Hi Roz,
I bought my first boat, a 1981 Catalina 22, without a survey and it worked out just fine. The boat was simple - outboard engine, nothing complicated on the interior (electrical, plumbing, etc), no thru hulls. The boat was on a trailer so I could inspect everything. The owner ran the out board so I knew that was fine. The sails were less than 10 years old, the deck had no soft spots.
I sailed the boat for a year, did nothing other than
paint the keel, and sold it a year later for $500 less than I paid for it.
Barry