Watch · Jill Biggs · 27 minutes
Should You Waive Your Home Inspection? What NJ Buyers Need to Know
Full video transcript
Jill Biggs on waiving your home inspection contingency: the complete breakdown for New Jersey buyers
So, here’s some things to consider when waiving your home inspection contingency. The complete breakdown for New Jersey buyers. So, one of your friends waived their inspection to win a bidding war and they called it the best decision they’d ever made and someone else did the exact same thing and they got hit with a $10,000 surprise electric panel replacement right 10 days after they closed. Completely similar decisions, but totally different outcomes. So, how do you know which one is right for you? Can you hear me? Okay, good.
I’m Jill Begs with the Jill Biggs Group, and I’m going to break down what waiving the home inspection contingency actually really means. No need to take your friend’s advice. Not Not that I’m picking on your friends, but with 20 years of experience, I’m going to explain this the best way that I can. So, before we get into whether or not to waive the inspection, let’s make sure you’re actually clear as to what it is that you would be giving up. Having a home inspection, right, gives you the right to properly evaluate the property with a home inspector that has a license.
They’re going to advise and they’re going to look at every single system. They’re going to let you know whether it’s in good condition, mediocre condition, past its life expectancy, or everything is fabulous. Make recommendations so that you know what repairs actually have to be made. How to take care of your home. And it gives you the right to go back and ask for either a reduction in price or for things to be fixed or in the worst case scenario, it gives you the right to get out of buying the property and not losing any portion of your deposit.
So, it’s the biggest protection that you have. And when you waive it, I think it’s super important to know what it means and what you are actually waiving. So waiving your home inspection can mean different things. In some instances, it means you’re entirely skipping the home inspection, which we would never ever ever recommend, right? But in a multiple bidding situation, sometimes you are having the home inspection forformational purposes only, right? You never want to not know what you’re getting into. And I always like to explain what the costs are, right?
So that if you’re in this situation where you’re competing with other buyers and you want to make your your offer more attractive, then you know, okay, the hot water heater is going to cost $2,000. The roof is going to cost me $28,000. Replacing this broken suburb pipe is going to cost $20,000. Right? a general idea so that you know that in my worst case scenario, if I had to replace every broken item in the house, right, would I pay another $100,000 for the house? Right? Going into it, you have different scenarios and it really depends on what are we inspecting, right?
In a condominium, for instance, if you’re buying something in a building, you have the right to inspect sheetrock in, right? So, you’re really looking at your appliances, you know, what do they add up to? If it has central AC, what does the compressor look like? What’s the age of the inside the air handler? What does that cost to replace it? Your a dishwasher, your electrical system, right? Things can be very cheap. You could have a problem with an outlet. It comes up on almost every home inspection, right? And you can fix it for $60.
It actually is like $15, but you do have to get the electrician to come there. So, there are big and little fixes and people waive some or part or in a condominium, right? You’re not inspecting the building, right? That’s an association issue and you have other contingencies in place so that you get to find out the condition of the building after, but they’re not part of that home inspection. So, it’s much less risk in the inspection of a condominium than there is with say buying a much larger home. Because if you’re buying a much larger home, you’re responsible for everything, which the whole, you know, exterior, the roof, the foundation, the sewer, the septic, whatever the house has, you know, that makes it up.
So, it’s a little bit different. So, deciding when waiving an inspection is, are you waiving the entire inspection? Are you limiting it to a dollar amount? Are you saying you’re going to waive everything except for mechanical, structural, and environmental? People do different things. And you have to feel comfortable with that because ultimately your, you know, aim is, you know, to feel like you got a great property or to feel like you got a really crappy property, but you got it for such a great price that it would be worth fixing all of those cuz then you got a great property.
So, what you’re trying to decide, right, is sometimes waiving the home inspection. Some part, all of it can be how you get the house of your dreams. Here’s what you need to understand. In a competitive market, having the home inspection contingency in place, a full home inspection without limiting it, can make your offer less attractive to a seller. They’re going to be looking at what every offer is. And so we know it’s not just the dollar amount, right? It’s also the dollar, the terms, the down payment, and the home inspection and timing, right?
All those things factor into it. And sometimes waiving some or all of your home inspection is the difference between getting the house and not getting the house. What you have to understand in a bidding war is that having that inspection contingency in there in full may make the seller feel right, well, I have five offers on the table. This person has not waived any part of their home inspection, and perhaps they’re going to come back afterwards and try to renegotiate me on price. So, if you’re in a bidding war with multiple offers, you just have to know that there may be somebody in there that wants that house so bad that they have completely waived the home inspection and the seller may choose them.
