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Old 12-15-2009, 12:18 PM
 
22 posts, read 57,160 times
Reputation: 23

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Yes, a 4th party inspector is entirely necessary. Most 3rd party inspectors hired by the builder become complacent in a large neighborhood build-out. They build rapport with the people they deal with day in and day out and may not look as closely on subsequent homes as they did at the beginning. This is not to say that they become complacent on purpose, but we're all human and we all operate within the confines of what we're capable of.

The hard part is finding a 4th party inspector that is worth the money. The market is flooded with people that probably do a worse job than a complacent builder-hired inspector. Look closely at how long someone has been inspecting and ask for references. Make sure you follow up on those references too before you make a decision.
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Old 12-15-2009, 02:40 PM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,111,665 times
Reputation: 15226
Quote:
Originally Posted by CityCentreBlogger View Post
Yes, a 4th party inspector is entirely necessary. Most 3rd party inspectors hired by the builder become complacent in a large neighborhood build-out. They build rapport with the people they deal with day in and day out and may not look as closely on subsequent homes as they did at the beginning. This is not to say that they become complacent on purpose, but we're all human and we all operate within the confines of what we're capable of.

The hard part is finding a 4th party inspector that is worth the money. The market is flooded with people that probably do a worse job than a complacent builder-hired inspector. Look closely at how long someone has been inspecting and ask for references. Make sure you follow up on those references too before you make a decision.
Sean Chou 281-650-9243
Michael Holgun 281-794-4919
Both are good
Best to get them out before the "skin" goes on (sheetrock).
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Old 12-15-2009, 02:41 PM
 
201 posts, read 911,112 times
Reputation: 112
I would definitely recommend hiring your own inspector, one who is not affiliated with the builder. As others have mentioned, your builder will likely only address code violations, but your inspector may very well find such violations. The city inspectors typically are not very thorough and will likely not spend very much time checking out your house.

Plus, a house is a huge purchase, and the inspector gives you peace of mind. We're in the process of building a home, and we had an inspector come out for a pre-sheetrock inspection. He spent 6 hours inspecting the house, 2 hours of which I walked with him while he explained what he was looking for and why. It's obviously no guarantee, but we feel better about the process having a set of trained eyes looking over the house. If the inspector identified major issues that the builder wouldn't address, I would have walked away from the home despite the earnest money. No point in throwing good money after bad.
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Old 12-15-2009, 04:10 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
8,891 posts, read 19,875,808 times
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When we built - we hired our own inspector and he picked up little items the others didn't that I was able to get the builder to "fix". He inspected once after the plumbing, wiring, etc. was in but before sheetrock and then came back after sheetrocked and ready to go. I think it was worth it. But it is an individual call because it is more money out of your pocket.
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