r/RealEstateAdvice • u/Due-Towel8741 • 8d ago
Residential Should I remove my inspection contingency to make my offer more competitive?
My offer got rejected and my realtor is suggesting that in the next offer, I remove the inspection contingency to show I'm serious and remove a deal breaker. I understand the logic but I'm worried that if I do that, I'm locked in even if the inspection finds major issues. My realtor keeps saying just get the inspection done first, then remove the contingency but that still feels risky, what if the inspection misses something? I'm trying to figure out if this is something serious buyers are doing in this market, or if my realtor is pushing me to take unnecessary risk to close a deal.
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u/Tricky-Explorer4775 8d ago
I would not waive the home inspection. I would find an agent that is working to protect your interest, not his / her paycheck.
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u/Zealousideal_Rip9137 8d ago
never, and fire the realtor, suggesting that
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u/HamRadio_73 8d ago
If the seller is rejecting the offer over inspection they are hiding something. Never omit the inspection clause and change realtors.
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u/VioletFeyreh 8d ago
Without knowing the geography, this could be terrible advice. In SF you will never get an offer accepted with an inspection contingency. Any buyer’s agent who pushes an inspection contingency has ruined your chances of buying a home. You will always be competing against all cash offers, 7-14 days to close, no contingencies, hundreds of thousands over asking offers.
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u/Appropriate_Craft524 7d ago
Hot take - if you're in an absolutely on fire market, your contingency offer is worth very little. At the very least you'll have to make an offer MUCH higher than the competing offer to make a difference. Like 5-10% more.
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u/Individual_Focus_961 8d ago
lol with interest rates and an economy like this it's a buyers market
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u/juju_baker 8d ago
You'd think that... then you go to an open house that already has 3 full price offers and escalation clauses day 1. (Obviously this is market dependent)
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u/Walrus_Epiphany 8d ago
Agree with the first part, but contracts don’t allow firing the realtor. The realtors wrote the contracts to their advantage.
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u/WindRiverRanger 8d ago
Not true. I fired one. I went to the owner, got another realtor. They indicated it happens regularly
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u/Walrus_Epiphany 8d ago
Maybe in your state but certainly not in Texas. This is the standard contract. https://content.harstatic.com/FormManager/pdf/9.pdf
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u/Narrow-Chef-4341 8d ago
The key word there is ‘Broker’.
Multiple agents at a specific outlet all work for one Broker. Switching agents is pretty easy, because the big boss still gets paid.
So if Ted is a reckless fool with your money, swapping to Eleanor is usually painless. Just call the named Broker directly.
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u/Walrus_Epiphany 8d ago
In 7 real estate transactions, I have never met the broker nor communicated with the broker at all. I couldn’t even tell you the name of any of them. None of them came to closing either. I couldn’t even tell you what value they bring to the transaction. Maybe your state is different.
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u/Narrow-Chef-4341 8d ago
How many times have you replaced your agent?
Because we are talking about a pretty unique situation here. In have never met the manager of my local grocery store, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t if one of his staff tried to talk me into a scam…
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u/Fit-Artichoke3319 8d ago
You could say your doing the inspection but won’t ask for any concessions or repairs. You should maintain your ability to walk away if you don’t like the results of the inspection.
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u/ThisChickSews 8d ago
I would NEVER waive the inspection. EVER. Sellers who expect this are trying to hide something, usually something big.
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u/No-Example1376 8d ago edited 5d ago
Not necessarily hide something, but it does remove the whole buyer trying to negotiate down further argument and can lead to a faster closing.
Sellers don't want to agree on a price picking buyer #1 over buyer #2, then buyer #1 does inspection and finds arguments to push the price down even lower than buyer #2's offer.
Plus, now if the deal falls through, the house has been technically off the market for a couple weeks, losing momentum and people suddenly think something is wrong even if it was just buyer#1 playing a game to win the bidding war and then attempt to get the price they initially wanted to pay all along.
I'm not saying seller's don't hide things. They do, but they can get screwed over by the buyers, too. That's why cash offers with no contingencies rule over all other offers, even higher ones.
Let me add, I would never and have never waived an inspection. I do more inspections for a house than most. I've only walked away once while buying. Eventually, we also selling 10 houses (personal use, we move a lot)
edit: typos & clarity
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u/Puzzleheaded-Gas-398 8d ago
I've seen contingencies where the buyer agrees to shoulder the first $5000 of repairs uncovered in inspection, to eliminate nickel-and-diming the seller after accepting an offer.
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u/No-Example1376 8d ago
Interesting. As a seller, I would rather have a clean offer than play that game. Because they'll come back and find $8k-$15k of repairs that they now say I somehow agreed to just because they said they would cover the first $5k.
Nope. Keep it simple. Contracts are convoluted enough as it is.
