At a recent dinner party at a neighbor’s home, the new homeowners started talking to me about their woes with a tree in their backyard. The couple purchased their home in the early spring and spent this summer in their backyard doing major landscaping renovations. It was during this yard work when they started looking more closely at their beautiful (and HUGE) oak tree that is situated very close to their home and noticed a large cavity at the base of the trunk, among other visual warning signs.

The home I bought didn’t have a tree on the property so I wasn’t sure if this was covered under a home inspection. So I asked if during the home inspection the trees, especially this gigantic oak, were looked at and learned this is not something that falls under a home inspection. Most home inspections are a visual review of items related to the physical structure of the home, typically not things like trees, pools or appliances, as these are more specialized types of inspections.

This particular couple ended up having a professional arborist inspect the tree. Their hunch was accurate: This tree was dying and needed to be removed. If you have a large tree on the property you are thinking about buying, here are some things to look out for. If you notice any of these issues with the tree, you should hire a professional arborist to inspect the tree and your Realtor® can help put you in touch with a local tree specialist.

Interested in learning what other areas a home inspectors doesn’t cover? Check out this article.

Main photo image credit: Flickr user NCinDC