My parents raised me with the notion that you don’t cut corners with important purchases in life.
You don’t move into a house with a massive discount if the plumbing is bad or the home isn’t up to code.
This is why you always find a private home inspector even if the sellers offer to do their own before you sign the documents to buy the property. I knew a family once that was hosed on a house purchase when they discovered a horrible roof leak that the sellers hid. There was water leaking behind a massive desk and shelf cabinet that was attached to the wall in the home office. When the structure was pulled back from the wall it was bolted to, they found a 10 by 12 foot black mold stain. It was a horrible situation all around, but it was in part possible because they chose to forgo getting an outside house inspection themselves. But I’m just as guilty of cutting corners with important matters regarding my home. Last year my old air conditioner reached its 18-year mark. I had planned on replacing it before reaching that point, but I kept having to spend my savings on car repairs and medical expenses. When the a/c was struggling to keep up with mild temperatures, I knew it was time to finally replace it with a new system. Unfortunately, I opted to go the cheaper route and chose a system on the lower end in terms of power and performance. I didn’t think a stronger air conditioner was worth the cost, but I was wrong. Now I can’t afford another air conditioner for at least a decade and I’m stuck with one that isn’t powerful enough.