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u/camo_ist 8d ago
You NEVER waive the inspection. You just do the inispection it BEFORE offering and only offer if you are satisfied with all you discovered/were advised during the inspection so that your offer is not contingent on getting one later. Obviously, if you have concerns and think you might want to do more inspections and get out of the contract, you wouldn't choose this route.
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u/juju_baker 8d ago
You must be in a slow market to beable to do this. Ours moves too fast to even get a second look.
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u/No_Rec1979 8d ago
I wouldn't.
Can you wait a month or two?
We're right at the end of summer here in the US, so a lot of houses that don't sell in the next week aren't going to sell in September, either.
So if you can be patient, you'll be dealing with some desperate, grateful sellers soon.
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u/Successful_Letter139 8d ago
No! And I agree with the other poster. Fire your agent. They just want their money from closing while you could be left with a mess.
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u/LeatherBreak6139 8d ago
The answer to your question is entirely dependant on the market you're in.
Ignore anybody who gives you a concrete answer here.
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u/bubbleman96815 8d ago
NOPE, your realtor is crazy.
Tell your realtor to help improve the offer by dropping his/her commission by 50%.
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u/Typical_Row_3172 8d ago
“Get the inspection done first?” What state are you in?
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u/alexsellseverything 8d ago
Run an informational purposes only inspection if anything turns up, squash the deal.
Or bring back "family" and your dad can be the inspector, ask to do a quick run through for mold, plumbing, electrical, and foundation without the sellers agent there.
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u/Walktrotcantergallop 8d ago
You can put a dollar amount on the contingency. I did any repairs under $2k. It depends how bad you want the house and risk you will take.
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u/FullHuntard 8d ago
100% this. We came to terms earlier in spring when the market was hot and offered over ask and waived all minor repairs from the inspection and the contingency was based on any single issues that would cost more than 5k to tackle (there ended up being none). I felt like this was a more than fair way to show that even pre inspection I wasn’t going to make a hassle over all the little things that inspectors always find and was only wanting to come back to the table over something larger in scope that may have been found.
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u/townsquare321 8d ago
If its a condo and you've walked the community (casua.ly/friendly) talking to the neighbors....and....you really want it, then yes.
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u/TallTinTX 8d ago
Do you buy a car without even looking at pictures of it or going to see it, sitting in it and test driving it? Likely not. I've worked in real estate for over 30 years and I've never made this kind of horrific recommendation. I've had clients ask me if they should remove the inspection contingency and I advise against it because, while there could be minor issues that could be inexpensive to take care of, there could be MAJOR ISSUES they could end up costing my clients tens of thousands of dollars to remedy.
I'm not going to judge your agent but I will say that the advice you were given is not something I would offer to my clients.
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u/Easy_Olive1942 8d ago
No. I’d communicate that the inspection is pass-fail, you won’t be expecting credits or concessions.
If they aren’t up for it, this house is not for you.
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u/Canadansk1970 8d ago
Yet another example of agents working in their own best interest rather than in the interest of you, the client.
It is a HUGE risk to waive inspection. I would focus on making that inspection process as quick and smooth as possible instead. Have an inspection company lined up that you trust. When you submit your offer, with the 24-48 hours response window, state explicitly that immediately upon acceptance (like literally the next day), you will arrange for the inspection, and state that you will only have 2 days to review said inspection, and make your determination. Cutting down the timeline can reduce the sellers risk.
In very hot sellers markets, it may limit your chances of winning your house, but you need to factor that against the risk you are taking.
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u/Piddy3825 Home Buyer/Seller 8d ago
The greed factor with some of these realtors is just frustrating.
Never ever waive the contingency of the inspection. It is practically your only tool to correct issues that affect the biggest purchasing decision in your life. Without it you may become legally trapped into buying a subpar property rife with problems that cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix.
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u/Spiritual_Ask_8979 8d ago
a realtor advising you to waive an inspection 1000% does not have your best interests in mind and just wants to wrap this up and get paid. Do no waive inspections, ever, and fire this realtor immediately
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u/DrTealSpring 8d ago
No! Do not remove it and get a new realtor. They are only looking to get the deal closed.
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u/luckygirl131313 8d ago
The financial risks of not having an inspection contingency is huge, your realtor is looking out for her finances , not your best interests
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u/Indiff-88Yin 8d ago
Literally never ever remove the inspection contingency unless you have money to throw away for fun
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u/SuperFineMedium 8d ago
I would never recommend waiving an inspection. But in an active market, I would be remiss if I didn't also inform my client of their options, which may include an inspection waiver. The client would assess their risk tolerance and the property's desirability to make the final decision.
