We used Neil Muckler for our home inspection and he was really thourough and provides a nicely formatted inspection report with lots of pictures.
Whoever you use, get the inspector lined up ASAP as both you and the seller will want an inspection first thing.
I honestly don’t remember what our earnest money was, but I don’t think a larger amount will make any difference as you would just get it back if the deal fell through.
From what I understand, the way offers are written, you can get out of it as a buyer for pretty much any reason except “I just changed my mind”.
One tip on showing seriousness – Writing a letter to the seller customized to the particular property. Sounds corny, I know, but there are people out there you will be competing with that just throw out a bunch of offers after the weekend and don’t have time to write a customized letter, so it may stand out for the seller.
