What must home inspectors avoid when inspecting roofs to ensure safety?

When inspecting roofs, home inspectors must prioritize safety by avoiding situations where they could potentially cause damage. Accessing roofs that could be compromised by structural instability, weather conditions, or material deterioration poses a risk not only to the inspector but also to the property itself.

Choosing to refrain from walking on or inspecting these precarious roofs helps prevent accidents and avoids further damage to the roofing materials. It's crucial for inspectors to assess the condition of a roof through visual observation techniques and safe methods that might not involve direct access, especially when concerns about safety arise.

The other options, while relevant in the context of a roof inspection, do not directly pertain to safety in the same way. Documenting the age of the roof and checking for overhanging trees are important aspects of a comprehensive inspection but do not carry the same immediate concerns of physical safety. Observing the roof from the ground, though a safe practice, may result in missing critical issues that could be identified through closer inspection, although that approach still maintains safety in certain scenarios.