Home Inspections

2 Things I learned last night at a home inspection:
1. All 9 inch tiles have asbestos in them.
2. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have immunity to trim the part of your neighbor's tree hanging over the property line on your side. Yes, you can trim it -- BUT you can also be held responsible should the tree die in the near future.
As with all things Real Estate, get it in writing from the neighbor first.

Yes, You always have a home inspection. Always. Even if it is a new build.
I love attending home inspections, they're usually such a learning experience. My buyers always attend home inspections. The Buyer can learn things about their home that may take them several years or more to figure out or find out, often the hard way.

What can you expect to spend on a home inspection in Central Ohio?
About $250, sometimes more, sometimes less.
What about out of town clients? I attend the home inspection for them and take copious notes and often pictures to accompany the notes.

A home inspection offers an "out" on your purchase offer. Typically the buyer's offer will include a paragraph or two that says the offer is contingent upon a satisfactory home inspection. A Home Inspection takes about 1.5 - 4 hours, depending on the home's size and the inspector. If you find something that you don't like, that you want to be fixed prior to purchasing the home, you ask for it to be fixed in what is often called a "request to remedy".

Does the seller have to abide by your request and fix the situation? In a nutshell, no. They can fix some of the things on your list and not others. They could fix all of the things on your list. They could fix none of the things on your list but offer to reduce the purchase prices by X amount to cover the cost of those repairs. It's all part of the negotiations involved in purchasing a home.
Of course, they could also refuse to remedy any situation at all in which case you could walk away from the deal. We're not talking about cosmetics here though, only material problems to the home, usually involving safety or structural integrity. Purchasing a home is often a buyer beware situation ala what you see is what you get.
With a professional home inspection you see much more than you might have otherwise. I'm happy to recommend a competent home inspector.