If you use a conventional loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, a home inspection may be optional. Home inspections are required on government-backed loans like FHA and VA. Whether or not it’s required, though, a home inspection is highly recommended by experts. The inspector could find structural or systemic problems you’d want to know about before buying the home. And even if everything checks out, the inspector’s report would let you know how many repairs to expect in the first few years of homeownership.