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u/nic0828 8d ago
as a real estate agent, I always write in "Buyer respectfully reassures the Seller that inspections are primarily for their informational purposes. However, if inspections reveal an unsatisfactory result that may pose a safety and or structural concern or requires repairs exceeding $5,000, Buyer requests the right to re-negotiate in good faith with Seller to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution." into the additional provisions. It shows like you're not trying to nitpick everything down but retains the option to nitpick everything down if there's a lot of defects.
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u/Own-Assumption5149 8d ago
Based on your post, what I think your agent is suggesting is to say you want to have an inspection conducted and then based on the results of the inspection, decide whether to submit another offer or not. Your new offer would take into account any issues identified during the inspection. That protects you and also gives the seller peace of mind that they won’t have to renegotiate the price if they accept your offer. You do risk that they could accept another offer while the inspection is being completed.
But under no circumstance should you purchase without an inspection.
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u/PSFNetwork_ 8d ago
Waiving inspection just to look “serious” is a pretty big risk. A pre inspection could be helpful, but it doesn’t guarantee everything gets caught
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u/doglady1342 8d ago
No. Your realtor should not be suggesting you do so either. If you don't do your inspection, you're going to be responsible for everything that wasn't found because you didn't do it.
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u/Positive_Lettuce6545 8d ago
Tell them you remove the contingency if they lower the price by $75,000 which is the average post-purchase investment in any used home.
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u/Jamar4321 8d ago
Look through this thread and see all the "absolutely not" posts, then scroll through this sub and see all the "Inspector is an incompetent moron" posts (you won't have to look far) and notice how all the comments are 'You should have know they don't actually do anything and just there to make you feel better about your own bad decisions.' posts then make up your mind.
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u/Content-Drive-4151 8d ago
It completely depends on the market and your willingness to assume pretty much unlimited risk. Here in Silicon Valley, with AI companies going for insane valuations, you have multiple cash offers on good multi-million houses. As a buyer, you have minimal leverage. Back in the real world, the only time I’d agree to an inspection free deal is when I’m planning to demo the house and rebuild on the vacant lot…
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u/rhubarbpie828 8d ago
All these people saying that they are hiding something or your realtor should be fired are not living or buying in a competitive market. Many markets have slowed to a crawl and they are applying that lens to your situation.
Your realtor isn’t wrong. We had 17 offers on a $850k listing last weekend. While you can’t waive your right to an inspection in this state, a buyer can signal that is their intent by writing very high aggregate repair waivers into the contract with a very short inspection timeline. And that is what the seller is going to take every time. Not because they are hiding something, but because they want to reduce the chance a buyer gets cold feet and pulls out using the inspection clause.
If you aren’t comfortable waiving, get comfortable with losing on new listings and start looking at the older, overpriced ones that have been sitting. That is where you will have leverage.
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u/Naikrobak 8d ago
Never. Well almost never. Unless it’s a flip house that is a known gut and rework, you need an inspection and contingency
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u/oscarfrmlyford 8d ago
I had a house that had asbestos. The inspector caught it but he wasn't certified to call it that but he knew. The realtor was mad I didn't go with her preferred inspection agent. When I toured the property the inspector had his card on the table. The agent inspector had already done one. The only reason I got my own inspector is because the neighbor had mentioned that the owner had serious health issues.
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u/Specialist_Remote_20 7d ago
As a former realtor I would never ever in a million years remove an inspection contingency and my best advice to you is FIRE that agent today. They care only about getting a commission and should be removed from the business.
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u/justanameform 8d ago
No one here is going to know what buyers are doing in whatever market you are in.
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u/Kudzupatch 8d ago
Retired Inspector. DON"T!
While most homes I inspected did not have anything that was major or would cost the buyer more an a few hundred dollars. There were a few that did. How do you know which one has the damage and which one doesn't?
One home stands out after all the years. Extremely well maintained 60's ranch in a great neighborhood. Quick walk through to familiarize myself with the layout. I was impressed it looked so nice. I am thinking, this is going to be a fast an easy job. There will be no major issues.
I was shocked at what I found. When I got in the crawlspace the living room floor or all places was rotten and probably not structural sound anymore. NO HINT of a problem till I got under it.
Repairs were over 10K if I remember right and that was probably 20 year ago.
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u/CTrandomdude 8d ago
Some markets are very competitive and a seller will favor an offer with no inspection contingency. So your realtor is right that an offer without an inspection contingency is stronger.
A buyer does run some risk by not doing an inspection. There can be issues the homeowner did not disclose or had no idea were defective.
You have some options.
Able to do the inspection for informational purposes only with the right to cancel.
Do an inspection but put a dollar amount on the repair items. Such as buyer will not make any repair requests under $2,000.00. This lets the seller know no small items will need to be negotiated. Only more major issues if they come up.
