Expert Reveals Why You Should Never Skip a Home Inspection—Even if It Helps You ‘Get the House You Want’

Aprofessional home inspector has issued a stark warning to homebuyers about the dangers of skipping out on an inspection before purchasing a property—claiming that agreeing to waive this important step in an attempt to give your offer an edge in a competitive market could end in disaster.

Randle Loftin, a home inspector based in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, took to his TikTok account to urge anyone who is thinking of buying a new home to make sure that they have it properly inspected.

Sharing his video with the caption, “Never waive the home inspection,” Loftin explained that some people will offer to skip a home inspection because they believe that doing so may make their offer more appealing to the seller, particularly if that seller has received interest from multiple parties.

He went on to emphasize his point by revealing the kinds of costly, yet hidden, issues that a new homeowner may encounter after moving into their property if it hasn’t been inspected beforehand.

“I can’t believe I’m still hearing that people are waiving inspections just to get the house they want,” he says while strolling through a newly renovated home, adding that he is going to give viewers a “great example of why home inspections are important.”

Walking into a bathroom inside the home, Loftin proceeds to point out the many aspects of the room that might lead an untrained eye to assume there is nothing wrong with it.

“We have this fresh, clean-looking shower and bathtub,” he notes. “From the naked eye, everything looks beautiful. The tub’s clean, all the tile is new, the fixtures are new.

“But I just put about two to three inches of water in this tub, drained it, and we have that,” he goes on, before panning the camera to reveal a huge leak that has spread through the carpet of the room next door—seemingly from the tub in question.

Loftin notes that this is the kind of problem he would have spotted during a routine inspection, explaining: “As a home inspector, I’m going to test all of this stuff. The supply piping and then the drain, and make sure that everything is working as intended.”

The home inspector’s video prompted something of a debate in the comments section, where some people noted that they’ve found it near-impossible to buy a home if they even suggest that they’d like to have it inspected beforehand.

“There are a lot of markets where you literally can’t buy a house if you ask for an inspection,” one person claimed. “The offer won’t be entertained.”

A second person added: “The reason I didn’t get one [is that] every time I tried to get a house that I wanted somebody was waving off inspection and that’s why the other people [were able to] buy the house before [me].”

However, others spoke out in support of home inspectors, explaining that, in their experience, an inspection is an essential part of the homebuying process.

“Home inspection was the only enjoyable thing about buying a home,” one commenter wrote, as another chimed in: “If I couldn’t do a home inspection then the house isn’t meant to be mine. Too big of a purchase!”

In standard practice, a home inspector examines a home and points out any flaws, from a leaky roof to a faulty foundation. Typically home inspections happen in the days after your offer has been accepted but before you close the deal.

That way, you can accurately gauge whether you really want to move forward, cut your losses, or renegotiate with the seller for a fairer price.

For most people, a good general inspector is all you need. Inspectors check only the visible parts of the home—they can’t open up walls—so if your inspector flags something that looks amiss, you’ll probably need to call someone else to dig deeper. It’s not at all uncommon to bring in an HVAC specialist, electrician, a roofer, or plumber to give you an expert opinion based on an issue the inspector noted in the report.

However, there are inspectors who specialize in certain types of issues.

If you’re buying a commercial property, you’ll want an inspector familiar with the requirements for the type of business you’ll be running. If you’re buying an older home, you’ll want someone familiar with historic houses and the common problems associated with them.

There are specialists in radon testing, lead testing, FHA certification, and all kinds of other specific concerns. If you need someone with a specialty, that will quickly narrow your search even more.

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