. Listen to the expertise of a qualified licensed professional engineer (P.E) home inspector.
There are businesses out there offering their services for home inspections, but you should hire one with the P.E. certification.

3. Be sure to be there for the inspection so that you understand all aspects of the inspection. This is more helpful than reading a report of the inspection.

4. Get a full written report from the inspector telling you, in detail, what is wrong, why it's wrong, and what must be done to correct the identified defects. That checklist described in the #1 strategy is just to orient you. You will need an actual report, not a checklist when it comes to having real information to create that total picture of the house's condition.

5. Maintain your relationship with the licensed professional engineer so that you can go back to the engineer with further questions, advice, and direction later on.

Buying a house that you carefully select, have inspected, and arrange to purchase can be a satisfying experience. Identifying defects, especially the hidden ones, can eliminate much

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