Home inspections for new construction... waste of money? (apartment, to rent) - Maryland (MD) - City-Data Forum

scrappygirl26 · 05-29-2009, 06:59 AM

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?

cool rob · 05-29-2009, 07:09 AM

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.

tonyc · 05-29-2009, 08:44 AM

lil story - in the early 90's a friend of mine bought/built a new house in Kentlands. Prior to closing he sold his current house and rented an apartment. He then decided to give up his apartment the week of closing and walkthrough. During the walkthrough it was determined by the inspector that one level flooring was NOT up to code. That whole level had to be torn out and redone. My friend was now homeless

and had to rent another apartment for a couple months. The inspection saved his *ss.

What's the saying - a penny smart pound foolish..or something like that..

tonyc · 05-29-2009, 08:46 AM

And to add I know someone right now living with part of their six year old house on JACKS due to an erosion problem, that was overlooked when they bought.

bowian · 05-29-2009, 09:07 AM

ITA w/PPs. I had an inspection all the times I've bought new construction. Well worth the money; some things were found, but nothing really major. It's nice to have that reassurance that the home is well-built. I wouldn't take the builder or a lender's word for it. I'd wonder about a lender who would tell you such a thing.

Make sure it's a good inspector. For my first house, I hired a newbie inspector who missed something pretty basic that luckily didn't turn into a problem. My next inspector was expensive but very thorough.

scrappygirl26 · 05-29-2009, 09:44 AM

I too wondered why the lender would tell us it would be a waste of money? It really kind of threw me through a loop! If we were purchasing a resale we would absolutely without a question get an inspection. The only reason why I even considered not getting one was because the lender gave us the impression that the city/county does inspections to make sure the builder is building according to code regulations. But from what you all are saying, things could be overlooked by county inspectors??

PenguinSix · 05-29-2009, 10:38 AM

Reputation is great, but sometimes there are practical considerations that come into play that lead to code imperfections or violations. Say there is a crane that is cost $200 an hour and they have the roof up in the air and a board is splintering and needs to be replaced, but the guy can just throw another board on as a quick fix patch and the crane can set the roof and everyone is good to go (and it's only a little minor thing). That's how a lot of violations develop--little minor things, even with those with good reputations.

I'd probably just be safe. It's a huge investment buying a house and the $400 might save you something in the long run.

bowian · 05-29-2009, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrappygirl26

I too wondered why the lender would tell us it would be a waste of money? It really kind of threw me through a loop! If we were purchasing a resale we would absolutely without a question get an inspection. The only reason why I even considered not getting one was because the lender gave us the impression that the city/county does inspections to make sure the builder is building according to code regulations. But from what you all are saying, things could be overlooked by county inspectors??

Just because something passes code (meaning it meets minimal qualifications, basically) doesn't mean it is done well enough to not cause you problems down the road. In fact, the inspector may find some things that need improvement, but the builder will say, "well, it passed code," and not fix it. But if you have a record that an inspector pointed out this issue, that is helpful in case a problem develops later.

dcdrogers · 05-29-2009, 04:48 PM

Are you using the builders in-house lender? I don't know why a lender would even speak on something they don't specialize in. Never heard of that one before. Please don't try to skimp with the $400...it is money well spent. A lot of things can go wrong with a new build. The builder would normally give about a 1 year warranty. Heck...I have better warrantys on my televisions and car. Protect yourself now by knowing what you're buying...you'll be happy you did.

mbieber1029 · 05-30-2009, 06:32 AM

we had our home inspected even though it was just inspected 2 weeks before by the other buyer (contract fell through) we even had a copy of that inspection report and receipts of everything that was fixed but we still went with our own inspector. Good thing we did since he found a few, albeit minor things, the seller offered us $600 at closing to cover and repairs so essentially the inspection gave us a $250 profit just by having it. Only skip the inspection if you are planning on knocking down the house to build another.