Bermudian engineer Philip Mason has established his own engineering consulting company, Mason and Associates Ltd.

Home inspection is one of the services the new firm is offering and Mr. Mason, the firm's founding owner and director, said he was offering "a new kind of peace of mind".

He will undertake full home inspections that cover everything from the roof to the tank; including electrical and mechanical systems and components. The on-site evaluation can take between two and three hours and Mr. Mason promises a full written report within 48 hours.

"We want to do a better job with fewer clients and have purposely positioned Mason and Associates Ltd. as a small and personal, but client focused, efficient and professionally responsible business" Mr. Mason said.

Lenders in the US insist on buyers getting a certified home inspection before closing and Mr. Mason feels the tightening of the credit market will make lenders even that much more cautious.

"Sellers and home owners are starting to see the advan"Sellers and home owners are starting to see the advantages of being proactive and ordering a pre-listing inspection of their homes." said Mr. Mason. "In this buyer's market a pre-listing home inspection report may help sellers stand above the crowd and sell their homes faster."

Mr. Mason, a registered professional structural engineer began his career at the Ministry of Works and Engineering as a design engineer and left in 1995 as the principal structural engineer.

He then joined his brother to build the Island's first brewery before moving in 1999 to Louisville, Kentucky, where he spent nearly a decade.

Mr. Mason returned to the island in 2008 as a consulting structural engineer and senior project manager for Woodbournes Associates Ltd.

For more information, go to www.mason.bm