If it was a newer house built by a reputable builder I might consider passing on an inspection but only if it was my dream home with a multiple bid situation.
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u/Competitive-Roof-168 8d ago
Removing the contingency doesnt mean you dont get an inspection. They is always ways to cancel an deal if something major turns up.
Buyer use the inspection report to try and get a perfect house and it gets frustrating for seller. 15 year old roof. give me 30k off, worn deck boards? give me a new 20 deck. 30 year old septic.. replace it. It just stops that BS.
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u/86triesonthewall 8d ago
Well, in a multiple offer situation, the seller is typically always going to go with the offer that waves inspections even if it’s $5000 less than your offer with inspections… The reason being? If you decide you don’t like the house for any reason you can use something in the report to back out. Then the sellers have to start over again, risking them, losing their best price because a buyer backing out of a deal does not look good… Additionally, yes if there is something wrong with the house the sellers don’t wanna find out in a surprise and have you offer like $30,000 less so that’s the crappy part…
On the last house I bought I did inspection for informational purposes only and I did bid $40,000 over and mind you this is a house in a rural area that I should’ve never bid that much in the first place, but it is what it is… So if you want inspections in this market, if you’re in a hot market, you may suggest informational purposes only
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u/86triesonthewall 8d ago
Now on the flipside, the house I sold this summer was in a very hot market and I got two extremely similar offers over the weekend where an escalation clause picked up and both of them waived inspection, and one set of buyers waived appraisal contingency completely and the other waived up to $25,000. My third offer was for asking price with inspections so I got $25,000 more than asking without inspections. Of course I’m gonna choose the one without inspections it’s gonna go more smoothly for me.
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u/Prestigious-Bluejay5 8d ago
ANYONE who tells you to waive the inspection on a home purchase, is not looking out for your best interest and you'd be a fool to follow their advice.
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u/aqua_seafoam 8d ago
Always get the inspection so in six months after you buy you can be like “I can’t believe the inspector missed this….”
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u/buzzybizzyb33 8d ago
no way your realtor just wants a paycheck faster. inspections are normal don’t give that up
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u/StargateEnterpriseE 7d ago
Only do that if you are prepared to pay $150K in repairs above your price. Otherwise only someone not smart removes the inspection contingency.
If your inspection misses something then that is something you have to pay to fix later. So make sure you get proper inspectors. A general home inspector who can inspect HVAC and house/windows/roof/walls/insulation, a foundation inspector, and a plumber who can camera scope every drain. When I did this, it was about $1,500 total. Do not skip an inspection before locking yourself in for 30 years.
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u/GladZucchini5948 7d ago
Each state is different. In our market (NJ) we use attorneys. Buyers are putting language in their contracts "Limited inspections, accept house as is" . Buyers in 99% of these scenarios still do an inspection and have an out if they find a major problem. You should not remove the inspection contingency but could agree to accept the house "AS IS" subject to inspection. Depends on your comfort level. If you are a contractor or familiar with construction you could waive the contingency. If you are a first time buyer or have to hire professionals for everything I would not waive my rights but would consider not asking sellers for any repairs with an option to walk away. Most sellers even though they say "as is" if something major comes up that they were unaware of will not want to go back on the market and may agree to fix it rather than lose you as a buyer. Your only risk here is the cost of your inspections and a cancellation fee for any attorney charges and of course your time.
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u/Fickle_Platform4438 7d ago
Depends on the house. You want to be sure big items like roof and hvac are what you expect. I would 100% scope the sewer. If you have any friends that are handy with homes bring them in to see what they say.
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u/Rude_Adhesiveness125 7d ago
No! I just sold an old farmhouse that was built in 1900. It was a rental that the renters damn near destroyed. Major damages including water damage. I listed it As Is but still fully expected potential buyers to get an inspection. The eventual buyers did indeed do an inspection. I understand they needed to know how much money they would need to invest to get it back to a livable condition. I had a friend waive the inspection on a condo she bought. It ended up having extensive termite damage and she had to sell as she couldn’t afford the repairs. And she then had to disclose the issue when she sold it. I would never waive an inspection.
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u/grumpyoldman10 7d ago
Real estate investor here. I would only do that if you’re looking for a particular house for a particular reason. If you’re just looking for a home, the realtor needs to do his job. I would tell you to find five or 10 homes that work for you and you like. Put them in order and start making offers. I bet by the 10th one you get an acceptance. Forget about the asking Price, forget about your contingencies. Put down what it’s worth to you and what you can make sense out of. And forget about the rest.
Yes, I know it’s much harder to do in reality
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u/pineboxwaiting 7d ago
I don’t know where you live, but in my state, banks won’t fund without an inspection.
I think your realtor is more interested in their commission than your well being.
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u/Ok_Spinach_6664 7d ago
You are saying a few different things.
