As summer heads into its last phase many home buyers who have been browsing and shopping begin to make final decisions and submit purchase offers. They’ve toured homes, they’ve looked up information about the local schools, and they’ve compared prices. At last – while they still have an opportunity to complete a move before the kids are back in the classroom – they are headed for the home stretch. But one of the most critical events between the signing of contracts and the closing transaction at an attorney or title company office is the home inspection.

Others who already own their homes are finishing up warm weather home maintenance projects and errands this time of year. They may want to consult with a professional home inspector to ensure that there are no hidden problems lurking and waiting to manifest. They, too, can benefit from the insight of a home inspector. Whatever the motivation or need may be, there are many reasons to seek out a good home inspector during the late summer months.

But some of those relate to more exotic or unusual types of issues such as those that specialized inspectors deal with on a daily basis. Keep in mind that just as no two properties are exactly alike there is also some significant variety within the home inspection arena.

There are special home inspections, for example, that a homeowner can order for the sole purpose of investigating the potential presence of environmental hazards. Someone buying an older home, for instance, may want to hire a licensed environmental inspector to check for evidence of asbestos. Although the use of asbestos is now prohibited in construction materials it was once quite popular and its application was widespread. Many homes now on the market have asbestos flooring, siding, or insulation.

The current owner may not even be aware of the asbestos, either, because sometimes it is not easy to detect. In Victorian era houses, for example, one of the common features is authentic plaster work. Plaster has a distinct antique appearance and many buyers appreciate the old-fashioned aesthetic and practical durability of a skillfully applied layer of plaster. But what most people do not realize is that lots of vintage plaster contains asbestos fibers that were mixed into the plaster slurry in order to help the mud-like material bind together better with more structural integrity.

If asbestos used in any way, shape, or form is disrupted it can enter the atmosphere of the home where breathing those minute particles may lead to serious health consequences. The asbestos can be easily dislodged during a simple repair, renovation, or the normal wear and tear that happens by living in a home. But a qualified and experienced environmental inspector can detect asbestos materials and can even take readings of the air quality inside the home to determine whether or not there are any unhealthy levels of asbestos.

Environmental inspectors and inspectors, who are trained to offer these additional services, can also check for harmful radon gases. Radon is a type of organic gas that often rises up from beneath a home to threaten the health of occupants. Radon is invisible, colorless, and odorless, but environmental inspectors have meters and gauges that can detect it. There are also numerous stains of toxic mold that are often found in homes, and some of these can even be lethal. To be well informed and well protected from such hazards a homeowner or home buyer can enlist the help of an appropriately trained and certified inspector whose particular area of expertise is environmental issues.

Other specialized inspections will cover the issue of harmful pests and insects. Not only can these inspectors look for wood-eating termites but they can also be hired to check for signs of wood-boring bees, disease-carrying rodents, or other troublemakers.

Many homeowners can, for example, suffer extensive and expensive damage from carpenter ants. They may even see ants but not realize that they are the species that devours wood. Wooden siding on a home may look perfectly normal to the untrained eye while it is being silently destroyed from within by a busy colony of hardworking and hungry carpenter ants.

These kinds of inspectors – and other inspection specialists – can also offer useful and valuable home maintenance tips. That way homeowners are more keenly aware of potential threats and can check for visible symptoms that might alert them to call in a professional for a closer and more thorough investigation.

So whatever the field of home inspection expertise may be or whatever kinds of concerns you may have as a homeowner or buyer, check with your local professional home inspectors. They can help. The services offered by the home inspection industry are varied because the issues that can impact your property are also diverse.