Home inspections and appraisals play key, but separate, roles in the home-buying and -selling process. A home inspection is primarily intended to protect the prospective buyer from purchasing a home with structural defects and other major problems. The home appraisal is meant to protect the lender from paying more than the house is worth. What Is a Home Appraisal? The bank requires that a proper...

Private mortgage insurance, also called PMI, is a type of mortgage insurance you might be required to pay for if you have a conventional loan. It is supplemental insurance that many lenders ask home buyers to purchase when the amount being loaned is more than 80% of the value of the home. Very often, this additional payment is folded into the monthly mortgage payment and is quickly forgotten. T...