You've found your dream home. But don't buy before ...

Your house has been sold, pending an inspection. Now the tough part begins. Here's the drill: Two vehicles pull up outside your front door. From one, out steps the real estate agent, client in tow. From the other emerges the most feared face in real estate sales: the house inspector.

House sales without an inspection report are rare these days. Yet just 25 years ago, it was rare that anyone even bothered to have one.

Ren Molnar, a retired Ottawa inspector who co-hosts a weekly how-to reno show on CFRA radio, says when he decided to get into the business in 1981, he looked around and found one full-time house inspector in Toronto, one in Montreal and a couple in Edmonton. No one was doing inspections on a regular basis in Ottawa, he says.

Now the phone book is filled with the names of house inspection firms.

Kanata inspector Phil Bottriell, owner of Property Inspection Network Ltd., believes two factors conspired to create a market for house inspections: the discovery that 1970s-era aluminum wiring could be problematic without installation of copper tails, and the banning of urea-formaldehyde foam insulation.

Buyers wanted an expert to warn them of electrical and insulation problems. Good real estate agents recognized the need. It was a consumer-driven trend, says Mr. Bottriell.

The movement gained momentum faster in the United States, so when Ontario inspectors decided to establish standards, they borrowed from the American Society of Home Inspectors. Courses were established at community colleges. Algonquin College has one of the best known in Ontario. It follows the Ontario Building Code and includes courses on heating, plumbing and electrical systems.

Once a student has completed the course, the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors conducts a defect recognition test. Those who pass become associates and are allowed to conduct inspections. After chalking up more experience, an associate can apply to the association to become a registered home inspector.

Ontario leads the country in inspection standards and in recent years the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors was formed to implement national standards.

As a buyer, you rely on the house inspector to help you determine whether to fork out the money for the biggest, most expensive purchase of your life.

Once you put down your money, the house is yours, along with repair bills, renovations and general upkeep. You want the best information possible to help you decide whether you're doing the right thing.

As the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. puts it, inspectors look at a home as a system, at how one component of the house affects the operation or lifespan of another.

Mr. Bottriell says he likes to walk around the outside and across the roof before beginning his inspection of the inside. Inside the home, he moves from bottom to top, reviewing the attic last.

Outside, the inspector will ascertain how old the roof is, whether eaves and downspouts are operating and whether drainage is adequate.

Inside, the CMHC says, the inspector checks electrical, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, plumbing, insulation, floors, ceiling and wall finishes, windows and doors.

Mr. Bottriell says a good inspector welcomes a tag-along buyer. He wants the buyer to be well-informed and he encourages questions. Sometimes a buyer will ask about something the inspector might not have even noticed, he says.

Depending on the type and size of the home to be inspected, costs range from about $300 to $400. Then there's a long list of things inspectors don't check for. It'll cost you extra to have inspections for such specifics as radon gas, mould and well-water quality.

The seeds of Mr. Molnar's career as an inspector were sewn when he bought his first house in 1966.

"I ended up tearing apart the plumbing," he laughs. "I began hearing other people complaining about the condition of houses they'd bought."

Yet few were doing anything about it.

In 1981, when he started his inspection business, he won two jobs. The second year, he did 10 inspections. Then he began his first radio program and learned there were a whole lot of people out there with horror stories connected to house purchases. The phone began to ring. "I think I did 180 inspections that third year."

Mr. Molnar is an outspoken critic of what he believes is a too-cosy relationship between real estate agents and some inspectors. If agents recommend certain inspectors, he fears, those inspectors might tend to "be kind" to the vendor.

But Mr. Bottriell doesn't see it that way. He says agents make referrals all the time and no inspector worth his salt is going to be influenced by that.

The inspector won't tell a buyer what to do, says Mr. Bottriell. He or she is there to point out the cold, hard facts. The decision to purchase or not is purely the buyer's.

Yet a home inspection can make or break a real estate deal. And they've broken many.

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Hiring An Inspector

Here are some tips to follow when hiring someone to inspect a home you plan to buy:

Word of mouth: Real estate agents or friends can offer prospective names. Check websites and telephone pages.

Experience: Ask how long the inspector's been in business and how many inspections he/she has completed.

Qualifications: Ask about schools attended and courses taken. Professional house inspectors come from many backgrounds, says Phil Bottriell. Find out as much as you can about your inspector's background, whether in engineering, construction or building trades.

Proof: Ask to see evidence of an inspector's membership in the provincial association.

References: Make sure your inspector comes with references, then check them for conflicts. Inspectors' professional code of conduct prevents them from being associated with a construction or house-related trade. They can provide you with their opinion about required work, but always get independent quotes before getting it done.

Fees: Does the inspector solicit, receive or give referral fees? If so, find someone else.

Night owls: The CMHC advises against nighttime inspections as some outside defects could remain undetected.

More information: The inspector could provide you with Web links to the association, provide company details, list qualifications or describe other services the firm offers.

The report: Following the inspection, the inspector should give you a verbal report, then provide a detailed written report within 24 hours. Topics include exterior components such as roofs, flashing, gutters, chimneys, downspouts, wall surfaces, foundations and grading; interior items include electrical, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, plumbing, insulation, flooring, ceiling and wall finishes, windows and doors.

Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

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