Inspections to add professionalism

A new state law that will take effect this month will require home inspections by members of a national home inspection association.

The state's Home Inspection Law, Act 114, is the result of efforts by Pennsylvania real estate agents and home inspectors to add professionalism to the burgeoning industry.

A majority of residential real estate transactions include home inspections, in which a professional visually inspects the interior, exterior and roof of a house and provides a written report on the home's condition.

Of the 6.7 million homes sold last year, nearly 4.9 million were inspected as part of the transaction, according to a recent survey of the American …