Home inspector advises buyers to focus on structural basics

Home inspector Jolene Lomnes' job starts before she even sees the house she's been hired to investigate.

"I look at it on Google Earth, I look at the MLS listing to see how many times the property has changed hands and if the value has jumped significantly," Lomnes says.

Lomnes owns Informative Home Inspections, a company she formed five years ago after watching a home inspector work in a house she and her then-husband were about to buy. It was her third house purchase following a varied work history. She worked as a first mate on a charter boat in Florida, operated heavy equipment on construction sites, supervised concrete installation and did store fit ups — turning a retail space over from one company to another. She also worked in security at the Kenneth A. Kesselring Site, a Navy nuclear training facility in Milton, but gave it up because of the monotony and long hours.

Before taking the state exam required to practice in New York state, Lomnes apprenticed with another inspector. She says her goal is to educate and protect prospective home buyers, not to please real estate agents or expedite a real estate transaction.

"Your house is where you experience life, where you get better when you're sick, where you make memories. It's an investment like no other because it's tied to your health and wealth," Lomnes says.

Working for herself fits Lomnes' personality and straightforward manner. She speaks with colorful language and jokes about trips to Sephora with her daughter - "I'd rather go to Home Depot. I know where everything is!"

Now divorced with two teenage children, Lomnes recently bought her first house as a single person. She picked a simple ranch, solidly built in the 1940s. Nothing fancy.

Lomnes' status as a woman in a traditionally male profession evokes...