If you’ve ever purchased a home and soon ended up shelling out big bucks for “unexpected” problems—a leaky roof, broken pipes, gnawed wood, foundation cracks—then you’ve learned, the hard way, the value of a thorough home inspection. Why not do it the right way next time? Hire Tom Blake of Blake Pre-Purchase Consultants. For 30 years, Blake has been inspecting properties in Westchester and Southern Connecticut; nearly all of his business comes from referrals. What makes Blake the best? “I take digital photos of everything as I go through the property,” he says, “so there’s no ambiguity about the findings. It helps the negotiating go more smoothly. I report what I see, I don’t use boilerplate reports, and I don’t just tell the clients what is wrong, but what could go wrong. Best of all, he answers to no one “except the client.”