It always surprises me when I get this question: "Do I really need to get a home inspection?"
The easy answer to that is ABSOLUTELY, for a number of different reasons that all boil down to the fact that you want to know that you are getting a good home. I don't have this question come up too often, but every once in a while I will have a client that absolutely doesn't want an inspection, and most of the time, after pointing out all the benefits, they decide it is a good idea. But sometimes they still think it is not.
Let's take a look at one reason why someone would choose not to have an inspection: they had a bad experience in the past. One huge problem we have in the state of Ohio is that in our state home inspectors are NOT REQUIRED to be licensed.
I had a client who paid $400 for a home inspection. The inspector showed up for 20 minutes and gave a clean inspection report for the home. The client later found out that there were problems and the inspector was nowhere to be found. Although I don't know for sure that this was due to an unlicensed inspector, it would not surprise me if that was the case.
This highlights the importance of working with an inspector that has a good reputation, at the very least through the Better Business Bureau, and preferably a referral from someone that you know and trust.
The second reason and probably the most popular excuse to not have an inspection is the cost. In our current market the cost of a home inspection can range from $200 - $500 and sometimes more, depending on the size and age of the home.
That being said, also in our current market we have many sellers that are very motivated and willing to make repairs. Over the last year I have seen a sharp rise in the willingness of sellers to do repairs that a year or two ago they were not willing to do. This means that most buyers will at least make their money back (if not more) on repairs that they are asking the sellers to do, all due to a good home inspection. I have seen buyers save thousands of dollars because of an issue that may have been concealed in a crawl space or attic that would have been missed without a home inspection.
An inspection is an invaluable tool that cannot be substituted or glossed over, because if you do, you may pay later. When we look at a home we aren't crawling in the attic, flushing every toilet or walking the roof, but the home inspector will.
As a buyer, if you make the choice to not get a home inspection or get a 30 minute inspection done by a family member, you risk more than not having the seller do the repairs. When you try to sell the property in five years, the person who buys your house may have a professional home inspection and you may be the one that ends up paying for things that could have been taken care of before you purchased the home.
Bottom Line: Everyone Needs A Home Inspection