But you do want to understand what you’re getting into. That competitive pressure, the pressure of being in this multiple bidding war scenario is exactly why I get this question so frequently in Hoboken, downtown Jersey City, and our surrounding suburbs. So, there’s also a psychological piece to this. In a bidding war, buyers sometimes feel like waiving the inspection is the only lever left to that they have to pull once price alone isn’t winning the deal. So, that pressure is real. It’s exactly the moment to slow down, think clearly rather than be reactive.
A decision that you make in the middle of a multiple bidding war situation is not one you always have with a clear head. And it helps to remember that a seller comparing offers isn’t only looking at whether the inspection is waived. They’re also looking at the price, the financing, the strength, the closing timeline, the deposit. They all factor in. So a strong offer on every dimension. sometimes doesn’t mean you have to waive the entire inspection to win, which exactly is why this decision deserves a conversation with your agent rather than the assumption that waiving is absolutely necessary to even submit.
So, before we get into whether or not it makes sense for you to waive all, part some of your home inspection, it’s worth knowing that a good agent doesn’t just say yes or no. They’re going to work on reducing your risk regardless of what you decide to do. And that can mean asking the seller upfront for records of of recent capital improvements, right? understanding what’s the age of the roof, what are the average of the utility bills like how old is your boiler? Do you have an oil tank? Is it sewer? Is it septic? Was it recently scoped?
What are the age of the appliances? Has there been water? How old are your windows? What are your windows? All of those things that they can take into consideration to help you have a real understanding of what are you risking. Remember, none of this replaces a license inspection, but it’s going to narrow down the unknowns before you decide how much protection do you actually need. It’s not a yes or a no answer for every property. It really depends on what you’re buying. Waiving tends to be a more reasonable risk in in specific situations, right?
If you’re buying new construction and it comes with a 10-year how warranty covering you, well, that’s one thing, right? You’re where your major systems are either new or they’re covered under warranty, right? Way less risky than say buying a 140y old house where the seller has uh is an investor who’s never lived in it and they don’t give you the age of any system and everything is unknown. Right? then right it might be worth considering how what am I willing to risk on this property before I put in an offer and knowing what’s what’s your own financial cushion it matters enormously right if do you have significant reserves set aside specifically for unexpected repairs or you planning on doing a home renovation or buying this you know if something is wrong and you have to fix it and it’s unplanned is that within the realm is it within the budget, right?
Because waiving becomes a much bigger gamble in certain situations. And that’s really meaningful like in Hobok and in Jersey City where you have brownstones and older homes. The first thing that happens is that we find out how old the roof is and if there’s an oil tank. And if there was an oil tank that was filled, is the seller going to remove it? And if it was removed, was the ground tested? And honestly, one of the biggest things that’s happening right now and did not used to happen is the the sewer, right? So, if you are in an area where the pipes underground are older and they have been there for a long time, then there’s a good chance that if they haven’t been replaced, that they need to be replaced.
So, you’re going to end up having a sewer scope. And if the sewer lines are broken, you want to know that because once you buy it, you own it. So this comes up repetitively and similarly in the suburbs right when people have septic systems. A septic system right they test for it and shockingly so when things are not going well it it can cost an enormous amount of money and those are things that you want to factor into an older home. So, the foundation, right, having somebody look at that when you have a a home inspection in its entirety, it allows you to have multiple inspections.
So, if you have this general home inspector that comes in and finds things that need to be looked at, he may say, "My suggestion is to bring in a roofer." Right? I’m not necessarily a roofer. I can point out some things, but having that looked at or having an additional electrical inspection or having a structural engineer, which you know sometimes happens, or a chimney sweep. These are separate inspections which you have that are included, right, in your standard inspection contingency. So, it’s important to know what you’re waiving also, right?
You want to remember if something is built before 1978, it definitely has lead, right? Lead in in the paint underneath the walls. Everything built before 1978 does have it. The remediation for that is painting over it and having it sealed. But if you’re going to do a big renovation and open an older home, you have to know that during construction, there is going to be lead that is exposed. So that factors in and radon, right? When you’re in a condominium, you’re not having radon, but in areas where they have basement, right, having a radon inspection can be very important.
