Before buying a previously owned house, a buyer can follow humorist Dave Barry’s home inspection check list from his “Homes and Other Black Holes” guide, which includes testing for “floor levelness" by suspending a rock from the end of a string. "Ideally, it will point toward the floor," says Barry.

"If it points somewhere else, such as toward a wall, this is often an indication of nonlevelness." No use checking the plumbing, he adds. "It will work perfectly. It always does when you inspect it, because plumbing is one of the most intelligent life forms on the planet. . . . It will wait until after you have bought the house (to break down)."

Or, a buyer can get serious and hire a professional home inspector, such as Craig Knudsen of Schaumburg, one of two inspectors who comprise the Elgin-based HomeSpec USA Inc.

Home buyers hire Knudsen and his partner, Rick Mattern of Elgin, to inspect their potential purchases after signing contracts with inspection contingencies.

Knudsen says he recognized the need for home inspections after watching his former secretary buy a money pit of a house, sans inspection. "Everything that could go wrong did," recalls Knudsen. "If she had had an inspection before she bought it, she could have known the house needed sewer and furnace repairs and new windows. Or, she could have backed out of the deal."

This is a second career for Knudsen, who spent 28 years in the financial services field before joining Mattern, a commercial building engineer he met through his wife, Nancy. He credits Nancy and Mattern's (wife), Andrea Kingsland, for helping launch the business and writing the company brochures.

Knudsen took a course through an organization that certified him as a home inspector. But he learned home construction years ago from his father, a homebuilder. "I grew up helping him do home repairs," says Knudsen. "A lot of the Gen X kids who are buying houses today didn't do that."

Add in the Age of Litigation, and the market is ripe for home inspectors, even though inspections are not required by law.

Knudsen and Mattern work together, believing four eyes are better than two. They inspect no more than two homes a day, spending at least three hours at each. These detectives only work during daylight, when clues such as foundation cracks are visible. The ideal time to visit a house is right after a big rain, says Knudsen, when leaks are obvious.

On top of Knudsen's minivan are ladders of different lengths. Inside are the tools of his trade--a flashlight, carbon monoxide and gas detectors he uses at various points in and out of the house, a moisture meter that can read through drywall and roof shingles and a change of clothes. "It can get grubby, crawling around basements and attics," he says.

The team begins outside a house, the client at their side to hear home-repair suggestions. ("If an inspector doesn't want you along, get another inspector," says Knudsen.) They check the roof, one of the most costly home-repair sites, for curling or deteriorating shingles. While they're up there, they make sure vents are secure, gutters are clean and tight and no trees offer wildlife access to the house.

They check the foundation, siding and trim, showing the buyer where caulk is needed. They note whether the yard slopes away from the house or funnels water into the basement.

Then they head for the garage, where they check for holes in the firewall that separates the garage from the house, test the garage door opener and look for floor cracks. They make sure no critters have set up housekeeping in the garage attic.

Inside, the kitchen offers plenty of potential problems. They run the appliances and open and close drawers and cabinets. "In the kitchens and bathrooms, we tell the buyer he should have ground fault interrupt circuits to prevent electrocution," says Knudsen. "Most homes older than 15 years don't have them."

In bathrooms, they examine loose tiles, spongy walls around tubs, clogged drains and broken fans.

In the basement, they check the furnace, water heater, sump pump and water softener. "Ninety percent of furnaces need servicing," says Knudsen. Then they scan the electrical and plumbing connections for jury-rigging by the Tim Taylors of the world.

Many clues are concealed in closets, which homeowners rarely paint, and attics, where the homeowner rarely ventures, says Knudsen. This past winter was especially hard on attics, he says, because two blizzards produced snow that flew sideways through attic vents and melted into ceilings and walls.

Although their inspections help make the buyers beware, they can't predict every future home repair. "We don't have X-ray vision. We can't see through walls," says Knudsen. "But we can offer an objective, unemotional assessment that has nothing to do with the color of the carpet or whether or not the buyer's dining room table will fit."

Note: Mr. Knudsen has retired from HomeSpec USA, Inc.

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