CHARLOTTE, NC - Preston Sandlin, a home inspector for more than a decade, has seen it all. Some of his more memorable discoveries: a cigar box used to house electrical work. A water bottle used to plug-up piping. A metal trash can shoved over a chimney. He says, "I definitely would not buy a house without an inspection.” Yet, as the housing market crumbled and now is slowly regaining traction, budget-minded buyers continue to opt-out of home inspections, saving about 400 bucks up front, but in the long term? Sandlin says, "We had a house that had $60,000 dollars worth of damages. If that person tried to save 400 bucks...I'm not good at math, but I can figure that one out!" Sandlin says right now, one in ten home buyers closes without an inspection. Five years ago, it was one in 100. Charlotte Realtor Donna Anderson is also seeing the trend, saying "I do believe this decision from buyers to forego the inspection is because of the economy and the recession." Anderson says home buyers purchasing a new home sometimes forego inspections, too, assuming "new" means "problem free.” Anderson says, "I had a client, it was new construction, and they did have an inspection and the inspector found a problem that could have cause major problems.” Sandlin recalls problems with new homes, too, saying, "I would say a house that's two years old is in better shape than a new house because by then they've figured out some of the stuff that's wrong." The only time experts say you might get away with skipping an inspection is if you're buying your parents home and you know exactly how it's been maintained. Even then, Sandlin says, "If you're going to cut back on something, that probably really wouldn't be the thing." If you do get an inspection, sometimes there are still undiscovered problems. Experts recommend contacting the inspection company first and if you don't get any relief there, call the Department of Insurance