Are you thinking about buying a new home? If so, hiring a skilled home inspector to examine the structure before buying is an absolute necessity.

If you're applying for a home loan, chances are a home inspection is required by your lender. But even if you're going to pay cash for your home and have no contractual requirement to inspect, not ordering an inspection could be a huge mistake.

A qualified inspector will check the foundation of the home, its roof, bearing walls, cellar (for unwanted water among other things), the existence of a septic system, and a myriad of other details. You also need to inspect for toxic substances on the property (you may be liable for its cleanup if you discover it after you purchase the property), and on a possible termite infestation. The latter is very important; a seemingly solid house can be weakened structurally, sometimes beyond repair, if a termite problem is not caught and resolved early.

Conventional practice is to make a specific offer on a home via a Purchase and Sales Agreement or other standardized legal form before ordering the inspection. If you are opting to have the property inspected, make sure you make a notation on the P & S agreement that your purchase of the home is "subject to inspection." That way, if the inspection turns up a major problem with the property, you have the option of backing out of the agreement or insisting that the current owner fix the problem at his expense.

An added advantage is that, if a problem pops up after you buy the property that your inspector missed, you may have recourse against the inspector. If you don't hire an inspector, you may have no recourse at all.

Your inspector is your first line of defense when you're buying a new home; be sure to take advantage of his expertise and protect yourself against owning a piece of property you may regret buying.