Hot take: I think paying for a full home inspection before making an offer is a waste

Everyone says you have to get a full inspection right away, so I spent $550 on one for a house I really liked. The seller got five other offers that same weekend and went with someone who waived the inspection. I lost that house and my $550 because the report took two days. Now I think you should only pay for a real inspection after your offer is accepted, maybe with a big inspection condition. Has anyone else lost a house because they wanted to be too careful?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_gonzalez7d ago

Losing that house is rough, but calling a pre-offer inspection a waste is missing the point. You paid $550 to avoid a potential financial disaster, not just to win a bidding war. Waiving inspection to get the house is how people end up with massive, hidden repair bills. Your idea of a big inspection condition after an offer is accepted is the standard, careful way to do it. The market is just broken right now.

anthonyy557d ago

It's wild how the inspection cost gets framed as a loss. That's a cheap education on the house itself, way better than finding out about a cracked foundation after you move in.