To Paraphrase James Brady, "Killer Trees!"

Most people get their home inspected when they look to purchase one. You want to make sure your new home isn't full of hazards and potential money pits. You'll seek to have all the major systems checked out: electrical, plumbing, gas connections, the roof, the crawl space, the attic, the siding, windows, floors, appliances when they'll convey and slabs when any evidence presents itself that there might be issues under them. You'll pay attention to dated elements, room flow, open concept versus the kitchen being dark or isolated. You might pay attention to the driveway and other paved areas, although I'm sure for many that is more likely to be an overlooked afterthought. Your inspector will almost certainly bring up issues with any decking and even point out drainage issues in your yards. Chimneys will get enough attention for the average inspector to recommend you get a certified chimney professional out to give it a better look. You might even pay attention to the strength of your mobile phone signal and the proximity, for better or worse depending on your perspective, of the nearest cell towers. You may also pay attention if those monstrous high tension overhead power lines run close by. You'll likely want to know if the property is in a flood zone. You'll definitely make sure a termite inspection has been done and might even test for radon. There's one element however that I'll bet few of you pay any attention to. THE TREES! We're now in our second house and for both homes combined, EVEN counting a paid roof replacement (We didn't luck out with a hail storm to get it for free), the single biggest source of expense for us has been, you've now guessed it, our arboreal work. Trees are a maintenance nightmare, especially when they're old, tall and sickly. The worst, at least by us, are the gangly loblolly pines and cedars. Every couple of years we find ourselves pouring 4 figures down the storm drain to get trees pruned and removed. A tree that's fine this year, may be in distress two years later. A tree that was already kind of iffy two years earlier is suddenly an overnight nightmare that has to come down right away. And everything else in the house has to take a back seat to them. They cannot be ignored. You dare not ignore them. Substantial limbs will not just hurt, but kill whoever they fall on. Just a big limb, let alone the whole tree can come crashing through a roof, crush a car and worse. You have to have your trees inspected regularly, no different than your AC system or termite inspections. So word to the wise, add a good arborist to your pre-purchase home inspection team.