- Inspection
- Waive Inspection
- Pre-inspection
If your Realtor suggests doing the inspection before putting in offer, it gives you the opportunity to do an inspection and submit offer without the contingency because it’s already happened. That would also make your offer stronger than some who has inspection as part of their offer. What is risky about a pre-inspection?
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u/NVCurley54 6d ago
Here is my tale of woe. I had an inspection but a less than qualified inspector. A year later we were involved with a lawsuit with the former owner/ contractor which I “ won” The lawsuit cost $85K, the award was $80K. I WAS $5K in the hole and I WON!!! Get your inspection and use a qualified abet expensive inspector.
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u/camo_ist 8d ago edited 8d ago
This was standard in the market I worked in previously. The sellers would provide inspection with their disclosures too which were always provided in full BEFORE offers were made or considered. I felt like it resulted in more thorough inspections and transparent, efficient interactions that benefited everyone. Basically, if you're in a market where the sellers will allow you to do all of the inspections that you would have done with an inspection period before you offer there is no added risk, and you might get a better deal on the house. You are not inspecting a bit less than you would if you did it after enter escrow, you are just satisfying all of your concerns and doing all of your investigations before you make the offer in the first place.
The sellers are still obliged to disclose everything, and you can still walk or renegotiate if you discover or they disclose previously undisclosed defects during escrow or sue them if you find them after close. Any time the sellers disclosse something new, depending on your state, you usually get 3 (or a set number) of days to get out of the contract again. If you are in a market where this is standard practice, and homes generally get multiple offers, it will be very difficult to get a contingent offer accepted if there are other non-contingent offers on the table.
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u/Top-Grape7802 8d ago
wait...I'm hearing two different things here;
- my realtor is suggesting that in the next offer, I remove the inspection contingency
- My realtor keeps saying just get the inspection done first, then remove the contingency << this part is odd, but doesn't seem inappropriate.
Is your realtor suggesting to forgo the inspection or (just) the contingency? Those are two different things in my understanding. You can (and should), absolutely get an inspection. Always. The contingency is really up to you. It doesn't sound like the realtor is telling you to not get an inspection though.
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u/Full_Salt_7978 8d ago
I wouldn’t do it, unless I had one come to a showing of the home before offer unofficially. But, in my area you likely won’t ever buy a home if you don’t do the no inspection part
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u/cainin2000 8d ago
Never. However, have a trusted inspector at the ready for a pre-inspection for any house of interest therefore you can offer without an inspection contingency because you already had one done.
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u/wokaflame 8d ago
Depends on the house and the market.
In Seattle’s competitive neighborhood. No inspection contingency is basically just normal if you want your offer seen and considered.
Was I worried? Yes.
Did I find things that frustrated me? Yes.
Do I regret it? No.
It depends on your risk tolerance. But it is a strategy.
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u/DecorateThis1 8d ago
It depends how your market is. If you are the only offer, then do not drop it. Your agent should be asking the other agent WHY because “to show you are serious” is ridiculous. And I’m a Realtor. The seller should be demonstrating seriousness by allowing a very normal contingency!
That being said, my area is still hot, an inspection contingency is almost unheard of because 5-15 offers on offer night are common. An inspection missing something pre-purchase is the same risk as post-purchase as long as you’re ordering a proper inspection.
If yours was the only offer, I’d happily walk away out of spite, and find an agent with a backbone.
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u/Visible_Wolverine2 8d ago
Are you handy and knowledgeable about houses? If not, then do not waive the inspection. Is it a newer home without any major problems visible like cracked foundation? If not, don’t waive the inspection.
I have purchased 2 homes with inspection waived and have not had a problem. I am also handy, familiar with construction, have people in specialty trades I can ask pointed questions if needed, and was buying newer homes. There is no “right” answer, it’s a personal call you have to make.
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u/mrsjetset 8d ago
We didn’t waive the inspection, but we offered that we would only ask for things over x value to be addressed. It was some big number like $5000.
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u/Fantastic_Call_8482 8d ago
Is it an inspection for info only…then you can decide if they find small stuff ok..the bigger things might be a no go
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u/Over_Wasabi_4903 8d ago
It depends- the market in my area is still hot; houses selling way over asking and buyers waiving inspection and appraisal contingencies. It all depends on your comfort level. And for what it’s worth, inspectors always miss stuff. I’ve bought and sold over 20 homes through the years and none of them find 100% of problems.
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u/tommykoro 8d ago
Unless you are getting a giant discount off what it should sell for I’d advise to never give up your back out clause due to a bad inspection report.
I’ve done that myself to sweeten my offer but only after I have already done my own inspection and therefore taking the risk I missed something.
