The average home inspection ranges between $200 and $500 (roughly 1/10 of 1 percent of the cost of the average home).  Another way cost is determined is by square footage of the home and the year of construction.  You may also want to ask what services this price includes.  What are additional costs of radon testing, well flow, septic walks, etc?  Also, is there a surcharge for travel out of the inspectors area of coverage?

The suggestion that foregoing a home inspector and employing licensed trade professionals such as electricians, plumbers, etc. would be more beneficial to the consumer is misleading.  In my opinion, this would be an extremely difficult and expensive method of inspecting a home. To hire the necessary professional tradesmen to inspect the various components of a residence would easily exceed $1,000-$1,200, and the coordination of having all of the various licensed tradesmen at the residence within the same three hour timeframe for a typical home inspection would be very difficult to arrange. A second and very important consideration, is the impartially of this method. Will the consumer get an objective evaluation from someone whose business it is to install or repair the various systems and components in the residence?

Another aspect of using a professional home inspector is the complete base of knowledge required.  Many times a buyer knows a friend who has experience in a specific building trade.  The buyer believes he will just ask the friend to perform this important task.  The issue then becomes how complete will his inspection be?  Although, he may be an expert in one area, e.g. heating and cooling, is the friend qualified to evaluate the electrical system or the structural system?  A professionally trained home inspector will always have a more complete wealth of knowledge to adequately assess a prospective home purchase.

A home purchase is one of the most expensive items you’ll ever consider. While all costs in the purchase need to be considered, taking chances with a less than acceptable home inspection may cost you a lot more in the long run.