(This post is not legal advice.  For legal advice, consult a lawyer about your particular situation.)

First, my apologies to the RCG community.  I recently took a lengthy vacation and have been quite busy since my return.  Moreover, I now need to hire additional staff and thus move to a larger office space.  So, please forgive my less-than-frequent contributions until things return to “normal.”

Recently, Russ authored a post discussing the recent Supreme Court case of Alejandre v. Bull (beating me to the punch, in the process).  This is indeed an important case for several reasons, one of which Russ and the subsequent comments touch upon: the importance of a thorough home inspection.

Initially, the home inspection (if performed competently) provides the buyer with information regarding the condition of the house.  Obviously, the buyer is best served having full knowledge of any existing defects and able to make an informed decision about whether to complete the purchase. 

In light of the Bull case, however, the inspection also has legal significance.  In that case, the Court (in paragraphs 32 and 33) noted that a buyer of real property may still have a claim of fraudulent concealment and/or fraud where the seller fails to disclose a known defect (notwithstanding the fact that the buyer does not have a claim for negligent misrepresentation due to the economic loss rule, as discussed by Russ).  To prevail on a claim of fraudulent concealment, the buyer must show that the defect at issue “would not be disclosed by a careful, reasonable inspection by the purchaser.”  To prevail on a fraud claim, the buyer must show that he had a right to rely on the alleged misrepresentation of the defect at issue.  This “right to rely” is “intrinsically linked” (using the Court’s words) to a buyer’s duty to exercise diligence with regard to the representations at issue.  

Accordingly, an inspection is critical to retaining the ability to make a claim of fraud or fraudulent concealment against a seller.  If a buyer skips the inspection, the buyer will have great difficulty showing that the defect would not have been revealed by an inspection.  The reverse is true as well: by getting an inspection that fails to uncover the defect, the buyer will have a very good argument that the defect would not be (and indeed was not) revealed by an inspection.  Similarly, absent an inspection, the buyer will almost certainly have failed to exercise the necessary diligence to identify the defect, regardless of seller’s representation.

An inspection has an immediate, practical benefit.  However, it also has a legal benefit.  If you forego the inspection, you essentially waive any claim against the seller for failing to disclose a known defect.