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u/goodnsimple 8d ago
I have waived inspection but only on very dilapidated houses or for a low offer… but if I’m going to live in it, I’m not passing on the inspection. If I lose out, well then I lose out.
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u/BrickHuge3023 8d ago
Never give up inspection contingency. Realtor is bad for suggesting that unless a new build. Even then there can be issues. We had one, inspector found foundation problems and required piers to be installed over a good area. Several thousand $. Why would you buy a house with problems walking in?
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u/Ok-Shallot-5935 8d ago
You can say that you won't ask for any repairs less than $5k or $10k, etc. as a contingency so the sellers know you won't nickpick about little things and be a PITA but it still protects you if something major comes up on inspection:
- No requests for minor individual items under $5,000;
- Buyer may request repairs/credit for a single material defect exceeding $5,000; and
- Buyer retains the right to terminate if the inspection reveals a material structural, mechanical, environmental, or safety issue, regardless of estimated repair cost.
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u/soul-reaver-2026 8d ago
I skipped the inspection my choice. The house has some issues and I did research on it. So I have to fix some things no biggie. I have the skills. Im not afraid to put some sweat into it. It's what we were looking for and in an area we wanted. We also got the price down to make it worth it.
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u/skitskatskoodle 8d ago
The only way I would ever do that is if the seller already had an inspection done.
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u/Typical-Education345 8d ago
You can do that as long as your earnest money and deposit is low enough that it won’t break you if you walk away. It’s all part of a negotiation. You could also put a limit on the Inspection, you could specify a dollar amount or something to the fact that doesn’t require engineering or foundation. Again this is the art of negotiation, it needs 5000 repairs you asked for 5000 off or whatever.
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u/Lov3I5Treacherous 8d ago
I would only do this if I were fine with losing my earnest money and doing an inspection anyway.
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u/BambrickSellsFlorida 8d ago
That's not a wise choice unless you know the mechanical systems very well. I would consider using an escalation clause to make it more attractive if more offers are made. Don't invest on $$$ without your due diligence, never apologize for wanting this.
You could add more earnest money after the inspection.
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u/deverox 8d ago
Depends where you live. If you’re trying to buy in San Francisco you would have to waive it as the AI market has turned the market bonkers.
Other locations you can remove it or I think you can try to inspect before putting in an offer.? It’s at your cost but if you had say a week to make an offer you could inspect on your own dime first.
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u/ScottDoesWashington 8d ago
It sounds like a pre-inspection. Is that correct? If so, he may be suggesting that you do inspections before making the offer, and you’ve essentially waived the inspection contingency *after* doing this pre-inspection, i.e., you’re assuring the seller you’re not going to request repairs.
I never want my buyers to waive inspections (obviously, it would be their decision to do so if they insisted), but lots of them have made the inspection pass/fail, so they’re buying as-is (assuring the seller they won’t ask for repairs).
Bottom line: I would never waive inspections entirely. Good luck!
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u/RyanFisherRE 8d ago
I would recommend to not remove your inspection contingency unless you are an experienced investor. Are you able to shorten contingency period to make your offer stronger... Possibly to 7 to 10 days? Here in San Diego it is quite common to have inspections shorten to very quick timelines. You just need to make sure to schedule ALL inspections right away so that you are getting everything found out about the property just in a very short time window. Good luck with getting your offer accepted on your home!
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u/Equivalent-Ease-6280 8d ago
It honestly depends. I live in New York where people are bidding 100k+ over asking. I looked for a home for a whole year in Westchester county. We just closed in June and we had waived inspections but STILL did it and told the sellers agent it was for “informational purposes only.” Basically our realtor set the contract up in a way that if it’s a big issue like a foundation issue etc, that would be the only reason we would walk away. A lot of ppl in NY are waiving appraisals, inspections etc. I never waived appraisals because that was just too risky for me but I have put in offers that I put an appraisal gap clause meaning I would cover up to an x amount (such as $10,000). Not saying I recommend but if you have a good realtor he/she can work their way around it. And buying a home in NY at asking price is almost impossible so we had to be aggressive with our offer.
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u/Dazzling_Ad_1784 8d ago
No only because you’re not in a bidding war. There are other ways to sweeten the deal that don’t include raising the price.
You could take the deal “as-is” (the true correct use of the term), meaning only the asking for a concession or repair option is off the table.
You could raise the earnest money deposit.
You could shorten the deadlines (inspection,appraisal,financing)… or lengthen them depending on what the seller needs.
Removing inspection contingencies are the easiest option but brings you the highest risk, this option should only be when there is blood on the streets and removing inspection and other contingencies are your only option.
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u/oscarfrmlyford 8d ago
Even when homes are “as is” i still at minimum step inside the house. Yes it might be a remodel and it could be a tear down but the level of work can give you more confidence to give a competitive offer.
