Years ago I heard a very popular motivational speaker say these words of wisdom. “You can only be really good at what you do if you specialize in that one area. So many people try to be a One Stop Shop and they quickly find that they are overextended.” His advice has helped me to consider what is best for my clients. For this reason I decided early on that I would be the best Home Inspector I could be and concentrate most of my resources on the Home Inspection.

So many firms claim that they are Certified Radon, Mold, Water Quality, Asbestos, and Lead experts when in reality those certifications are one or two day courses that are given by Jimmy Jacks Certification Company. For the benefit of my clients I use only Nationally Certified Laboratories (EPA / NEHA) for theses services. I do the testing on site (and have been trained) according to their protocols and send the tests to their Labs for evaluation. Wouldn’t you want a National Lab that has hundreds of thousands of dollars of professional testing equipment and trained technicians to test the results for your home? Sometimes it takes a little longer to get the results back (usually no longer than 3 days) but they are exact. Will you trust something as critical as the health of your family to an overextended home inspector who may be in a hurry at the time of the Inspection and gives you inaccurate testing.

I concentrate on the Home Inspection. There are hundreds of points to check at each inspection and it takes a high level of concentration to properly evaluate all areas. The Home Inspection is conducted according to the State of North Carolina Standards of Practice and the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors Standards of Practice. The N.C. Standards of Practice Report Compliance Worksheet is followed religiously because in a two--four hour (on average) home inspection it is imperative that all points are covered and nothing is overlooked.

The Home Inspection includes the following systems:

• Foundation and Structure (including any issues with the building site)
• Roofing
• Exterior of the Home
• Electrical System
• Heating Systems
• Cooling Systems
• Insulation and Ventilation
• Plumbing System
• Interior Systems
• Appliances
• Fireplaces / Woodstoves

Tom Cooper specializes in three areas of home inspections, pre-listing home inspections for the owner selling his home, buyer’s home inspections for persons buying new or existing homes and builder’s inspections for newly constructed homes.