One in Five Buyers Is Still Waiving the Home Inspection: Why That Makes No Sense in This Market

Here is the strangest number in housing right now. In the National Association of REALTORS August survey, 20 percent of buyers waived the home inspection contingency, up from 16 percent the month before and 18 percent a year ago. The share of buyers giving up their inspection is rising at exactly the moment buyers have the least reason to give up anything. Waiving the inspection was a rational, if painful, bet in 2021, when a seller had eleven offers by Sunday night and the only way to stand out was to strip your contract bare. That market is gone, and the habit it created should have gone with it.

Look at what the same report says about leverage. Inventory sat at 1.62 million units in August, which works out to 4.9 months of supply, the highest in over a decade. Homes took 31 days to sell. Sales ran at a 3.98 million annual rate, down 2.0 percent from July. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun put it plainly: the ample supply of homes for sale is giving homebuyers better opportunities to negotiate. With the 30-year fixed at 7.03 percent in Freddie Mac's September 24 survey, the buyers who are still in the market are the ones sellers cannot afford to lose. You do not have to buy your way to the front of a line that is no longer there.

It is worth being precise about what you are actually waiving, because the phrase covers two very different decisions. Waiving the inspection outright means no one ever looks, and you learn about the failed septic system after closing, when it is entirely your problem. Waiving only the contingency, while still hiring an inspector for information, is a middle path: you keep your eyes open but give up the contractual right to renegotiate or walk based on what you find. The first is a gamble on a house you have never really seen. The second is a gamble on your own ability to absorb whatever turns up. Both are bets that only made sense when the alternative was losing the house, and losing the house is not what happens now when you ask for a normal inspection period.

New England raises the stakes further, because our housing stock is old. Fieldstone foundations, knob and tube wiring, buried oil tanks, cast iron waste lines near the end of their service life, and the kind of roof and chimney wear that eighty winters produce are not exotic findings here, they are Tuesday. The Northeast median existing-home price was $556,900 in August, up 4.3 percent year over year, so these are not small purchases to be casual about. Put it in proportion: if an inspection costs around $700, that is roughly 0.13 percent of a home at that median price, an illustrative calculation but a useful one. Spending that to avoid a five-figure surprise is not caution, it is arithmetic. The stronger play in this market is not to strip your offer, it is to keep the inspection, shorten the window to seven or ten days to show you are serious, and come back with a specific, documented repair request instead of a vague one. Sellers staring at a 31-day market and a 7 percent mortgage rate are in a mood to solve problems, not to lose a qualified buyer over a water heater.

Frequently asked questions

Does waiving the home inspection actually make my offer win?

It did in 2021. It matters much less in a market with 4.9 months of supply and homes sitting 31 days. Price, a clean financing picture, a flexible closing date, and a short inspection window usually move a seller more than stripping the contingency, and they cost you far less if something is wrong with the house.

What is the difference between waiving the inspection and waiving the inspection contingency?

Waiving the inspection means no inspector ever walks the property. Waiving the contingency means you may still inspect for your own information, but you give up the contractual right to renegotiate the price, demand repairs, or walk away based on the findings. The second preserves your knowledge, not your leverage.

What do inspectors most often find in older New England homes?

Water intrusion at the foundation, aging or undersized electrical service, knob and tube wiring in untouched sections, failing cast iron drain lines, roof and flashing wear, chimney liner problems, and heating systems past their expected life. None of these are deal killers on their own. All of them are expensive to discover after you own the house.

Can I shorten the inspection period instead of waiving it?

Yes, and that is usually the better trade. A seven to ten day inspection window signals that you are organized and will not drag out the contract, while keeping your right to act on what the inspector finds. Line up your inspector before you write the offer so the shorter window is realistic.

How long is a home inspection good for?

An inspection is a snapshot of the property on the day it was performed. Most buyers use it within the contract period and then again at the final walk-through to confirm agreed repairs were actually completed. If months pass between inspection and closing, conditions can change, particularly after a hard New England winter.

Sources: National Association of REALTORS Existing-Home Sales report and REALTORS Confidence Index, August 2026. Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week ending September 24, 2026.