Or . . . Maybe They Already Did(??)*

How unusual is it for the Buyer to skip a home inspection?

After a decade selling homes, I was just involved with my first deal — as a listing agent representing the Seller — where the Buyer waived the Inspection Addendum.

For a home that was not in multiple offers.

Extenuating Circumstances

That’s not the advice I would give my Buyers, but in this case there were extenuating circumstances that made such a decision more rational.

Such as:  the Buyer did multiple showings, including at least one with their contractor(s) present*; the home was marketed — and priced — as needing updating (hence the contractors); the Buyer is sophisticated, and has experience updating other homes; the Buyer and Seller know each other socially, and the Buyer was already familiar with the home; and the home had already passed the local municipality’s point-of-sale inspection (which required, amongst other things, that the owner install a new furnace). 

Unless all of those factors apply — and arguably even when they do — I don’t recommend that Buyers skip the inspection.

As a listing agent representing Sellers, however, that’s not my call.

Combined Showing/Buyer’s Inspection*

Buyers can certainly “use” a showing to have a contractor take a look at something — the convention is for Sellers to be out of the home, so they wouldn’t necessarily know.

However, at least in Minnesota, a standard Buyer showing is for one hour, whereas a thorough home inspection can take anywhere from two and one-half to four hours.

So, “squeezing” a home inspection into a showing is tight.

Of course, when the home is a vacant, bank-owned foreclosure . . . no such limitation exists (practically speaking).

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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