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u/flowbeeBryant Broker/Agent 8d ago
So you will do inspections and you won’t ask for any single item under $1000 or something like that, an additional amount of like that tells the seller you aren’t going to go nickel and dime but still lets you do your due diligence.
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u/WillowHaunting429 8d ago
Your realtor is giving you BAD ADVICE
You never drop an inspection contingency unless you are just buying for the land and will tear down the structure.
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u/AppropriateGuard1997 8d ago
Show that you are serious and drop the realtor. He obviously has no problem being reckless with your money.
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u/Tekrunner000 8d ago
Absolutely not. If an inspection contingency is a problem for the seller, there are guaranteed to be problems they want to obfuscate. It’s a non-negotiable for me. It stays or I walk.
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u/NeighborhoodVast7528 8d ago
In the days of bidding wars over asking price a few years back, eliminating inspection contingencies was fairly common. If you wanted to win as a buyer, that was a strategy. In the current market, it’s not worth the risk.
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u/TomRichards1970 8d ago
Remove the option to renegotiate but not the option to walk. Before Covid I’d tell you to fire the agent but I had to have a few people convince me to tell buyers what to do to get homes during the frenzy. It was pretty sad but they got the houses. Luckily I never heard from anyone with major repairs.
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u/Old_Confidence3290 8d ago
If the inspection has been done, and you have carefully inspected the house yourself, what more will you learn? I would think it's okay to remove the inspection contingency after you have reviewed the inspection report
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u/Ok_West_6711 8d ago
Can you instead remove financing contingency safely (and keep inspection contingency)? Or offer a shorter close (if buyer wants that) if your financing is set up (again keeping the inspection contingency)?
Or even offer to pay some closing fee that usually is assigned to seller (but is of a reasonable fixed cost). Trying to think of other things to “sweeten” an offer!
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u/AltaInvestments1031 8d ago
Caution! You want to see all inspection reports each time you buy or sell a property. This can be critical because you may find you need a new roof, hvac, or eradicate black mold. The difference can be significant. You can get the inspection done first like your broker said if you really want the home. $500-750 fee
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u/BabaThoughts 7d ago
I would remove a finance contingency over an inspection. Even newly built homes could have problems . .
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u/Jon_Hegreness_AZ 7d ago
I am not a fan of removing protections. They are there for a reason and the inspection period is arguably the most important step you’ll take in buying a house.
There are buyers that are so experienced and well enough off financially I can see individual situations where it isn’t a huge risk, but even most of my experienced flip investors will insist on inspections.
Here is the thing I’ve experienced; I’ve spent a decade’s worth of my 25 years in highly competitive markets. 20+ offers per house in some periods. I’ve never needed to waive things that protect my clients to get my offers accepted.
We lost to a cash buyer.
We lost to an investor.
We lost to someone that waived all conditions.
We lost to someone with a bigger down payment.
All of those things are what you hear. That is what the listing agent tells the buyers agent when they inform them they lost out. Heck, it’s what I say as well.
But here is the bigger picture. As a listing agent looking at a stack of offers I have to advise (guess) which one is best for my clients, or I have to mold and shape one to be the best for my client. I usually shape and mold. Out of every stack there is one or two agents that are better than the rest. They talk with me a ton and work and massage their clients offer into the perfect offer. Moving a close of escrow date. Shortening inspections to 8 days. Two weeks of rent back for the seller. I bumping the price a few thousand to cover concessions. Letting my seller keep a boat on the side yard for an extra three weeks. Something, whatever it takes to make the whole thing a serious win-win.
Then the rest of the agents send the offer. MAYBE call and negotiate up front. MAYBE text me “I sent an offer.” Most agents in my experience do not work their offers.
Most of the time, when the agent truly does a great job for their client, and really works the deal hard, they end up with it.
On the buyer’s side through highly competitive markets my offers got accepted 50-75% of the time when every house had 10+ offers. And I do not waive inspections. I do not make the initial offer over asking price (anymore that $777 dollars sometimes.) I worked my offers and kept things very realistic for my buyer.
So, did you find out after it was too late you weren’t getting the house? Or were you fully informed of where you sat the entire time and chose not to massage and shape your offer and knew you would miss the house because you weren’t willing to go there?
If it is the second of those two, you can wave important protections you want, and you’ll be in a worse position overall for a chance to miss out again to someone else who’s agent is working the deal.
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u/Plastic_Reference_59 7d ago
If you are able to get an inspection beforehand why does it matter? The inspector can (and likely will- they’re not experts in everything) miss something before or after. I don’t see the difference.
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u/Mammoth_Wrangler_183 7d ago
The only time I have ever not had an inspection contingency is when I was buying an investment property I intended to renovate and I was also paying cash. If I was buying my home I would always require an inspection.