At the same time, if you’re in a bidding war with 41 other buyers and you really want to end up with a house, then it might be worth it to you to know that if everything were wrong and it cost me $150,000 more and I would end up with the house, that might be a decision that you’d be willing to make. So, it really is a personal decision, but you do want to have the facts, as many of them as possible, and the knowledge and and info to the specific properties that so that you can make an educated decision, to make a compelling offer, so that you feel good about it.
So, you don’t make an offer and wake up 4 days later or two months later and not be in a position that you were comfortable with. And another thing to consider, right, depending on your inspection and depending on how many offers there are, in some instances, you can buy a house and you can get a home warranty or the seller will provide a home warranty and then if you close on it and specific systems start to fail, right, you can use this home warranty to come and repair things. And people will frequently get home warranties, especially on houses, more so than with condos.
And I think it’s important to know that as well as there are policies. There’s regular insurance and then there’s ancillary policies. For example, on sewer pipes, you can have a sewer pipe for the inside of the house, all of the plumbing, and you can have the main line that goes to the street, and you carry that, and it cost you an extra $10 a month. But if something goes wrong, it’s a wonderful thing to have, especially in one of these older homes that frequently does have something with a tree or a root growing into your pipe that you didn’t plan for after you’ve closed.
Just so you know, right, if you’ve waived some or all of your home inspection contingency, you do still have a seller’s disclosure, which would have been given to you by your agent prior to putting your offer together. And on the seller’s disclosure, it asks every question, and the seller answers, and they’re supposed to answer honestly as to whether or not, you know, it covers every major system. the electric is upgraded, if it has knob or tube, if there’s water, if there’s flooding, like whatever those risks are, they’re answering openly and honestly on the seller’s disclosure and it’s there to protect you because if ever anyone were to lie about that, right?
That would that’s a legal document that stands with your contract and does offer some protections with your attorney. So, here’s what I think most buyers don’t realize or maybe they don’t think about. It’s for the most part, it’s not actually all or nothing, right? There is a real middle ground where you can waive and limit some of the inspection. In a condominium, maybe you’re waiving all of it because there’s not a lot of risk, right? or in a 41 person bidding war where you’ve lost six other homes and you’re willing to have paid another $150,000 for the house.
But many people will limit the inspection to mechanical, structural, and environmental, which typically means you’re only waiving the cosmetic stuff that you’re not going to be able to ask for anyway. Remember, you go and you have a home inspection and you get back 41 points and the truth is is if the floors were scratched when you walk through the house, you don’t get to ask for the floors, right? If you can see it and if it was chipped and it was broken and the cabinet door was hanging off, you can ask for whatever, right?
But you’re buying this home in the condition that you saw it. So you have to remember a home inspection is typically for hidden defects and you can always ask for every single thing but the seller can come back and say no. So you know waiving and limiting and people do that sometimes with with terms like structural and mechanical. Sometimes people will say, "Well, I don’t want to say that, but I’m comfortable saying I’ll waive the inspection up to $5,000." Right? Anything that’s above $5,000, I’m going to be able to go back and negotiate.
So, there’s different ways to set up and structure how you’re waiving your contingency that are still attractive and set you apart from the other offers in a competitive situation. There’s many scenarios, right? You have sellers that will have a pre-insspection and they’ll do that before they put their home on the market and fix as much as they the home inspector says, right? So that they have a clean, smooth deal. I have seen buyers that come in and have an inspection right before the contract is firm and they’re willing to lose the money in case they decide not to buy that home just to have the comfort of having a pre-insspection before they put their offer together.
So, it’s not a one-sizefits-all or a oneandone. It’s knowing what your options are and what the risks are and what the rewards are, right? looking at everything and weighing it out before you put together the best offer or your best foot forward. So, having an inspection forformational purposes only, it lets you get the full inspection report right after your offer is accepted. You’re just giving up the right to negotiate the repairs and exit the deal based on what you find. at the bare minimum want to do this because even if you’re buying the home, like isn’t it important for you to know what you’re getting into it?
Like you’re going to have to fix it. And obviously if everything is cosmetic, people will fix things over time, but if there’s anything majorly wrong, you still want to know so that it’s the first thing that you do before you, you know, live and move into the house. Makes things easier on the specific systems. Most commonly right now, you’re doing a sewer line scope. I had a sewer line scope on the last four houses that I bought because if I’m going to buy the house, whether I’m buying it or not, I want to know what I’m getting into so I can get that insurance policy and if there’s a problem, I have it in place.
