Buying a house can be your single most significant lifetime investment. If you're thinking of buying, you'll need a professional survey to check the structural integrity of the building and to ensure that the asking price represents value for money.

A building survey is like an MOT. After all, would you buy an expensive used car without a thorough mechanical check-up by a qualified expert? Only a chartered surveyor is a fully-trained and experienced property assessor and valuer, backed by a professional organisation and a comprehensive indemnity policy.

Some properties require specialised surveys but for most buyers the standard Homebuyers' Survey is the most suitable. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors publishes guidelines on the types of survey carried out by its members. Click on The Right Kind of Survey to find out why a building society's mortgage valuation isn't necessarily sufficient and to learn about the survey most suitable for you.

Derek Mills operates from his fully-computerised, hi-tech office (a barn he converted himself) in the hamlet of Crafton, just a stone's throw from the historic town of Mentmore, where he has been practicing continuously for the past 24 years.

Read more by clicking on About Derek Mills.