When purchasing property many would often think that older people are the best victims, erg I mean sellers ( holds Chuckle), they are probably more desperate to sell and know less about the value of their property however this is where you are very wrong, old people are generally less likely to sell that many other groups, when approaching older sellers always ask why are you selling, how long have you been living here and are there any problems with this property (ofcourse they are going to answer everything positively) , the next step is to seek proper inspection of the property, as a famous Yellow skinned character once said (come on its Bart) never trust the Elderly and he said it for good reason. No one does a better job at covering things up and playing on someones emotions than the elderly do, always request a full house inspection when dealing with them.

In the United States and Canada, a contract to purchase a house will often include a contingency that the contract is not valid until a home inspector has inspected the property (and the contract will usually provide for how problems found in inspection are to be remedied). In many states and provinces, home inspectors are required to be licensed but typically, licensed professional engineers are exempt from home inspector licensing since their license to practice engineering covers home inspections. Typical requirements for obtaining a license are to complete an approved training course and/or to pass an examination selected by the state's licensing board. Several states and provinces also require inspectors to periodically obtain continuing education credits in order to renew their licenses.

A home inspection is often referred to as an ?engineering report?, although many home inspectors are not licensed professional engineers. The essential difference between a home inspector and a professional engineer is that the professional engineer can offer opinions based upon engineering judgment and can design specifications for repair or reinforcement of a structural deficiency, although engineering design is typically outside the scope and fee structure of a standard home inspection. Either way, anyone entering the home inspection field should be trained in the unique discipline of home inspection. Assuming that the home inspector or licensed engineer has been properly trained and has sufficient experience, either person should be able to provide a satisfactory, detailed inspection of a property. Moral of the story, old people know how to cover up things better than you so always approach them as knowledgable sellers or else you will be the one wanting to retire.