Also, I always have a tank sweep in case there’s an oil tank underground. Nobody ever wants to not have that because that is risky and can be very expensive, right? It’s good to know going into anything what is my best and worst case scenario and and cross off all of those major things that could come up. You know, nothing like not you want a termite inspection. And you certainly want to, you know, even if it is an easy breezy thing and it cost $1,000 to have a termite remediation as long as the house isn’t falling down, having that looked at and knowing about it is something that you want to address.
Make sure you put real numbers next to your decision. A standard home inspection typically costs a few hundred, especially a condominium, right? maybe a little bit more for a single family home. Sewer scope adds a modest amount on top of that. Compare that to the buyer that we mentioned earlier who got hit with $10,000 electrical panel replacement after they waived the inspection entirely. The inspection itself would have cost a small fraction of that repair and it would have given them the chance to either negotiate a credit or in the worst case, right, maybe they didn’t want to buy that house.
A sewer line replacement, it’s even more extreme, right? depending on the length of the line and if it has any turns and whether it’s connected to the neighbor and whether the street needs to be excavated and the road needs to be closed down and you need to hire the police force. Oh my goodness, right? Having a sewer scope inspection definitely right is really important. So the gap between what the have the diligence costs and what the failure costs is exactly why some buyers treat these items worth protecting even when they’re comfortable waiving everything else.
That math doesn’t mean you should never waive. Sometimes winning the house is worth the risk and but it’s worth being honest with yourself about what you’re actually trading off in real dollars and not just in competitive positioning. The question doesn’t only matter to buyers, right? If you’re selling and you receive an offer with the inspection waived, it’s tempting to treat it as automatically the strongest offer on the table, especially if you know a lot of terrible about your house. But it’s worth thinking about it from the other side, too. waived inspection offer removes one path for the deal to fall apart, which is genuinely valuable, right, to you as a seller, but it doesn’t remove your own disclosure obligations, right?
Remember, there’s a buyer on the other side that depending on who they are, may feel blindsided after the closing and even without contractual recourse, right? That’s a very different outcome than a smooth, well-informed transaction and being transparent in your disclosures because to be honest, if there’s an issue and you disclose it upfront, it is much easier to overcome and for a buyer to overcome that and to move forward, right, buying the house and to not have the deal blow up because you get to a place where people feel that maybe we haven’t been honest with each other.
So, be transparent and keep records of past repairs, known issues that protects you regardless of what the buyer chooses to waive. Here’s how to think through your specific situation. Start with the property’s age and condition, right? Older homes deserve more caution than, say, new construction. Look at how strong and detailed the seller’s disclosure actually is. Be honest about your own cash reserves. How would you react to a surprise bill? How would that actually affect you? And not how do you assume it would? Consider the middle ground options.
Pre-insspection, an informationonly inspection, a narrower sewer scope contingency before assuming it’s all or nothing. And finally, be honest about how much you want the specific house versus your willingness to lose it and find another one. because that emotional calculus is often what’s really driving the decision more than the property’s actual condition. We got some questions and here’s a few. Can I waive the inspection but still keep my contingency for financing? Yes, they’re separate contingencies. Waiving one doesn’t require waiving the other.
Many buyers are keeping their financing and appraisal contingencies while giving up only the home inspection contingency just to make their offer stronger. Is a sewer scope really worth adding back in if I’m waiving everything else? Well, for older properties, yes. Yes. Yes. Sewer line replacement is one of the most expensive surprises a homeowner can face. It’s genuinely invisible without a scope. Unlike many other issues which a buyer or the agent might actually partially spot with a walkth through, what if I waive the inspection and then I find a major issue right after the closing.
So, your options at that point are limited and they depend heavily on whether or not the seller knew about it versus they didn’t know about it and what did the disclosure say and that’s exactly why you have that seller’s disclosure. Does a home warranty make waiving the inspection safer? Only partially, right? A home warranty can soften the financial blow of a system failing after you move in, but it typically excludes pre-existing conditions. It won’t help if there’s issues that were there present at the closing. It has different things about the AC.
You got to read it before you buy it. To sum it up, waiving the home inspection isn’t inherently reckless if it depends on the property’s age, on the seller’s disclosure, on your financial cushion, on how much you want the specific house. And remember, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. A pre-insspection, an informationonly inspection, an arrow or sewer scope contingency can let you compete right without going in completely blind. Whatever you decide, make it a deliberate choice that you talk through with your agent, not a reflex you made under pressure with a bidding deadline ticking down.
