A home inspection is a very important part of the real estate transaction and is is a third-party inspection of a home that you are buying to help you know what possibly is wrong with the home prior to closing.

The home inspector will put together a report that outlines all of their findings. The report will look over all the major components of the home and tell you about anything that needs repairs, is damaged or isn’t working.

Remember, a home is sold as-is and no home is perfect.  In fact, most reports have 30-40 items listed.  The seller is not obligated to fix anything, so as a buyer, you should review the list and decide if the issues with the home would prevent you from buying it.  

You can request the seller repair some items.  It's a negotiation and each buyer and seller are unique.  We find in most cases the seller will agree to fix some of the items on the report, but not all,  or they may provide a price concession versus doing the repair.  

Home inspections aren’t required, but we highly recommend one. In most cases, we have negotiated an option period in your contract so you can do an inspection.  

Also, the inspection is a general overview of the home.  If you want more in-depth information, you can hire additional inspectors to do a deeper check of foundations, HVAC, termites, and much more.