New Home Inspections

All new homes have apparent and unapparent defects, regardless of the quality of construction or the integrity of the builders and sub-contractors involved. Even if the contractor you choose for building your house is known for quality work, the following fact should motivate new homebuyers to have a home inspection clause written into their contract to purchase.

The majority of builders usually subcontracted work out to the lowest bidder (foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical, etc.) with more emphasis on speed and less emphasis on quality being an important consideration for the builder. With many separate activities going on at the same time, it's nearly impossible for the builder / contractor to personally monitor all phases of the home construction.

Is a Newly Constructed Home Safe?

Some home buyers assume that the builder and contractors are overseen by state and local government or by city building inspectors. This is true to some degree, however, few if any municipal building inspectors spend enough time to fully check your home out as much as a new home inspection would. Further, there could be problems with the home that are not necessarily code violations, yet have serious consequences for the new home owner. Ask any private home inspector about the deficiencies and safety issues discovered in newly constructed homes.

Builders Warranty

Some home buyers choose not to have a new home inspection do so because of the builder's warranty. It is the most common reason why buyers of new homes forego home inspections. In many cases, this has proved to be a costly error. Buyers assume that all significant defects will become apparent during the warranty period. This, as we shall see, is a faulty assumption. It is almost impossible for a builder to build something as complex as a house without committing any errors at various stages of the building process. Never assume that all such errors will be readily apparent. This is a recipe for financial loss. Problems may reside in the attic, in the basemeny or crawl space, in the electric service panel, or high atop the roof. They may involve safety violations with a chimney installation or the grounding of electrical outlets. There might be a defect in the roof framing, the gas connection to the heater, or the site drainage on the property. A home inspector who is able to discover such conditions will enable you to take full advantage of your builders' warranty.

Take Advantage of a New Home Inspection

If the buyer of a newly constructed home takes advantage of the inspection clause, the first line of defense is the exterior wall and roof frame inspection followed by the open wall or pre-drywall / pre-insulation inspection which would be followed by the final walk through inspection. Be aware that some builders have prevented private home inspectors from inspecting newly built houses. If you are in the process of buying a new home and the builder does not allow you to bring a private home inspector on site, this poses a couple of questions; "Why won't the builder allow the home inspector on site?" What does the builder have to hide? At this point you should be thinking hard about proceeding with the purchase and you should also be consulting with your attorney.