Waiving the Inspection, Not the Risk

When they recently replaced laminate countertops with granite, workers discovered there was no insulation around the windows.

"We have no regrets," Yoon said. "My oldest was starting kindergarten in the fall. We had no choice, we felt."

But Michele Massey did have a choice about getting an inspection. By the time she bought in February of this year, the balance of power had shifted from sellers to buyers. Instead of an escalation clause, she offered $10,000 less than the asking price of $460,000 for her Springfield townhouse.

Massey, 38, had owned houses four times before, and had inspections on each one. The inspections never found anything, she said.

She was cynical about inspectors' independence, and decided it would be a waste of $300 to hire one.

Boy, is she sorry.

The townhouse has a consistent problem with mice, and she bought a new stove right away because the old one smelled of mouse urine.

There was a broken pipe in the furnace room, significant water damage and a mold problem. "An inspector totally would have caught that," she said ruefully.

Another pipe burst in the basement. She had to replace drywall, and hire a company to dry out the carpet.

Several of the light fixtures spark. A termite inspector found what he believes is a structural crack in the basement.

"I'm probably $5,000 in debt I didn't plan on," she said. "This has led me to have to get a roommate."