In OneLaw’s October newsletter, we learned Attorney Chiara LaPlume wears the best costumes, we congratulated Attorney Chris Connolly on another not guilty in a criminal jury trial matter, we profiled a featured professional – residential real estate agent (and author) Ashley Harwood – who also wrote about recent changes for rules about home inspections and real estate offers to purchase, and we welcomed our legal intern Imene Bouziane Saidi from New England Law | Boston to the education law practice.

Read the full October 2025 newsletter HERE.

A text version is below.

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Halloween is approaching! It’s one of the most fun holidays of the year for people of all ages. Enjoy trick-or-treating whether with your kids, handing our treats, or dressing up yourself. Here at OneLaw we recently learned Attorney Chiara LaPlume wears the best costumes!

Congratulations are in order – again – for Attorney Chris Connolly. He secured another not guilty in a criminal jury trial matter. Here’s to back-to-back wins.

This month we open the newsletter to a featured professional. Residential real estate agent (and author) Ashley Harwood shares an article about recent changes for rules about home inspections and real estate offers to purchase.

We also welcome our legal intern Imene Bouziane Saidi from New England Law | Boston. She is assisting with our education law practice.

That also makes for a good reminder that we represent parents and students in all types of school-related cases, from special education to student discipline, in public and private schools, from elementary and secondary schools to higher education.

As always, OneLaw is dedicated to serving the personal legal needs of families and individuals across a variety of practice areas. Let us know how we can help you. Visit our website (https://www.one-law.us) or give us a call at 617-831-4355.

Peter A. Hahn, Esq.

Principal Attorney

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Recent Changes for Home Inspections and Real Estate Offers

by Ashley Harwood, Realtor (Featured Professional)

On October 15, 2025, the rules around home inspections and real estate offers to purchase changed. Overall, this is a win for buyers and will even the playing field. Here’s what to know about the changes:

a) There’s a new disclosure form that’s required to be signed by both sellers and buyers, stating that sellers can no longer accept an offer contingent upon a waived or limited home inspection. Essentially, no more waived inspections as part of real estate offer negotiations.

b) The contract to purchase document (offer form) has been updated, as well, to reflect this change.

c) There are several exceptions to this rule, including: sales between immediate family members, divorce situations in which one party is buying the other one out, estate planning transfers, foreclosures, and new construction homes pre-completion.

d) Violation of this new law could fall under Chapter 93A, Massachusetts’ consumer protection act, meaning harsher punishments for offenders.

One common misconception is that the new law requires buyers to conduct a home inspection. That’s not the case. Buyers have no obligation to have a home inspection should they choose to waive it. The difference is they can only waive it after their offer is accepted. A home inspection waiver cannot be used as a negotiation tool any longer.

What does this mean for buyers?

Buyers can breathe a little easier now, knowing their right to choose to have a home inspection is now protected by law. I see this resulting in more end-users having their offers accepted, versus investors. I also see buyers feeling more comfortable and confident with their purchases should they choose to conduct an inspection. It’s always better for buyers to know the ins and outs of the home they’re buying.

What does this mean for sellers?

Sellers may not love this change, but they’ll be thankful for it when they’re buying their next home. We may see more sellers opting to do their own inspections before even going on the market, to address any issues up front. The risk here, of course, is that any issue the inspection uncovers will need to be disclosed to potential buyers unless it’s fixed beforehand.

What does this mean for real estate agents?

Agents are going to have to collectively agree to follow the rules. No hinting or telling the listing agent on the sly that the buyer plans to waive their inspection after the offer is accepted. As an agent myself, I can already foresee this being an issue amongst agents who like to bend the rules. As listing agents, we will need to be extra diligent in upholding the new law. We will also need to re-educate our sellers and manage their expectations. Because waiving inspections became so popular over the past 5 years, many sellers still think it’s their right to demand a buyer not do an inspection. Agents will be responsible for upholding the law, even if it disappoints the sellers.

What does the future look like?

Once everyone gets used to this new way of handling offer negotiations, it will be a much better landscape for real estate transactions. I think it’s a matter of fairness to all buyers (retail buyers as well as investors) and of increased disclosure about the properties themselves, both of which are positive changes. Many other states have similar laws; I’m glad to see Massachusetts catching up.

Ashley Harwood is a Realtor at Keller Williams Realty Chestnut Hill in Newton. She is also the author of “Move Over Extroverts: How to Build a Successful Real Estate Career as an Introvert”.

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IMENE BOUZIANE SAIDI

Legal Intern Imene Bouziane Saidi is OneLaw’s legal intern with a focus in education law. She is a third year law student at New England Law | Boston.

When asked about her interest in education law, Imene speaks with passion: “I’m particularly interested in how education law shapes access and services for students with disabilities and I am eager to deepen my understanding of how legal tools can be used to support students and their families. My background working with families navigating special education has shown me how critical strong legal protections are, and I’m excited to build on that experience through this internship. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from such talented attorneys at OneLaw and to gain meaningful exposure to the practice of special education law.”

Imene recently was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Disability Law for the Spring 2025 semester at New England Law. The CALI Awards program recognizes excellence in achievement by law students in their studies. Congratulations!

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EDUCATION LAW

Our education law practice covers all aspects of legal representation for students and families, including the following: Special Education Student Discipline Elementary and Secondary Education Higher Education (College and University) Public and Private Schools Civil Rights If your legal issue is related to school, contact OneLaw for representation or a consultation.

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OneLaw represents clients in education, estate planning, residential real estate, civil rights, disability, family law, criminal and victim rights, discrimination, special needs planning, guardianship, Juvenile Court, child welfare, probate administration, Title IX, HPO/RO, and related matters.