In order to understand why you need a home inspection it is best to first understand what a home inspection is and is not.  That sounds like a pretty basic question but you would be surprised by how many people are misinformed about home inspections and their role in buying and selling real estate.

I’m sure that I don’t need to tell you that the purchase or sale of a home is a major financial transaction or that there are plenty of pitfalls to be avoided. Information is your best tool for avoiding those pitfalls. As a  buyer, there are many tools to help you learn more about the home you are trying to buy. For example, the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure documents, the Home Owners Association documentation, the City or County Building Permit records and the State or Local Zone Disclosure Maps. It’s smart to take advantage of these tools and learn as much as you can about the property before you close the transaction. A home inspection is just another one of these tools. Technically speaking, it is a limited visual inspection by a generalist in a limited time frame on a given day and time. The scope of the inspection is where people get confused. The idea is for the inspector to take a look at the major systems of the home and get a picture of the overall condition and report on what he or she learns. A home inspection is not a warranty or guarantee of the home; it is not all inclusive or all comprehensive. That type of inspection just couldn’t be completed in the limited timeframe available to the inspector. However a home inspection is another one of those tools I mentioned that the buyer can and should take advantage of to help to lower the risk involved in the purchase of a home. You wouldn’t buy a used car without having it checked out by a mechanic and a home is certainly a more important purchase than a car. And that’s why you need a home inspection.

Bottom line: No one can guarantee that your home purchase will be a wise one but the informed buyer will minimize his or her risk and stack the odds in his or her favor to help to protect their investment. Learning all you can about the property is a great way to do that.