Sight Unseen / No Home Inspection

When you are working with buyers who have not personally viewed the property, or have opted to not complete a home inspection:

Occasionally, a buyer will want to purchase a home without viewing, or perhaps deciding to not include an inspection conditions. To protect yourself, and to ensure that your client understands the situation, you should have a conversation with them and then follow up that conversation with an email.

Here are a couple of examples:

No Home Inspection Condition:

We've been talking about whether or not to include a home inspection condition in your offer.

In our current market, which is quite competitive and homes often receive multiple offers, deciding whether to include this condition can have a significant impact on your offer's strength. Here are a few key pros and cons to consider:

Pros of Including a Home Inspection Condition:

Peace of Mind: An inspection helps you identify potential issues—structural, electrical, plumbing, etc.—before you're fully committed.

Negotiation Opportunity: If concerns are found, you may be able to renegotiate the price or ask for repairs.

Protects Your Investment: Especially important in older homes where hidden issues may exist.

Cons in a Hot Market:

May Weaken Your Offer: Sellers often lean toward clean, condition-free offers. Including a home inspection can make your offer less attractive if others are willing to waive it.

Risk of Losing the Home: In multiple-offer situations, offers with fewer conditions often win—even at similar or lower prices.

A Possible Middle Ground:

We could write in a shorter inspection timeframe (e.g., 24–48 hours) to maintain competitiveness while still protecting yourself. Other buyers who include the condition, typically have a two week period, allowing them to cancel the inspection if they don't receive their financing approval. This shows that your are serious about the home, and confident in your financing position.

Ultimately, the decision is yours and will depend on your comfort with risk, the specific home, and how competitive the situation is.

Let me know how you'd like to proceed, and I can put together a draft of the offer for your review.

Purchasing a Home Without Viewing

We've been talking about the possibility of submitting an offer on the <<address>> without viewing the home in person, and I want to make sure you’re fully informed before moving forward.

There are some advantages to submitting an offer sight unseen, such as:

Moving quickly in a competitive market.

Getting ahead of other buyers who may be waiting to schedule a showing.

Positioning yourself as a serious buyer, especially if your offer is clean and straightforward.

However, there are also a few important risks to keep in mind:

You won’t have the opportunity to assess the condition of the property firsthand.

Photos and virtual tours may not reveal everything (odours, noise, layout issues, etc.).

If the home doesn't meet your expectations upon viewing later, you may still be under contractual obligations unless you've included a condition to protect yourself.

If you do choose to include a condition such as "subject to viewing and approval within [X] days," it provides you with protection and time to view the home in person. However, it’s important to know that:

In a multiple-offer scenario, sellers may view this clause as less desirable compared to offers without conditions.

It could weaken your offer if other buyers are submitting unconditional offers or have already seen the property.

We can proceed either way, and I’ll support whichever decision you’re most comfortable with. If you’re confident based on the listing materials and would like to go in firm, we can do that. If you’d prefer the safety of viewing before finalizing, we can include the appropriate condition and wording.

Let me know how you’d like to proceed, and I’ll draft the offer accordingly.

As always, reach out to your brokers if you have any questions.