Maybe you are looking to buy a house or you want to sell one. You have heard of buying or selling “as is”. It just means that what you see is what you get and that the seller will not make nay repairs or changes.
It doesn’t mean that the buyer can not have an inspection. A complete home inspection is necessary and part of the home buying process. In the case of “as-is”, it is even more important.
Buyers have the right to know what they are purchasing as-is. Sellers will not make repairs but if the purchase is inspection contingent the buyer can cancel the purchase.
If buyer inspections are not allowed my advice is to pass on the house because it may need expensive repairs. Government entities and corporations sometimes sell houses and will not turn the utilities on so that the house can be inspected.
Selling “as-is” does not give the owner permission to deliberately hide property defects, nor does it protect them from lawsuits.
Corporations and government entities that sell real property do not always fully understand what “as-is” means and may prohibit inspections or hide material facts.
Several municipalities including St. Paul require truth in housing or tie of sale inspections. Selling as is does not mean that the house is exempt from such inspections.
In a general way, all houses are sold as-is. If the buyer has an inspection and the homeowner makes a repair the house is then sold “as-is”.