Talk about it before understand what you’re getting into. So, before you decide to waive anything in your next offer, call or text us. We’ll help you. We’ll look at the specific property with you. We’ll tell you honestly whether we think it’s safe, what we feel about it, right? Whether you know it looks like you should have a pre-insspection or maybe you want to take a pass. So, if you are interested in talking about what it means to waive your home inspection, reach out to the team using the link below. We’ll walk you through exactly what you need to know before you make the decision. and you’re in that particular situation.
Anyway, great to see you guys. Catch you the next time.
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Direct Answer
If you’re buying in New Jersey, waiving your right to negotiate repairs can be a reasonable risk on a condo or new construction and a costly gamble on an older house, and you should never skip the inspection entirely. The Jill Biggs Group helps buyers structure the waiver so the offer stays competitive without going in blind. Middle-ground options include limiting the contingency to mechanical, structural and environmental items, setting a dollar threshold, or inspecting for information only, and keeping a sewer scope, an oil tank sweep and a termite inspection protects you from the most expensive surprises.
Two buyers waive their home inspection to win a bidding war. One calls it the best decision they ever made. The other gets hit with a $10,000 electrical panel replacement shortly after closing.
Which of those two you become depends on the property and on how you structure the waiver. I’m Jill Biggs, and after 20 years helping buyers in Hoboken, Jersey City and the surrounding suburbs, this is how I walk clients through the decision.
Is it ever a good idea to waive a home inspection in NJ?
Sometimes, but never skip the inspection entirely. Waiving your right to negotiate repairs can be a reasonable risk on a condo or new construction and a costly mistake on an older house. It depends on the property’s age and condition, the strength of the seller’s disclosure, your cash cushion and how much you want this particular house.
The decision also doesn’t have to be all or nothing. There are several ways to stay competitive without going in blind, and we’ll cover them below. If you’re still early in the process, start with our guide to buying a home in Hudson County.
What an inspection contingency does
Before deciding whether to give it up, it helps to know what you’d be giving up. The inspection contingency lets a licensed home inspector evaluate every system in the property. They’ll tell you what’s in good shape, what’s mediocre and what’s past its life expectancy, along with what needs repair and how to care for the home.
It also gives you leverage. You can ask the seller for a price reduction or repairs. In the worst case, you can walk away without losing any portion of your deposit. It’s the biggest protection a buyer has.
What does it mean to waive a home inspection?
Waiving the inspection doesn’t mean one thing. Sometimes it means skipping the inspection entirely, which we would never recommend. In a multiple-offer situation it more often means having the inspection for information only. You still look, but you give up the right to negotiate or cancel based on what you find. Never buy without knowing what you’re getting into.
Never buy without knowing what you’re getting into.
Jill Biggs
When buyers compete, I like to put dollar figures on the possibilities so the risk feels real. A hot water heater might run $2,000, a roof $28,000, and a broken sewer pipe $20,000. The question to settle before you write the offer is whether you’d still pay another $100,000 for the house if every item in it failed.
Buying a condo
Inspecting from the sheetrock in
What you’re inspecting changes the math. In a condo, you’re inspecting sheetrock in, so the focus is appliances, the electrical system and, if there’s central air, the age and condition of the compressor and air handler. The building itself is the association’s issue, and other contingencies cover it. Many fixes are cheap: a faulty outlet turns up on almost every inspection and can cost about $60 to fix.
Buying a house
You’re responsible for everything
In a house, you’re responsible for everything: the exterior, roof, foundation, sewer or septic and every system inside. There’s far more risk in waiving on a house than on a condo.
And "waiving" can take different forms. You might waive the whole inspection, cap it at a dollar amount or waive everything except mechanical, structural and environmental items. Choose the version you’ll feel comfortable with after closing.
Why buyers waive inspections in Hoboken and Jersey City
In a competitive market, sellers look at more than the price. They weigh the terms, the down payment, the timing and the inspection. A full, unlimited inspection contingency can signal that you might come back after the inspection and try to renegotiate. With five offers on the table, that can cost you the house.
There’s a psychological piece, too. In a bidding war, waiving the inspection can feel like the last lever left once price alone isn’t winning. That pressure is real, but it’s exactly the moment to slow down. A decision made mid-bidding war isn’t always one you’d make with a clear head.
