Carlsbad buyers, whether you seeking your first home or are someone who is more experienced, there will be situations that arise when you had better call in the professionals.

Buyers should always have a home inspection completed on a prospective purchase, even if it is new construction. This is a vital piece of your buyer due diligence. You want to know what you are buying, in terms of needed repairs, deferred maintenance, and material defects, plus it’s a good way to gain an education about the home you are buying and its systems.

Having a home inspection is especially important in the case of short sales and foreclosures where the homes are typically being sold “as is.” Read more about buying a short sale.

But there are other times when buyers should call in the professionals.

The home inspector may uncover substantial issues, such as electrical defects or safety hazards, leaks in plumbing fixtures, heating or AC units that do not function as they should, and occasionally more serious issues such as cracks in the slab.

The home inspector is just that. S/he is not a licensed trades person, generally, so their knowledge about how defects should be repaired, the causes of those defects, and the repair costs is limited. And legally they may not be able to give you that sort of advice.

As a buyer, how do you address these problems?

Calling in the professionals (a licensed plumber, electrician, HVAC vendor, roofing contractor) will enable you to gain a better idea of the nature of the problems, how they can be addressed, and the potential costs (some will do estimates for free, others will charge a fee to be subtracted if you engage their services). Given the hourly rates that the trades charge, knowing these potential costs can make a difference in your decision to buy, since these repairs, if significant, could end up costing thousands of dollars and you must take them on yourself after the purchase.

• You always have the option to negotiate having some repairs taken care of by the sellers, or making a price adjustment. However, the seller may not be willing to do this, or may take care of only some of the issues that concern you. Having documentation from a licensed trades person may help determine how much you can negotiate, and can better support a price reduction or a credit at closing.

• In some cases, a significant enough issue, or series of problems, may prompt you to decide the home is more than you are willing or able to take on.

• And bear in mind that lenders may not provide loans on homes that have substantial issues such as cracked or unstable foundations.

One further point on calling in the professionals. In California it is customary for the seller to have a termite inspection done and to take care of any issues, although this is subject to negotiations (but not mandated by law). If this is not done for some reason, you should definitely call in a professional to make sure there are no wood-boring pest problems. If there is infestation and/or damage these issues will need to be addressed appropriately (BTW most lenders will require that a home receive a clearance from a licensed inspection company that infestation has been addressed). Read about termite tenting here.