Question about skipping the home inspection to make an offer more attractive

I put in an offer on a house in Phoenix last month and my realtor suggested we waive the inspection to stand out. I was against it at first, thinking it was a huge risk, but the market was so crazy I decided to try it. The house looked perfect during the walkthrough, just a fresh coat of paint everywhere. We got the house, but the first thing I did after closing was hire an inspector. Turns out the AC unit is from 1998 and the roof has maybe two years left. The inspector said, 'You bought a $15,000 problem.' I learned that skipping the inspection doesn't mean you skip the problems, it just means you find them later with your own money. Has anyone else done this and found a way to check a house without a formal inspection contingency?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.jana13d ago

That line about "skipping the inspection doesn't mean you skip the problems" hits hard. So you basically did your own inspection after closing, which is smart but painful. Did your realtor have any other ideas for checking things out before an offer, like bringing a contractor friend to the walkthrough or looking at the roof and AC unit yourself? I'm just wondering if there's a middle ground between a full contingency and going in totally blind.

susan64913d agoProlific Poster

My old realtor in Phoenix always said to check the breaker box. Look for rust or water stains, and see if the labels match the rooms. That tells you a lot about the home's electrical history. @bennett.jana is right about a contractor friend, but you can also just take a ton of video during the walkthrough. Slow pan under sinks, the furnace, everything. Then you can send it to a handyman later for a cheap second opinion. It's not a full inspection, but it gives you some facts to work with before you decide to waive everything.

the_joseph13d ago

Yeah, my realtor said to treat the final walkthrough like a mini inspection. Check under every sink for leaks, flush all the toilets, run the showers to check water pressure, and turn on the heat and AC to listen for weird noises. You can also look at the roof from the ground for missing shingles and check the age of the water heater. It's not perfect, but it helps you spot the huge red flags before you're stuck with them.