Home inspections--to get one or not to get one...that is the question.

Many people are unaware what a home inspection is, what it does, and what it's all about. When buying or selling a home, there's an option to hire a home inspector to find out if there are any issues that need to be taken care of prior to closing.

Most home inspectors will charge for a home inspection based on the square footage of the property. The average price in this part of Florida is about $250-$300. The home inspector will inspect the entire home, including the electrical system, A/C, heating, plumbing, roof, and if any appliances are part of the sale, they will inspect those as well. With current technology, they are now able to take pictures of any problems they find and add them to their report findings.

While it is not mandatory to get a home inspection, I recommend it to all my buyers. Some buyers have bought homes before, and are confident they know what to look for and choose not to pay for a professional home inspection. It is definitely a personal decision.

In an home that's being bought "as-is" (a fixer-upper) it's a good idea to get one so there are no surprises. Even though, in a case like this, the seller will not make any repairs, if you find the repairs will cost you too much, you can choose not to buy the property.

So is it a good idea for a seller that's getting ready to put their home on the market for sale to get a home inspection? Once again, that is a personal decision, however, the advantage of doing this is that, as the seller, you can fix any problems ahead of time. Once completed, you can make this inspection available to your potential buyers, and show receipts/work orders where any issues were taken care of. If the buyer chooses to also get another home inspection, that is their decision, and they would have to pay for it.

How about getting an inspection on a newly built home? As always, it is a personal decision, but just like with older homes, an unbiased inspector can uncover issues that were forgotten or neglected--minor or major, so that the builder can take care of it quickly. While the assumption is that newly built homes have no problems, there is still that possibility that something wasn't finished or connected or attached properly, and if you're not sure what to look for, an inspector should be able to find it.

The home inspectors I've also worked with have also are very good about educating those at the inspection about things they look for in their new home.