Every home that is offered for sale, whether it is brand new construction or a hundred year old historic home, should be inspected for your protection.
An inspection is meant to evaluate the structural and mechanical condition of the property. It is not the same as an appraisal, which evaulates the market value of a property. Persons involved in real estate transactions need unbiased information about the physical conditions of property they plan to buy and your contract should include a contingency that you obtain a satisfactory inspection report. The inspection report is a buyer's expense, paid at the time of the inspection and usually costs around $300-350.