Are you in the market for a new home? As a first time Montreal home buyer you have a lot on your mind.

Not only do you have to locate the right property in a good location, you also have to secure financing, find a good real estate agent, work out a reasonable commission, make sure that all documents are in order and more.

In the midst of all this, and also in the excitement of acquiring a home for the first time, a home inspection may be forgotten, or swept aside because it is not considered very important in the larger scheme of things.

This is a trap that many people fall into only to regret later. Montreal home inspectors can save you a lot of money and grief down the line.

What exactly is a home inspector and what do they do?

When you locate a property that you think will be suitable for you it is normal to get very excited. To most people, it seems like incredibly good luck that they have managed to locate the "perfect property". They will go around from room to room and check if everything is in place and they will also ask the seller if everything is working as it should.

What they forget is that a property has 2 parts - there is what you can see and there is what isn't obvious to the naked eye. While what is plainly within view may look perfect, what isn't may be far from it. In fact, for most lay people a property that looks to be in good working order may be far from it once a professional inspection is carried out.

Residential home inspectors are professionals who are trained to look beyond the surface of a property. They will check everything to make sure that it is built to last and works as it should. Many people will not bother to hire a home inspector because they assume that if there are any problems they are capable of detecting them, but what you should always remember is that a person who is trained to detect problems in properties an see a lot more than you can.

They can end up saving you from buying a property that will become a problem before too long.

What are the benefits of building inspections?

Before you decide that you don't want to incur the costs of Montreal building inspectors consider the following benefits:

You provide yourself with an exit clause. Imagine that you find a great property and get into talks with the seller. You agree on a price but before you write them a check you have a home inspector come in and look at it.

They are bound to find problems that you may be willing to fix, but if they find more than you can live with you can tell the buyer that there are too many problems with the property and you are no longer interested in making the purchase.

A home inspection can reveal all sorts of safety issues with a property. Many people don't know it, but some homes contain mold, carbon monoxide, radon and more. These are problems that are expensive to deal with, not to mention the risk they pose to any occupant of the home.

A home inspection can reveal these problems and save you from buying a useless property.

Illegal installations are a common problem - some homeowners will add to their property without bothering to check the local zoning laws. If you buy such a property and your local law catches up with you you will be liable to fines not to mention the upheaval in your home - the illegal extension will likely have to be demolished. A proper inspection will tell you whether or not all the additions to the property are legal.

If you will be buying a property in S-is condition you may assume that you shouldn't bother with an inspection - after all, you are already aware that the house has issues that need to be fixed. Even for this kind of property it is important to get an inspection. True, you know that there are existing problems, but do you know the extent of those problems?

Home inspection services can help bring down the cost of your property by a significant amount. It isn't unheard of for sellers to set high prices for their homes in the hope that buyers will not be too keen on looking into the actual condition of the property.

A proper home inspection may reveal that there are several things that need to be fixed and based on this you will be able to negotiate for a lower price. At the end of the day, a few hundred dollars spent on a Montreal home inspector can help save you tens of thousands of dollars.

It is never a good idea to buy a property before you do a projection of future costs. You will need to know how much you will spend every year on upkeep and maintenance so that you can plan your finances accordingly. A home inspection will reveal the true condition of the house so that you know exactly what needs to be done to keep it looking good.

Would you ever make a significant investment without looking into the risks? Before you commit your money you want to know all the possible pitfalls so that you can decide whether or not you are willing to assume those risks.

When you are buying a home or commercial property the same logic applies. You should know all risks that you can be expected to assume in future. An inspection may reveal that they are more than you can safely bear.

Home inspections are vital if you want to get your home properly insured. The best insurance company will insist on knowing the condition of any property before they insure it. Good home insurance is vital to protect your newly acquired asset, and the only want to make sure that you are properly covered is to have a proper home inspection done.

When many people buy a property they worry about what problems they can expect ahead. Are there any lurking problems that will cost a lot of money? Are there any issues that can lead to considerable loss? A home inspection is a good way to get pace of mind. Once you have it done you will know exactly what you are getting.

What steps are involved in a home inspection and what should homeowners do?

The best time to have a home inspection done is when you have identified a property and struck the deal but before you pay out any money for it. The property will have been reserved for you, and if you are happy you can go ahead and close. However, should the home inspection reveal anything you are not happy with you can pull out of the deal without any additional cost to you.

As for what you should do before a home inspection, here is a checklist that you can use:

• When you are drawing up a contract for the purchase of the property make sure that the home inspection contingency is included so that you can pull out of the deal if there are issues you are not happy with. Check the dates of your contract closely - home inspections should be done within a limited time of signing the sales agreement, usually one or two weeks.
• You should come up with a list of everything that you would like the home inspector to look into. If you are buying a home for the first time you can ask a professional to help you come up with this list or you can seek the help of friends or family who have experience buying properties.
• Find a good home inspector. They should be certified to do home inspections and they should also have lots of experience. Present them with the list that you have come up with and make sure that they are agreeable to doing all the checks you would like. A good inspector is known for his honesty - he will tell you the exact condition of the property in a report that he should present to you within a few days of completing the inspection.
• Make sure that you take time to read the inspection report. This is not a document that you can cast aside to look at later. You should check the report against all the items on your list and then read it thoroughly to see what areas of the property have raised concerns.

Lastly, just to be on the safe side you can get additional inspections. This may be necessary if you are worried about any particular areas of the property. You can have additional inspections done for asbestos, pests, mold and mildew, sewer and drainage and geological and anything else you are concerned about.