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Over 5 million homes are expected to sell this year. 

That means it’s a good time to put your home on the market or start searching for your dream house. As a buyer, you want to make sure the house you’re getting is in good condition. As a seller, you want potential buyers to feel confident about their purchase. 

So who pays for a house inspection?

It depends. 

Keep reading below to learn more about the cost of house inspections and who pays for what.

How Much Does a Home Inspection Cost?

A home inspection costs a flat fee of $350. This cost covers the inspection of every part of your home, including extra features like an unattached garage or a swimming pool. 

And you don’t have to worry about hidden fees.

Why not?

Because the inspection costs a flat fee. That means the specifics of your home won’t make the price go up. You don’t have to give a second thought to any of the following: 

  • The location of your home
  • The size of your home
  • The age of your home

Regardless of where your home is, how big it is and how old it is, $350 will cover the inspection. 

As long as you have enough money put aside to cover the initial cost, you’re ready to get your home inspected by a professional inspector.  

Who Pays for a Home Inspection?

When you add the base price of a home inspection with all the different “hidden” expenses that can crop up, things start to sound pretty costly. 

So who pays for all this: the seller or the buyer?

There’s no easy answer to that question. In some cases, a buyer might pay for a home inspection. In others, a seller will cover the cost. It depends on your personal circumstances. 

We’ve broken down the times when a buyer and a seller will pay for a home inspection below. 

Let’s take a closer look. 

When the Buyer Pays

The buyer almost always pays for a home inspection.

After all, home inspections were designed to protect buyers from unknowingly purchasing a bad home. Because of this, it’s the buyer’s responsibility to pay for this service. 

The seller has no obligation to get their home inspected before they sell it. The choice is up to the home buyer alone. 

When the Seller Pays

Although the buyer pays for home inspections in most cases, there are a few times the seller can pay for a home inspection. 

If a seller wants to make their home more attractive to buyers, they might order a home inspection themselves. This will make buyers feel more confident in the home and could potentially speed up the selling process. 

A seller will also pay for a home appraisal. This is different from a home inspection, but it is similar. We will go into more detail about appraisals below. 

Is There Any Negotiation?

Again, it’s the buyer’s responsibility to pay for a home inspection. However, if the inspection shows any serious problems with the home, the buyer can then negotiate with the seller. 

For example, they can ask the seller to pay for the repairs before go ahead with the deal. The seller doesn’t have to comply with this request. 

If they don’t agree to pay for the repairs, the buyer can either walk away from the deal or continue to purchase the house anyway. 

What’s the Difference Between a Home Inspection and an Appraisal?

When a seller wants to borrow money from a lender to help cover the cost of selling their home, the lender will hire a third-party property appraiser to get the market value of the home. 

The information the appraiser gets from the home belongs to the lender—but buyers can get a copy if they want one. The appraiser doesn’t complete a home inspection, but they do look at similar things. 

And the seller is the one who pays for it. 

The cost of a home appraisal is also similar to the cost of a home inspection. The seller can expect to pay anything between $300 and $450. Again, this price can vary depending on the location and size of the home. 

In many cases, the seller will have to pay that amount to the lender before the appraiser shows up at the property.  

Do You Have to Get a Home Inspected Before You Buy it?

Neither a buyer nor a seller is required to inspect a home before purchase. However, it’s a good idea to get a home inspected before going ahead with the deal, especially for buyers. 

Home inspections can uncover problems you didn’t know where there. That means they can protect you from buying a home that would end up costing you thousands of dollars in repairs later. 

For sellers, home inspections are less important. If you want to attract more buyers and make them feel confident about your home, you can pay for a home inspection. 

Buyer vs Seller: Who Pays for a House Inspection?

So who pays for a house inspection?

In most cases, the buyer will pay for a home inspection. A seller only has to pay for a home inspection if they want to provide potential buyers with that information. 

Are you getting ready to get a home inspection for a house you’re interested in buying?

Make sure you click here to learn what types of questions you should be asking during the process.