It also helps to remember that a seller comparing offers weighs price, financing strength, closing timeline and deposit alongside the inspection terms. A strong offer on every dimension sometimes wins without waiving the entire inspection, which is why this deserves a conversation with your agent rather than an assumption. For more on building a competitive offer, see our 2026 home buyer negotiation strategies.
When waiving is a reasonable risk, and when it’s a gamble
There’s no one answer for every property. It depends on what you’re buying.
Lower risk
Waiving tends to be more reasonable when
- You’re buying new construction, where the major systems are brand new and New Jersey’s new home warranty covers the systems for two years and major structural defects for ten.
- You’re buying a condo, where you’re inspecting the unit rather than the building.
- You have significant reserves set aside, or you were already planning a renovation.
Higher risk
Waiving becomes a bigger gamble when
- The house is old and the seller can’t tell you the age of any system. Think of a 140-year-old house sold by an investor who never lived in it.
- There may be an oil tank. Find out right away whether there is one, whether the seller will remove it and, if it was removed, whether the ground was tested. New Jersey’s heating oil tank program has certified environmental professionals verify that a cleanup meets state standards, so ask what documentation exists.
- The sewer line is old. This is a newer concern, and it’s a big one in Hoboken and Jersey City. If the underground pipes haven’t been replaced, there’s a good chance they need to be, and once you buy the house, you own the problem. In the suburbs, septic systems carry the same kind of risk.
- You’d be giving up follow-up inspections. A full inspection contingency lets you bring in a roofer, electrician, structural engineer or chimney sweep when your inspector flags something.
- The home was built before 1978. Many homes from that era contain lead paint, and a big renovation can disturb it. Under federal rules, sellers must disclose known lead hazards and give buyers a chance to check, as the EPA explains. Radon is another one to consider, especially in homes with basements.
If you’re in a bidding war with 41 other buyers and you want the house badly enough, it may be worth it to you to know that even if everything were wrong and it cost $150,000 more, you’d still end up with it. That’s a legitimate personal decision. Just make it with as many facts about the specific property as you can get, so you don’t wake up four days or two months later in a position you’re not comfortable with.
Can you waive only part of a home inspection?
For the most part, it’s not all or nothing. You can waive or limit part of the inspection and still make an attractive offer. Here are the most common ways to do it:
Limit the inspection to mechanical, structural and environmental items
This usually gives up only cosmetic issues, which you couldn’t have asked the seller to fix anyway. A home inspection is meant to find hidden defects. If you could see the scratched floors or the cabinet door hanging off during the showing, you’re buying the home in that condition.
Set a dollar threshold
Some buyers say, "I’m comfortable waiving the inspection up to $5,000," and negotiate anything above that amount.
Inspect for information only
You get the full report right after your offer is accepted, and you give up only the right to negotiate repairs or exit the deal. At the bare minimum, I always recommend this. Even if you’re buying the house no matter what, you want to know what’s wrong so you can handle the big items before you move in.
Get a pre-inspection
Some sellers inspect before listing and fix what the inspector recommends so the deal goes smoothly. I’ve also seen buyers pay for an inspection before the contract is firm, willing to lose that money if they decide not to buy.
Which inspections should you keep if you waive the rest?
For specific systems, a targeted inspection can protect you against the most expensive surprises:
Sewer line scope
This is the most common one right now. I had a sewer scope on each of the last four houses I bought. If there’s a problem, you can get an insurance policy in place.
Oil tank sweep
Nobody wants to skip it, because an undiscovered tank can be very expensive.
Termite inspection
Even an easy $1,000 remediation is worth knowing about, as long as the house isn’t falling down.
The goal is to know your best-case and worst-case scenarios going in and cross off the major things that could come up.
What a good agent does either way
A good agent works to reduce your risk whatever you decide, starting before the offer goes in. That can start with asking the seller for records of recent capital improvements, including:
- The age of the roof, boiler and windows
- What the utility bills look like
- Whether there’s an oil tank
- Whether the property is on sewer or septic, and whether it was recently scoped
- The age of the appliances
- Whether there has ever been water
None of this replaces a licensed inspection. It narrows the unknowns before you decide how much protection you need.
What protections do you have after waiving a home inspection in NJ?
