# Home inspection

> A home inspection is a review of a home’s physical condition by an inspector you hire before closing. How it differs from an appraisal and how to use it.

URL: https://mortgage-math-us.com/glossary/home-inspection/  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-29 · By the MortgageMath US Editorial team

## Quick answer

A **home inspection** is an evaluation of a home’s physical condition, especially its structure and mechanical systems, by an inspector you hire before closing. Unlike the appraisal, which the lender orders to confirm value, the inspection is for your protection, and the CFPB recommends getting one.

## Using the report

If your contract has an inspection [contingency](https://mortgage-math-us.com/glossary/contingency/), you can cancel without penalty when the results aren’t satisfactory, as long as you act before its deadline. More often, buyers negotiate: the seller makes repairs, lowers the price, or gives a credit toward closing costs, which counts as one of the [seller concessions](https://mortgage-math-us.com/glossary/seller-concessions/) your loan limits. If major repairs are needed, the lender may require them before closing or ask you to fund a repair account. Without a contingency, the report still tells you what to budget for.

## Choosing the inspector

Hire someone who works for you, not someone paid by another party to the sale or paid only if it closes, since that can soften the findings. Check references and your state or county licensing rules, which vary. Schedule the inspection as soon as your offer is accepted so any specialist checks the inspector recommends, such as for pests, radon or a sewer line, fit inside the contingency period, and attend so you can ask questions on the spot.

## Related terms

- [Appraisal](https://mortgage-math-us.com/glossary/appraisal/), the lender’s valuation
- [Earnest money](https://mortgage-math-us.com/glossary/earnest-money/), which a missed deadline can put at risk
- The [appraisal and inspection guide](https://mortgage-math-us.com/buying/appraisal-and-inspection/)

## Sources

- [CFPB: Schedule a home inspection](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/close/schedule-a-home-inspection/)

_General information, not financial advice._