Experts warn against foregoing inspection process when buying a home

TAMP, Fla. - Demand for homes is high in Tampa Bay and across the country, but inventory is low.

Homes are selling well above the asking price and are getting multiple offers, according to realtors.

"Buyers are scrambling to find some property and when they finally find one, they want to make that offer as attractive as possible to the seller," said Ron Thompson, a realtor for Keller Williams.

There’s a new trend where buyers are foregoing the inspection to be more attractive to the seller. Inspections take about two weeks, where buyers make sure everything is good with the home before proceeding with the offer.

"At the end of that inspection period the buyer can say, you know what, the house isn't up to par, I don't want to proceed and now the seller has put the house back on the market 10 to 15 days later," Thompson said.  "These inspections save people thousands and thousands of dollars, this is a life investment that people are making in buying a home and if they are foregoing the inspection they're buying the house blind, and they could be inheriting a whole slew of problems with that house."

Thompson says he has not been in a situation where a client offered to forego an inspection, but other realtors tell Fox 13 they are beginning to see that happen in Tampa Bay.