New Home Inspection & Builder Warranty Inspection
There are good reasons to have a professional
inspection performed on the brand new home you are buying.
Many new homeowners had never even thought about having a home
inspection on their new home! They said, "What could possibly be wrong,
this is a new house", and were confronted with major defects after
move-in or when the home was inspected for a buyer when it was later
sold. Buying a new house is likely one of, if not the largest purchase
decision you'll ever make. The whole process is fraught with emotion and
stress. A professional home inspection will substantially reduce the
risk for your large investment in a new home. It just makes sense to
learn as much as you can about the quality of your new home, before
signing off on everything.
Building a new home is a tremendously complex endeavor. It involves many
people, split up into sub-contractor groups, all having been awarded the
contract by being the "LOW BIDDER", and each sub-contractor working on
different parts and systems of the house. Over 90% of the labor force
that builds homes today are not Union members or trade apprenticed. It's
no secret that builders are having a difficult time finding skilled
construction labor during the current building boom. With current city
and municipal budgets under financial stress it is not unusual for the
average City/Municipal Inspector to have a workload of 25-30 inspections
in a single day. City and Municipal Code Inspector's are hard pressed to
cover every item in every home. Electrical outlets and switches are not
inspected, appliances and major systems are not tested. The utilities
have not been hooked-up/connected to the home during the municipal
inspections. City inspectors do not enter attic spaces or go onto roofs.
Improperly installed roofing materials are the most common defect found
in new homes today, with moisture intrusion being the number one
construction defect lawsuit cause.
Even for the best builders, it's nearly impossible to complete this
process without missing something. Maybe it's a plumbing fixture that
didn't get tested for leak's, maybe it's an electrical component that
isn't working, or any one of dozens of minor problems that can easily be
overlooked in such a major undertaking. Sometimes it is more serious and
could compromise the health and safety of your family or subject you to
substantial expense to correct when you go to sell your home. We will
look for such problems while it is still early enough for you to bring
them up with the builder and have them corrected before you sign-off.
If your builder will not allow an independent third party professional
home inspection with a company of your choosing you should have reason
for concern. What does the builder have to fear or hide. You may also
choose to have an independent third party professional home inspection
before your one year builder's warranty is up. State law specifies a
number of items that a builder is responsible for beyond the one year
builder warranty. For the relatively small cost, a professional
inspection of your new dream home can pay big dividends in peace of mind
and getting any problems identified and corrected by the builder before
they can become an unpleasant surprise.
