Alabama's home inspection standard covers the trees on a property only when they're likely to damage the house, and it doesn't require anyone to predict whether a tree will fail. Here's what that means if you're under contract on a home in Birmingham, and what you can still do while the inspection window is open.

A free look and a paid tree assessment are two different products. Here's what each one costs in the Birmingham area, what the three risk assessment levels actually mean, and what 325 buys you.