They're not useless. They're designed to find non-obvious issues that might have structural or safety implications. I've bought and sold a few houses, and most

They're not useless. They're designed to find non-obvious issues that might have structural or safety implications. I've bought and sold a few houses, and most homes I've looked at either have obvious disqualifying problems, or are in fairly good repair; in the former case the inspection would reveal obvious problems, in the latter there would be none to reveal. It's when they do find something important that they show their worth. They're also useful for getting the seller to correct minor problems so they don't become major problems (here in the midwest that usually equates to preventing water from getting into the structure)