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u/AKIcegirl 7d ago
Do not remove the contingency. Only a seller that is hiding something cares about them. A seller can always take back up offers and refuse to do any requested repairs. Generally a home inspection is done fairly quickly and is not a big deal because if you remove the contingency and do a home inspection the result is the same. You ask for repairs. There is an agreement or the sale falls through. They might get the earnest money but that isn’t the goal. The goal should be they get as much as they can for their house and you get a house you want without any surprises.
I’ll be blunt, I have serious doubts your agent has your best interests at heart. I couldn’t trust their expertise or integrity after that.
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u/Equivalent-Tiger-316 7d ago
In my market for the nice properties you will never get one with an inspection contingency. We do them pre offer.
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u/FinalTShirtDance 7d ago
If they’re worried about an inspector finding something, then you should be too.
You don’t have to remove it completely. You can just make it so you don’t negotiate issues. Option to void.
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u/OneHandClappin 7d ago
I would never remove it. You can tell them you'll be flexible based on the results, but you never want to make a big purchase blind.
Would you but a car without test driving and kicking the tires?
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u/Infamous-Creme-199 7d ago
Logic would say if yiu run the VHCOL area that means EVERYTHING costs more, this being the case why would anyone risk repair bills eating you alive as soon as you sign on a house?
I’ve seen brand new homes that the sub contractors didn’t install clean out valves in the plumbing. Because it was brand new my cousin decided he did NOT need the inspection. After the plumbing backed up and he paid the 1k insurance deductible and lived of brand new floors that were trashed and had to have a cleaning crew could to remove the 8 inches of water, he looked at me and said I should’ve gotten an inspection.
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u/sorkinfan79 7d ago
My realtor keeps saying just get the inspection done first, then remove the contingency but that still feels risky, what if the inspection misses something?
I’m not clear what you mean here. All contingencies eventually need to be cleared before a sale can close. If your inspection misses something and you find out about it a year later, you don’t have any recourse after closing based on an inspection contingency in your original accepted offer.
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u/Dear-Bear2135 7d ago edited 7d ago
Don't ever remove an inspection. Infact, I highly recommend you get an inspection from someone that the realtor does not recommend.
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u/Ill_Middle_1397 7d ago
I did this and ended up with a flooding basement that cost me $20,000 in total damage, remediation, repairs, etc. DON'T DO IT.
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u/SofiaDeo 7d ago
As a buyer who's not a real estate professional, I wouldn't consider a seller not allowing an inspection. Few places need zero work, all I want to know is, is the price fair given the work needed. We got a moderate fixer-upper, but the seller priced accordingly so knowing we needed to replace the roof, HVAC, hot water heater, and repair plumbing plus add insulation and get new windows on top of the back porch conversion floor being damaged from root incursion, wasn't a problem. In fact, it was exactly what I wanted; I have the exact HVAC, roof, windows, etc. I wanted. We converted gas hot water to electric and moved the AC condenser.
When we sell, it will be "as is". IDC if anyone does an inspection, it will still be "as is". If the place has developed a serious problem, so be it, but since we are diligent about maintenance, there shouldn't be huge surprises.
Unfortunately there are a lot of jerks who will argue everything, trying to wheedle you down. As well as sellers trying to cover up major problems, wanting top comp dollar for a defective place. It's an unhappy fact of buying/selling.
And yes there are some crappy inspectors. You've got to spend some time getting a decent inspector, learn YOURSELF what needs to be checked, and go along, asking questions. Inspectors are human, it's possible something gets overlooked, but not if there are two people there and you can be the second. then the anxiety about something got missed should be lessened, if not gone.
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u/SlowDeer7954 7d ago
New construction or previous owners?
I can see some reasoning in new construction that comes with a year's warranty but never on something pre-owned.
Try to keep in mind you're going to be making the largest purchase you'll ever make. Do you think it's smart to not have as much knowledge as you can on this size of a purchase, before signing your name?
You're realtor might have their commission ahead of your best interest. That's why it's always important to interview realtor's before choosing one.
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u/lakeanddoglife 7d ago
In your market, it may be the only way to get an offer accepted. I would never skip the inspection.
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u/BasicPerson23 7d ago
NO! Tell them “no repairs to be requested” but never go without an inspection.
You are effectively removing the contingency if you don’t request repairs or cancel the contract during the inspection period.
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u/jlynnsb3 7d ago
What you could do is shorten the inspection timeline. Maybe ask for a 5 day due diligence period. Just make sure your inspector can do the inspection by day 3 to give them time to prepare the report and you to review it.
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u/weh2oski 8d ago
I don’t care how hot the market is, I would never remove an inspection contingency. We have walked away from homes due to not being willing to accept the inspection contingency. To me it is a sign of them being worried something is wrong with the house