New Home Inspection (Howe: how much, buying, new construction)

[reachvali]

Hi all,

My newly built home is ready for closing. Next week i am planning to bring a Inspector for the home inspection.
I would appriciate if you can tell me what things do i need to ask the inspector to check throughly.
Insulation in the attic
Duct leakages(Can it happen in the new homes?)
A/c units

What else?

Thanks in advnace
Aadil

[CATXTransplant]

if it's a brand new home and you're closing next week, I'm assuming this is the final walkthrough? I would wait a year (unless you suspect problems now). I always recommend getting it inspected at the end of the warranty period (usually one year). Otherwise you'll pay abour $400 now and $400 in a year. Any home inspector who is licensed will know what to check. They will check all major systems. They don't check for duct leakages, though. You'd have to have an energy auditor do that. They aren't hard to find now that it's required in some places, just google it.

[reachvali]

Thanks for the advice. I think i will go for the inspection before the end of the warranty.

[centraltex_sara]

CATXTransplant is right that you might end up paying for an inspection twice and not need it. However, I still recommend hiring an inspector before closing, as well. IMHO, there are a few important reasons for doing so:

1. If an inspector identifies any major problems with your house that would be a deal-breaker for you, it is a lot easier and cheaper to call off closing and walk away from your earnest money than to be stuck with a home you now own and are trying to have fixed.
2. If the inspector identifies items that are not deal-breakers but simply aren't done correctly (and you wait until next year to find them), you'll have to deal with being uprooted by construction work while you're living there, and you'll have to rely on your builder to schedule the work to get done in a timely fashion.

It's much easier to have things fixed before your furniture, family, and belongings are moved in, and you'd be surprised how much more quickly builders will resolve things when a closing date is on the line.

Finally, if the item were something like a leaky vent (or, for example, a HVAC return that was never installed and drywalled over -- an inspector just found this in a client's new home), you could end up paying for it in other ways (like higher energy bills) for the next 12 months.

Of course, most new homes should be fine and not have major issues to worry about. Most of my clients buying new construction are perfectly happy, but there have been a handful who were definitely glad they hired an inspector. In the end, it can be worth MUCH more than the $400 you'll spend to make sure everything's done correctly.

I worked for a big builder before becoming a Realtor, and I've seen many of the things that can go wrong or be missed. The big issues are rare, but it's better to be safe than wonder if any of them are hidden in your house...

That's my $.02. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

[Jennibc]

If I were you, I would inspect in now too. For all you know there could be a structural issue that will be a nightmare. I wouldn't complete a purchase without that inspection. In the whole scheme of things 400 is not much money.

[Zzyzx]

Originally Posted by reachvali

Hi all,

My newly built home is ready for closing. Next week i am planning to bring a Inspector for the home inspection.
I would appriciate if you can tell me what things do i need to ask the inspector to check throughly.
Insulation in the attic
Duct leakages(Can it happen in the new homes?)
A/c units

What else?

Thanks in advnace
Aadil

You pretty much missed your best opportunity for a good thorough inspection, which was a pre-drywall inspection. That's where most of the expensive structural defects would have been caught. EVERY pre drywall inspection I have seen turns up a laundry list of defects you can expect in Texas home construction. It should be a law in this state to have the pre-drywall inspection. Shoddy construction is the rule, not the exception.

Having said that, I would have the a walk through inspection before closing to catch any additional items that the inspector can point out.

[CATXTransplant]

I only recommended that he not pay twice was because the way I read it, he was about to close. Some builders (like DR Horton) pay for a 3rd party to inspect at the beginning and you get a copy and they fix everything. It sounded like he was past that stage, but it's hard to tell..

[reachvali]

I still have time to bring a third party inspector. I think now it is a good idea to go for a 3rd party inspection before closing. Thank you very much for all your replies.

Best regards,
Aadil

[TexasHorseLady]

Definitely get an inspection of your own (do NOT rely on the builder's inspector) before closing. A lot of things can turn up on a new build, and they can be fixed BEFORE closing, which is easier on everyone (you, the repair men, the builder) than waiting until the problem becomes obvious while you're living there and having to schedule around that (as well as having to get a response from the builder that they will fix it).

A good inspector won't need to be told what to look for, by the way.