Conducting a home inspection is a vital step before making the commitment to purchase a home. You stand to lose thousands of dollars if your new investment suddenly has structural or other issues that you were not aware of prior to purchase. It's not enough to conduct your own home inspection - you need a trained professional to do the checking for you.
Most lending programs require that a property is professionally inspected before final mortgage approval. Home inspection requires the services of a qualified and experienced professional. When selecting a home inspector cost should not be the only determining factor. He or she should be experienced and knowledgeable with performing home inspections, as well as understand local building codes and government building regulations.