What's the difference between a home inspection and an appraisal?

They're easy to confuse, but they serve completely different purposes and people. An appraisal is ordered by your lender to confirm the home is worth what you're paying, protecting the bank's loan. An appraiser does a relatively quick walkthrough and leans heavily on comparable sales in the area to arrive at a value, they're not crawling the attic or testing the furnace. A home inspection is for you, the buyer. It's a detailed, hands-on evaluation of the home's condition and the safety and remaining life of its major systems: roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, structure, and moisture. In Coon Rapids that means actually checking whether the panel is an FPE, whether the furnace is on borrowed time, or whether the basement shows water history. An appraisal will not tell you any of that. You generally need both: the appraisal to satisfy your lender, the inspection to protect yourself from expensive surprises. Skipping the inspection to save money is one of the costliest mistakes a buyer can make. The two reports answer different questions, and only the inspection gives you negotiating leverage on repairs. Build a free instant quote to get the inspection side handled before your contingency deadline.