Home inspections for new construction... waste of money? (new house, buying)

[TuborgP]

I am surprised your agent told you that. There is always a question regarding the sub contractors that were used. In this economy builder profit margins are down are feeling downward pressure. A good builder might be cutting corners or using less expensive sub contractors to get costs down. You are also trusting the inspectors to fully do their job and to not have any relationship with the builder that might be detrimental your interest. Would you want your house inspected right before lunch if the site superintendent offered to buy the inspector lunch? Who would know?

[filmsniffer]

Trust me; $400 is CHEAP. Pennies when compared with the cost of the house and whatever problems you may find by skipping the inspection.

These days, everything is made in China and installed by illegal mexicans who get paid by the job. Do NOT skip the inspection. Do find a good independent inspector in your area. It's money well spent. Like the other poster...only skip the inspection if you plan to tear down the home after buying.

[Plumber26]

Originally Posted by scrappygirl26

Our lender told us that it would probably be a waster of money to get a home inspection because our builder has a great reputation. I'm tempted to save the $400 but I'm wondering if it'll cost us in the end?

The city/county has to inspect the property pre-drywall, do they do any other inspections afterwards? Would having a home inspection be a waste of money?

Yes it would be a waste of money b/c if the house is new (just built) it has already had it's inspections with the city/county. The home inspectors that work for realtors and such only have a basic knowledge of any codes and are mainly looking for dripping faucets, weak flooring, foundation issues, ect. When i say basic, i mean basic

[QwertyFarmer]

You should absolutely get an inspection, try and use an inspector unrelated to your builder or lender.

We moved into our BRAND NEW home six months ago, here is a short list of what has happened, we had no independent inspector.

1. First week bubble of water formed around master bathroom vent fan.

2. Another bubble formed on other side of master bath ceiling, whole bathroom ceiling had to be removed and replaced, drywall, paint, and all.

3. Second week, water began coming into furnace room from behind downstairs bathroom wall. Downstairs kitchen counters had to be removed, holes were cut into the back of cabinets in search of leak, part of floor was pulled to find leak.

4. Third week, well stopped working which equals NO WATER. It took 2 pumps, a new pump motor, 2 pump installers, another pump driller, and 6 weeks to get water again.

5. Main floor laminate flooring began to curl and buckle, about 40% of the floor had to be replaced.

6. Garage Furnace installed incorrectly causing it to shut off due to condensation collecting in the unit vs. the condensation flowing away from the unit through the vent pipe.

7. Main floor kitchen counter sunk almost 2 inches, causing glass tiles over the stove to crack, still not repaired.

8. A very bad sewer smell on the bottom floor had been present from the third week until 2 weeks ago. After numerous calls and attempts to determine what it was, and the plumber’s assistant taking out the dishwasher again, and cutting more holes, he finally discovered along the back wall, on the other side of the room, a sewer vent pipe under the linoleum lip had been covered with DUCT TAPE instead of the required metal cap.

9. Large window on main floor is warped thus let in the cold all winter, which ran us at over 500 gallons a month in propane, OUCH!! This is still not fixed after they sent a replacement window that was even more warped.

10. Last week had to repair main floor entry door due to dead bolt lock was only held in with 1/4 inch accent screws on the frame side, with wind here and a push the frame cracked and dead bolt fell out!

We were told before arriving from California ourselves that the house would be "turn-key" ready. We have since learned it will probably take another six months worth of repairs and replacements to finally finish what they either left undone or did incorrectly and now needs to be fixed.

There are so many more things, and it makes me sick to think of them. So if you care at all about peace of mind and your long term well being in your new home, get the inspection. We have lost a few hundred hours in time babysitting contractors over the last six months and many other moments like last Christmas with family, due to no water, they had flown in from California, it was sad.

I hope this insight helps you.

[samstersmom]

I bought a new constructed townhome in January and paid $300 or $350 for a home inspection (I have been burned before by a bad inspector so having a great inspector was a must for me). He found that the furnace wasn't working and was very detailed about other things, such as screen windows having cuts in them, cabinets/doors not hanging right, and bad seams in the carpet. The builder corrected all of that and actually changed out some of my hardwoods on the floor because some had dings/scratches in them. And they washed down the brick outside of the house because the inspector wrote that the outside of the house was dirty. So I now have a sparkling new home and the others around me have mortar still stuck in their brick. An inspection is also worth it for peace of mind. The inspector I had was a retired contractor and was recommended for new builds (different than resales). If you want to send me a message, I will give you his info. The builder even commented that they should have him do their inspections.

[TeamBenya]

Get the Inspection!!!! The Lender likely thinks they are trying to save you money, but the inspection is your right, and the risk you run by NOT getting one is huge. I recently had a client get an inspection on new construction, and here's how it went:

The importance in getting a home inspection on new construction (http://www.teambenya.com/charles_county_real_estat/2009/05/case-in-point-the-importance-of-inspections-with-new-construction.html - broken link)

The marginal cost of inspection far outweighs the risk. County inspectors are looking for very specific things to sign off on, not the whole picture. My philosophy is that I would rather know for myself, not take someone else's word for it.

[marylandtax]

Samstersmom - I'm interested in your inspector...please provide contact info

[samstersmom]

Marylandtax- I sent you a direct message with info.

[NYMD67]

Originally Posted by cool rob

Think about this:

That $400.00 you may spend today can possibly save you $4,000 tommorow if the builders did something wrong (plumbing, wiring, etc) and you have to take them to court for repairs, but if the inspector can catch it now, I imagine y ou would have more leverage to get the builder to repair it.

You are about to make a substanial purchase, $400.00 should be worth the money to insure you are not buying a "new" POS.

EXACTLY. We have friends who built a home with Ryan about 6 years ago... they had their home inspection prior to the actual closing on their home and thank goodness they did! their entire HVAC unit needed to be reinstalled,I mean walls ripped out,etc..because they forgot some venting. Nice. It was a disaster for them,but luckily it was caught by the inspection because they would have moved in and then later found it.. costing THEM the money and not the builder.. (although I am sure that the builder would have had to have been held accountable,at least it was taken care of prior to them moving in).

[scrappygirl26]

We will most definitely have an inspection prior to closing. However we're still undecided about the pre-drywall inspection. Your comments & insight have given us a lot to consider. Thanks for your replies you've been very helpful!