Obviously we will walk away if there's any major problems, but we had our heart set on this house, and I'm trying to find a 'best case scenario' that makes sense of the listing agents comments, see below.
We made an offer on an older home ('83). The listing agent keeps telling us there are 'other offers' which we think is a sales ploy because the house has been on the market since October (slow market in the area, is one factor) and there have been no other offers on public record. In any case, we had two contingencies in our offer: we have to sell our house in a certain amount of time etc, and we want an inspection (duh, right?). The listing agent is telling our relator that she knows the seller 'won't like' the contingencies, including the inspection one.
In my mind, having an inspection is totally normal and standard. We already know this house has some cosmetic issues that we don't mind fixing (needs some new flooring, cosmetic updates to bathrooms, paint, that kind of thing). However, there were also some structural issues visible (previous sway in one wall causing cracks upstairs) that *appear* to have been addressed–crawlspace shows jacks and bricked supports etc. We wanted an inspection anyway, but we esp. wanted to make sure that structural stuff was indeed already fixed/addressed.
Does that fact that the listing agent is telling us the seller won't like us to have an inspection signal that there's a serious issue they want to hide? Do sellers/listing agents sometimes resent inspections simply because there are buyers who will try to nickel and dime them over cosmetic fixes?
I'm really nervous about the inspection now, assuming they even accept our offer (they haven't given us an answer yet). Should I have any hope here?
Listing agent says seller 'won't like' inspection contingency?
byu/Ok_Distribution8841 inRealEstate
Posted by Ok_Distribution8841
15 Comments
P.S.: Fwiw, this house is clearly one that belonged to a parent or relative who died, as it is now being held by an executor on behalf of (I presume) an inheritor. Nobody lives there right now.
Stand your ground and keep the inspection contingency. Listing agents never like inspection contingencies because it means it’s harder for them to close on the deal.
Absolutely do not waive the inspection, stick to your guns or move onto another house.
I would never buy a property from somebody that didn’t want me to get an inspection done. That just is a huge red flag that tells me they are hiding something
Who cares if they won’t like it? You’re not auditioning a friend.
I would hire the best home inspector possible, and possibly also bring in a foundation specialist to inspect the foundation repairs. It does sound like there may be some issues they suspect may be expensive. Every home has something, but it would be fair to avoid one with these types of issues, too.
What state?
Some states don’t even let you waive the inspection contingency, and unless the market is blazingly hot (which it isn’t right now) it’s rarely even a negotiating necessity to waive inspection.
The seller won’t like it? Yeah. That’s why it’s a negotiation. You ask for things they don’t like. They ask for things you don’t like.
Other offers are not public record. If this agent has other offers, and keeps coming back to comment on yours, they’re telling you something whether they mean to or not. If there’s another offer on the table that’s so much better, they’re not gonna bother with you.
Write the best offer that makes sense for you and submit it. They’ll negotiate with you, they’ll accept it, or they’ll reject it. It is what it is.
A seller “not liking” an inspection contingency is common in estate or older-home sales, but it’s also a negotiating signal, not necessarily proof of a hidden defect.
From a real-estate perspective, inspections are standard and reasonable (especially on a 1980s house with visible structural history) You should never waive that protection unless you’re prepared to absorb unknown repair costs.
What the listing agent is likely suggesting is that the seller wants certainty and fears a buyer using the inspection to renegotiate later , particularly in estate sales where the executor may prefer a clean, quick deal.
The rational approach is to keep the inspection but frame it as informational with the right to walk away if a major structural, mechanical, or safety issue appears- rather than reopening negotiations over cosmetic items. That reassures the seller while protecting you.
If they still resist a basic inspection contingency, treat that as a red flag and consider walking away.
Quick reminder to you. This will not be the only property in your search that will interest you. You do not “need” this property, but you “want” it. Shift to that mindset and make your offer accordingly.
Don’t put yourself in a compromising position simply because you have FOMO. There will be another deal.
The seller not liking an inspection contingency tells me you need an inspection. The house I’m selling was also built in 1983 and I had no problem with an inspection. If they accept your offer, I’d try to get a structural engineer to inspect as well as your regular home inspection.
I would never buy a house without an inspection period. Although many home inspectors are fairly useless in my experience, I instead hire trades for each system I’m concerned about. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t go in blind and I wouldn’t care if they liked it or not. Any seller rejecting an inspection is almost certainly hiding something expensive to repair (and/or in a very hot seller’s market).
It doesn’t matter what they say.
When I was a buyer’s agent I would very rarely advise a client to waive inspection contingencies. The only time you should waive is if you are willing to move forward with the sale regardless of the condition.
Don’t worry too much about the seller’s feelings.
Anecdotally, I don’t know anyone that waived the inspection clause and was happy in the end. I know two situations where it happened, and both sets of buyers got hit with expensive repairs. I would walk away in the inspection clause was rejected.
I can see that they wouldn’t like the contingency about selling your house. I wouldn’t take my home off the market for a sales contingency.