Drive carefully and don't get pulled over by a cop on your way to your first inspection (like I did!). (No, I didn't get a ticket. He stopped me because of a cracked windshield.)

Don't get carried away only looking at small stuff. Remember to take a look at the big picture. When you arrive at the house step across the street and take a look at the overall house. Is the ridgeline straight or sagging? Are the walls and porch columns plumb? (You can use nearby objects as a point of reference.) Does the yard slope away from the house?

Find a system that works for you and stick with it. I like to make the introductions and start the dishwasher. Then I move outside - site, exterior and roof. Next I do the major systems - electric panel, furnace, A/C, water heater. Next I inspect the house from top to bottom; that way if there is a plumbing leak I am likely to notice it when I move to the level below.

Part of your system will be how you move around the house and rooms. I like to work clockwise. I may start my exterior inspection at the front door and make my way to the left and all the way around the house back to the front door. (Sometimes it is a good idea to also inspect the other direction to catch things you might not have noticed the first go around.) Once inside the house I inspect each level the same way - clockwise. I inspect each room clockwise. If you stick to your system you are less likely to miss a room or something in a room.

Don't walk away from running water for obvious reasons. (I plead guilty to doing that and making a mess.)

Don't let the buyer and especially the agent or the seller control your inspection. Tell them to hold their questions or comments until either you get to that room / item or until the end of the inspection. Agents and sellers are notorious for being sensitive to anything negative you report (for obvious self-serving reasons). Expect agents and sellers to question things you report. They may be especially prone to question your findings if they know this is your first inspection. One way to address this is to have the agent (or seller) sign a statement that the item in question is not defective and the agent (or seller) takes responsibility for the item. Don't expect to actually get any takers for this offer.

Take tons of photos. Digital photos are essentially free. You are sure to forget to look at something or miss something and you will be glad to have a pic that shows what you missed. (Example: Does the house have soffit vents? I don't know because I forgot to look. But right there in that otherwise useless pic of an exterior wall I can see the house does in fact have soffit vents.)

Don't forget and leave the oven on.

Before pushing the button to open the garage door make sure it has not been latched or locked at the track.

Don't worry too much about your first inspection. You will do fine. Let us know how it goes.

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"Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand." Leo Durocher
Bruce Breedlove
www.avaloninspection.com