The seller’s disclosure
Even if you waive some or all of the inspection, in most sales you still receive the seller’s disclosure from your agent before you put your offer together. It asks about every major system, including whether the electric has been upgraded, whether there’s knob-and-tube wiring and whether there’s been water or flooding. Since March 20, 2024, New Jersey law has required sellers to answer the flood-risk questions on the Seller’s Property Condition Disclosure Statement before a buyer is bound by a contract, even when the rest of the form isn’t completed. Some sellers, such as estates and investors who never lived in the home, may answer the rest of the form only partially. The seller is supposed to answer honestly, and the statement is a legal document that stands with your contract. If someone lies on it, it may offer some protection, so talk to your attorney.
A home warranty
Depending on your inspection and how many offers there are, you may be able to buy a home warranty, or the seller may provide one. If a covered system fails after closing, you can use the warranty to repair it. Warranties are more common on houses than on condos. They typically exclude pre-existing conditions, and every policy differs (especially on AC), so read yours before you rely on it.
Sewer line insurance
For something like $10 a month, an ancillary policy can cover the plumbing inside the house and the main line out to the street. It’s a wonderful thing to have in an older home, where a tree root growing into your pipe is the kind of surprise you didn’t plan for after closing.
How much does an inspection cost compared with a surprise repair?
The gap between what the diligence costs and what a failure costs is the clearest way to see the tradeoff.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Home inspection, condo | A few hundred dollars |
| Home inspection, house | A little more than a condo inspection |
| Sewer scope | A modest add-on to the inspection fee |
| Electrical panel replacement | $10,000 in the example above |
| Broken sewer pipe replacement | Around $20,000, depending on the line |
Costs reflect the examples Jill uses in her video; get current quotes for the specific property.
Sewer replacement can climb fast. The cost depends on the length of the line, whether it has turns, whether it’s connected to the neighbor’s and whether the street has to be excavated, the road closed and police hired.
That math doesn’t mean you should never waive. Sometimes winning the house is worth the risk. Just be honest with yourself about what you’re trading off in real dollars as well as in competitive positioning.
What should sellers know about waived-inspection offers?
For sellers
This question matters on the other side of the table, too. An offer with the inspection waived can look like the strongest one automatically. It does remove one path for the deal to fall apart, which is valuable. But it doesn’t remove your disclosure obligations, and a buyer who feels blindsided after closing is a very different outcome from a smooth, well-informed transaction.
If there’s an issue, disclose it up front. It’s much easier for a buyer to work through a known problem than for a deal to blow up because the two sides feel they haven’t been honest with each other. Be transparent and keep records of past repairs and known issues. That protects you no matter what the buyer waives.
How do you decide whether to waive a home inspection?
Work through these five questions in order:
Five questions · in order
Start with the property’s age and condition. Older homes deserve more caution than new construction.
Read the seller’s disclosure closely and note how strong and detailed it is.
Check your cash reserves and picture how a surprise bill would affect you in practice.
Look at the middle ground first. A pre-inspection, an information-only inspection or a narrower sewer scope contingency can keep you competitive.
Ask how much you want this house. Be honest about your willingness to lose it and find another one. That emotional calculus often drives the decision more than the property’s condition.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Waiving a Home Inspection
Yes. They’re separate contingencies, and waiving one doesn’t require waiving the other. Many buyers keep their financing and appraisal contingencies and give up only the home inspection contingency to strengthen their offer. More local answers are in our Hudson County real estate FAQ.
For older properties, yes. Sewer line replacement is one of the most expensive surprises a homeowner can face, and it’s invisible without a scope.
Your options are limited, and they depend heavily on whether the seller knew about the issue and what the disclosure said. That’s exactly why the seller’s disclosure matters.
Only partially. A warranty can soften the blow if a system fails after you move in, but it typically excludes pre-existing conditions, so it won’t help with problems that were present at closing. Read the policy before you buy it.
Talk It Through Before You Waive Anything
Decide with your agent, ahead of the bidding deadline. Before you waive anything on your next offer, call or text us. We’ll look at the specific property with you and give you our honest read, whether that means getting a pre-inspection, limiting the contingency or taking a pass.
Call (973) 495-6038 · Mon to Fri 8am to 8pm, weekends 8am to 6pm
The Jill Biggs Group · hardwired for hardwork.
Last Updated: October 2026
Sources: Jill Biggs, video on waiving the home inspection contingency, October 2026; New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Seller’s Property Condition Disclosure Statement and flood-risk disclosure guidance; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Unregulated Heating Oil Tank Program; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, lead-based paint disclosure; New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, New Home Warranty Program.
The Jill Biggs Group · 331 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030 · (973) 495-6038
