A home inspection answers one crucial question.

"Is this house worth the investment?"

Before you buy a home you should have it checked out by a professional Home Inspector. You're probably thinking "Buying a home is expensive enough as it is! Why would I choose to fork over hundreds more if I'm not required to?"

Home inspections are used to provide an opportunity for a buyer to identify any major issues with a home prior to closing. Your first clue that a home inspection is important is that it can be used as a contingency in your contract with the seller.

This contingency provides that if significant defects are revealed by a home inspection, you can back out of your purchase offer, free of penalty, within a certain timeframe. The potential problems a home can have must be pretty serious if they could allow you to walk away from such a significant contract.