CA Down Payment Assistance. There are lots of reasons for first time home buyers to skip the appraisal, survey and home inspection, and all those reasons are in the form of dollars. If you are looking for a first time home buyer home loan, you may be having some trouble with the entire process. Many home buyers confuse the appraisal, survey and home inspection. If you're looking at a particular first time home buyer program, a home inspection may be required. The appraiser will make an inspection of the home and property, but remember that appraisers are generally not trained in home inspection. Many first time home buyer grants also require both home inspections and appraisals. Again, the purpose is to protect both the home buyer and the lender. Even if you have a perfect credit rating, a lender is taking a chance on a first time home buyer.