In today's housing market, a home inspection can wake up buyers to what "as is" really is and give them a negotiating edge that could lead to cash or repair concessions. For sellers, a home inspection serves as an anti-haggling tool and keeps the dickering down to a roar. An inspection is also for new homes, given new home defects aren't just incidental. It's also a good tool to use to assess a home's integrity after a natural disaster, including flooding, an earthquake, a wind or rain storm. Finally, a home inspection by home owners who aren't listing their home for sale can let them know every few years what maintenance or upgrades they need to perform.

Studies have exposed newly built single family homes with construction problems related to the building envelope; framing and structural elements and in the plumbing and electrical systems. As homes age, given the life expectancyof certain syatems, the home inspection grows in importance. Within 10 years, foundation settling could create drainage problems; by the age of 20, appliances are well outdated and the roof and wood components exposed to weather and moisture could need replacing; at 30 years the HVAC system will likely need replacement. Older historical or architectural significant homes can develop structural problems and need restoration. Safety hazards that crop up in older homes include old sliding glass windows that are not tempered safety glass, missing smoke alarms, and missing pressure relief valves on water heaters or boilers.