This inspection is simply for the home buyer who wants to know below they buy what is really there. Inspectors are used to being able to see clues that an untrained eye cannot. That is the real difference. The inspector is looking for what is there that should not be, or what is not there that should be. A person working in the construction industry can see things an untrained eye will miss. That is all.

As the inspector gets along doing his inspection, turning on and off taps, checking light switches, he might see something that looks a bit odd, out of character. He will then take a closer look at it. An example might be simply checking under the kitchen sink for leaks, and as he does that he notices one of the screws holding the door seem to be covered with dirt. That should not be there. So he then he scrapes the dirt and sees there is no screw there at all. Then he closely investigates all the other screws on the door to find out why there was a missing screw. He then checks all doors very thoroughly. His findings of this micro-scrutiny then go into his report.

Another example might be that he sees a verandah post that is partially buried in the ground. That is wrong as it allows termites to access the post without being seen. So now he checks the integrity of this post very carefully, and the other posts near it. He taps the timber, pushes the sides firmly. He looks are the light reflecting off the post, looking for ripples that might indicate that under the paint it has been eaten away. In other words, his investigation skills become heightened when he sees something that is not meant to be there. If nothing else he reports about the post, that is meant to be elevated above the ground, with the steel stirrups exposed so that termites can only get to it with mud tubes that are easily seen from outside.

A good inspector will also be able to give you the contacts of people who can do remedial work, and he will guide you to a good solution. A good inspector will not try to kill your sale by showing how good he is. If he finds something he will simply make you aware of it, and how to fix it, and so on.