I'm an architect and know buildings pretty well and I still always get an inspection. I stay by his side as he does everything... crawl into the attic and crawlspace alongside him (if feasible.) This helps to know what issues there might be even if they do not affect the purchase of the house. Also, if you're going to negotiate to have anything fixed by the seller, it looks better if it is coming from a certified inspector.

As for the age of the house... so many new houses are built like crap.

When I bought this house, the broker said an inspection had already been done. I said that I would like to see it and I also noted some things that I noted that needed fixing.

The broker did nothing and I should have walked when I found out at the closing. Since then, I have found many more things that the owner failed to disclose.

This was a house build in 1983 and was only five years old when I purchased it. A bunch of high school trainees could have done a better job. In addition, the building inspectors never looked but just signed off on the work.