​Trusting that the building inspector is fully investigating your future house is very important for many reasons. I spend a minimum of 90 mins looking over, through and around the property. Looking for issues that you did not notice at the 10 minute open house. I carry tools fit for the purpose of building and termite inspections with me at all times. The T3 Termatrac termite radar unit is used on all pest inspections looking for termite movement within a wall frame or flooring, and also a Tramex moisture metre to look for dampness issues that are attractive to termites. During house inspections, I use a Flir thermal camera for looking into walls for moisture irregularities, an electrical testing tool to check for correctly disconnected old wiring, a cavity camera for hard to see areas that require further investigation. I even carry a metal scanner for checking the location as well as the depth of steel rebar and mesh hidden in concrete slabs. This is important to determine if DIY concrete has been adequately constructed or if it will fail in just a few short years. I use laser measuring and levelling equipment to see if house slabs have subsided as well as checking for movement in walls.
The most important tool is the knowledge of what to look for and report on, this can only be had with many years of building experience. All the tools in my car are useless without training and experience.
To put it simply, if the building inspector you have chosen, just walks around with a camera, a pen and a piece of paper, you are probably not getting value for your money spent or a real report on the actual condition of the house.

Old electrical wiring is something that I test if it looks dangerous. I am not an electrician and all electrical work should always to be performed by an electrician, so my job as an inspector is to note issues in the report for you the purchaser to act upon if you buy the house. Often old electric water heaters or evaporative air conditioners are disconnected or removed from the roofing space in older homes. In most of these houses the wiring has been correctly terminated or disconnected. I however still do find  poorly insulated, cracked and exposed live wiring, or junction box's not covered from home DIY projects in quite a few houses. Accidentally touching any of these while crawling through the ceiling space can be hazardous. Electrical work when done by licensed tradesman is generally very tidy, with clips holding the wiring tightly back to the hanging beams and along rafters, additional wiring has been trimmed off when the cable run was installed. When wiring is seen coiled up you know that the work is sub standard or most likely it has been a DIY effort.
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