Before you finalize your house purchase, be sure the house is in good condition. The best way is to have a professional inspection.

Inspecting the physical condition of a house is an important part of the home-buying process. Before you close escrow, you should have the property inspected -- to look for defects or malfunctions in the building's structure, such as the roof, plumbing, or foundation, and to detect pest infestations or damage. Even if the seller provides you an inspection report, it's best not to rely on this alone -- the seller may have chosen an inspector who's not known for rooting out problems.

Ask for disclosures before you get an inspection. In some states, such as California, sellers are required to disclose considerable information about the condition of the house itself and potential hazards to the property. If the sellers disclose problems about the condition of the house, you can ask your inspector to determine the extent of the problem. But this is just the beginning -- not all sellers know about problems with the house, or honestly disclose problems they know about.

When to Have the Property Inspected

Most buyers get professional inspections only after making an offer on the property. The offer is commonly made contingent on the buyers' approving the results of one or more inspections. After the offer has been accepted by the seller, the buyer arranges and schedules the inspections.

Although it's possible to arrange for professional inspections to be done before you make a written purchase offer, most buyers prefer to be in contract with the seller before spending money on the inspections. On the other hand, in a very hot market, having an inspection done before the offer can be a useful bidding strategy, allowing you to remove that contingency from your purchase offer.

Before paying for a professional inspection, you can conduct your own informal inspection. The best time to do this is before you make an offer, so that you can save yourself the trouble should you find serious problems. Your local bookstore should have several useful do-it-yourself inspection books available.

Hire a Professional Inspector

Hire a general contractor or home inspector to inspect all major house systems, from top to bottom, including the roof, plumbing, electrical and heating systems, foundation, and drainage. This will take two or three hours and cost you anywhere from $200 to $500, depending on the location, size, age, and type of home. Accompany the inspector during the examination, so that you can learn more about the maintenance and preservation of the house, ask questions, and get a real sense of which problems are serious and which are relatively minor.

Get a Pest Report

In addition to the general inspector, it's wise to hire a licensed structural pest control inspector, who will create a special pest report on the property. The pest inspector will look for infestation by wood-boring insects such as termites and flying beetles, as well as evidence of dry rot and other fungal conditions. Some general contractors are also licensed pest control inspectors, but they will of course charge extra for doing double duty. Be sure you get a written report of all inspections.

Consider Special Inspections

Depending on the property and your personal sensitivities, you may want to arrange specialized inspections for hazards from floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. If the general inspection revealed problems with the roof, foundation, or other areas that are hard to access or potentially expensive to repair, you may want to hire a specialized inspector. You may also want to hire inspectors to suss out environmental health hazards such as mold, asbestos, and lead.

After the Inspections Are Completed

If the inspection reports show the house is in good shape, you can proceed with the purchase, knowing that you're getting what you paid for.

If the inspections bring problems to light -- such as an antiquated plumbing system or major termite damage -- you can negotiate to have the seller pay for necessary repairs or to lower the purchase price, or you can back out of the deal, assuming your contract is properly written to allow you to do so.